The Buffalo Bills will have one of their top defensive players back on the field for Thursday’s showdown with the high-flying Detroit Lions offense.
Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard suffered a calf injury in the team’s Week 1 win over the Houston Texans, though was able to stay in the game and make a game-sealing fumble recovery. Bernard was limited in practice during the short week, raising concern that he could miss Thursday’s game, but the team shared a positive update on Wednesday.
Terrel Bernard Cleared to Play Against Lions
The Bills released their final injury report before the game, showing that Bernard no longer carried an injury designation. Veteran edge rusher Bradley Chubb and defensive back Jordan Hancock were also cleared to play, while safety Cole Bishop and running back Ty Johnson were both listed as questionable.
Bernard led the team in the win over the Texans with 12 tackles, including one tackle for a loss. Though the Bills struggled on defense, they came through with a big play at the end thanks to Bernard.
With the Texans driving deep into Bills’ territory in the closing seconds, the defensive line increased the pressure and sacked quarterback C.J. Stroud on consecutive plays to close out the game. On the second sack, Ed Oliver knocked the ball loose and Bernard pounced on it.
The Bills have dealt with some other injuries early this season, missing Johnson for the season opener. The team called up practice squad regular Frank Gore Jr. to take his place, though he had only a light role as the Bills gave the bulk of the carries out of the backfield to James Cook.
Joe Brady Looking Forward to Home Opener
The Bills face a test on Thursday against one of the league’s most dangerous offenses, and head coach Joe Brady is well aware. He shared praise for Detroit’s offense ahead of the game, saying they have a lot of weapons.
“They’ve been a dynamic offense for a lot of years. [Quarterback] Jared Goff does a great job running the show and you see what [running back] (Jahmyr) Gibbs is able to do,” Brady said, via USA Today’s Bills Wire. “They’re dynamic as it gets.”
Chubb said the Bills needed to start by generating pressure on quarterback Jared Goff.
“They got players at each level of the offense,” Chubb said via video conference. “They got key playmakers at each position. It’s going to be big for us on defense to slow them down.”
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