What a game the Buffalo Bills and 24-year-old Terrel Bernard had this past Sunday afternoon after beating the Washington Commanders 37-3. Both he, the team, and coach Sean McDermott had things to celebrate after this game.
Josh Allen, for the second straight Sunday, had a great outing, as he has dialed his passion a bit back and has just played within Ken Dorsey’s offensive scheme in year two as Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator.
Bernard’s Historical Game
The linebacker was originally drafted out of Baylor by the Buffalo Bills in 2022 as a third-round pick, and some questioned if he would be too small to play linebacker in the NFL.
After not playing much in his rookie year due to Tremaine Edmunds still on the team, he has proven that smaller linebackers can succeed, as long as they are quick enough to rush the passer and drop back into coverage like defensive backs and create turnovers.
He became just the third Buffalo Bills linebacker to record two sacks and recover a fumble, with Jerry Hughes doing it recently back in 2020 and Cornelius Bennett back in 1989.
The second-year linebacker looked impressive the first three weeks of the season, but to take important note, he made some history in both the NFL and on the Buffalo Bills squad.
Bills HC Sean McDermott – Timothy T. Ludwig/Getty Images
100th Game Coached by Sean McDermott for the Buffalo Bills
While it’s Bernard doing most of the work, you have to trace it back to the guy who’s not only responsible for the entire team’s production but also took over the role of Defensive Coordinator this past year.
Head Coach Sean McDermott reached a milestone for himself as well, as he now has officially been the Buffalo Bills head coach for 100 career games.
Both these gentlemen deserve their flowers, as Bernard is a perfect scheme fit for this defense, and McDermott has done a great job calling the defensive plays by being more aggressive with rushing the passers.
Bernard capped off his stellar performance with a late fumble recovery in the 4th quarter, and his day was done after that with the Buffalo Bills up by a commanding lead late in the game.
Bills LB Terrel Bernard (43) – Jevone Moore/Getty Images
Bernard’s Post Game Thoughts
Bernard is a guy reminiscent of what Luke Kuechly was as a middle linebacker for Coach McDermott when he was the DC at Carolina under then-head coach Ron Rivera.
While Bernard is much smaller in body frame at 6’1″, 224 pounds, he is all over the field like Kuechly was, and he can make those key “splash turnover plays” when rushing the passer.
“It was fun. That’s the name of the game, making plays,” Bernard said post-game. “So going out there and doing everything that I could to help this team win. I had a great time.”
Even quarterback Josh Allen knows that Bernard’s terrific game should give him some recognition as he progresses with each game.
“Just the vibe and the confidence that he gives off, it’s infectious to that defense,” Allen replied.
Pressure to replace Edmunds
Bernard came into the season with huge expectations. He was the one to come in to replace former starter Tremaine Edmunds.
Last season, he made just one start as a rookie and was injured through most of the preseason. Since then, the speedy linebacker has taken the league by storm in just three full starts this year.
“Just building confidence that I can do it,” Bernard said. “Coming in, you don’t really know, to be honest with you. Going day-by-day trying to stack days, get the confidence in my teammates, get the confidence in myself, get the confidence with the coaches.”
Once again, huge congratulations to Bernard and Coach McDermott for drawing up a great scheme and then tailoring it to what Bernard does best: creating turnovers.
It makes us ALL wanna SHOUT!
