Tag: Terrel Bernard

3 keys to a Bills victory vs. the Chiefs in the AFC championship

3 keys to a Bills victory vs. the Chiefs in the AFC championship

The Buffalo Bills will play the Kansas City Chiefs on the road at Arrowhead Stadium in the AFC championship game this Sunday.

These teams clash while on hot streaks. The Bills have won 12 of their last 13 meaningful games while the Chiefs have won 20 of their last 21 meaningful games. Their lone loss over that time was to the Bills.

The Bills beat them 30-21 in Week 11 this year. Quarterback Josh Allen accounted for 317 total yards and a pair of touchdowns while the team converted on 9 of 15 third-down plays in the victory.

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Patrick Mahomes threw a pair of interceptions in the loss, but the Chiefs have won the last three playoff games over the Bills and it will be tougher to force them into mistakes this time around. Kansas City are favored by 1.5 points at home.

To slay the dragon and advance to the Super Bowl, the Bills will need to execute their game plan.

Here are three keys to a Bills win vs. the Chiefs:

Execution in pass coverage

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Mahomes is good enough in the pocket that he can beat you even when everyone is covered. He’s great at buying an extra second or two and finding someone uncovered down the field, and in the playoffs, tight end Travis Kelce has often been that person.

The two have incredible rapport and always find open grass when things break down. It will take multiple defenders every pass play to shut them down.

The Bills defense will need to communicate purposefully and rapidly, especially in the middle of the field, where Kelce likes to roam. If there’s one man out of place, he’ll make you pay like he has in the past.

The good news for Buffalo is the middle of their defense is much healthier this postseason compared to last. During the 2023 playoffs, they were down both linebackers Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard, this year they are both expected to be out there occupying the middle.

Keep feeding James Cook

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Handing the ball to James Cook might have been included in about ten weekly “keys to victory” this year. And it continues to prove effective under offensive coordinator Joe Brady.

The Bills went up against two of the best run defenses in their first two playoff matchups and were able to control the game on the ground. The Bills handed both the Denver Broncos (wild card) and Baltimore Ravens (divisional) the most rushing yards they’ve allowed this season.

The Bills have averaged 178.5 yards on the ground this postseason. This figure would have been good for third-most in the league during the regular season.

The Chiefs ranked ninth in defense rushing DVOA this year and eighth in rushing yards allowed per game. They’ve been a decent group, but haven’t stuffed the run like Baltimore or Denver.

Igniting Cook and the rushing game will open things up for the Bills’ passing game, especially in the middle of the field where the Chiefs have allowed the most yards to tight ends in the NFL this year (1,191).

Win matchups on the defensive line

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Getting to Mahomes and taking him down for a sack is easier said than done. But, getting consistent pressure could force errant passes or throwaways, which can make a big difference in the playoffs.

While there has been a lot of talk about the Chiefs rotating pieces on the offensive line this year and that they’ve struggled at times, Mahomes has a way of masking their offensive line’s deficiencies. They rank 16th in the NFL in sacks allowed this year (41), and if they had someone who couldn’t manipulate the pocket or make off-script plays, they’d be much higher on the list.

The Bills had 224 total pressures in the regular season, good for eighth in the NFL. They’ll need to mix things up at times by showing different fronts and blitzes, but the Bills also have some guys who can win their one-on-one matchup.

Von Miller, Greg Rousseau, Ed Oliver, AJ Epenesa, and others will need to capitalize on chances to get after Mahomes Sunday.

If they can force the Chiefs into unfavorable down-and-distances and make Mahomes uncomfortable in the pocket during those plays, it would go a long way toward their chances at making the Super Bowl.

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Bills’ Terrel Bernard breaks down difficulty facing Chiefs’ Travis Kelce

Bills’ Terrel Bernard breaks down difficulties facing Chiefs’ Travis Kelce

All eyes are on quarterbacks Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes ahead of the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs clashing in the AFC championship game.

However, when those two teams do battle it rarely comes down to just the QBs… much like in any game. They need help.

When it comes to the Chiefs, tight end Travis Kelce is always the first player most look at. It’s the same case for players like Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard.

Kelce is a future Hall of Famer and Bernard credited his successes to his athleticism and chemistry built over the years with Mahomes.

“He’s a big, strong, fast athlete,” Bernard said. “They’ve been together a long time and have that connection.”

Along with Bernard, cornerback Bills cornerback Taron Johnson sees that pairing with Mahomes… even more so than anybody else. He will play a big role in defending Kelce as Johnson defends the slot where the tight end will roam.

“He’s been playing with Patrick Mahomes for a while, and their chemistry is undeniable,” Johnson told reporters. “He’s such a smart player.”

Kelce is fresh off a huge outing against the Houston Texans in Kansas City’s divisional round win.

While Kelce will carry that momentum into his matchup against Buffalo’s defense, he has had up-and-down outings against the Bills in his career. Most recently in the Bills’ 30-21 win over the Chiefs during the regular season, he was held to just two catches for eight yards.

For more from Bernard on Kelce, see the attached clip below:

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Bills’ Terrel Bernard reacts to game-changing fumble vs. Ravens

Bills’ Terrel Bernard reacts to game-changing fumble vs. Ravens

The Buffalo Bills hit a field goal to go up 24-19 on the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL’s Divisional round. It felt like they needed more after that score the second half.

Linebacker Terrel Bernard provided it.

Bernard forced a huge fumble on tight end Mark Andrews from the Ravens. He recovered the ball, too.

It was the third of three takeaways Buffalo’s defense had in the contest which was a massive swing in the eventual 27-25 win.

Make no mistake, Bernard meant it.

“Saw him cut back and really just saw the ball,” Bernard said. “I saw the ball out there. Did everything I could to hit it.”

After the fumble, Buffalo’s offense hit another field goal. Then the Ravens did score a touchdown, but the edge was 27-25 after a missed two-point conversion. Bernard’s fumble made all the difference.

“We made a play there at the end, I’m just so proud of our guys,” Allen said via video conference.

With the win, the Bills move on to face the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship. A huge play to make that happen.

For more from Bernard, see the attached clip below:

Bills vs. Ravens: 3 key matchups to watch in Divisional round

Bills vs. Ravens: 3 key matchups to watch in Divisional round

The Buffalo Bills will host the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium in the NFL’s Divisional round.

For this AFC battle between Sean McDermott’s Bills (13-4) and John Harbaugh’s Ravens (12-5), it will be the games, within the game, that will make all the difference.

Here are three key matchups to watch during Sunday’s Bills-Ravens clash:

LB Terrel Bernard vs. RB Derrick Henry

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As always, it’s not on one player to stop a running back. But as the “quarterback” of the Bills defense, Bernard has to have his teammates in the right positions and ready to face Henry.

While Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is going to be the one with a lot of eyes on him, Henry was the one who torched Buffalo in the Ravens’ 35-10 win against the Bills in Week 4.

Along with 199 rushing yards and a touchdown in that outing, Henry’s resume against Buffalo is very solid. He averages 93 yards per outing against the Bills and has nine total touchdowns against them in six games.

WR Keon Coleman vs. CB Brandon Stephens

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The Ravens’ top cornerback is Marlon Humphrey. His 81.4 grade via Pro Football Focus‘ analytics has him with the fourth-best cornerback mark in the NFL currently.

One could expected Humphrey to follow around the likes of Bills receivers Khalil Shakir and Amari Cooper. That might leave Coleman to beat Stephens, who is PFF’s 99th best cornerback out of 117 qualifying players. His coverage grade has him at 109th.

Coleman had three catches for 51 yards in Baltimore earlier this season.

OL Spencer Brown vs. ED Kyle Van Noy

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The veteran in Van Noy is still going strong as his 12.5 sacks led the Ravens defense in 2024 and it was his first season with double-digit sacks in his career. Brown has had a solid year for the Bills. PFF grades him at a positive 74.3 mark.

Brown stopping Van Noy has plenty to do with Nnamdi Madubuike as well. He lines up next to Van Noy on Baltimore’s defensive front and that dynamic duo cannot be allowed to thrive.

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Bills injury update: Good postseason news for Terrel Bernard

Bills injury update: Good postseason news for Terrel Bernard

The Buffalo Bills only had one minor, lingering concern on their injury report ahead of facing the Denver Broncos in the NFL’s Wild Card round.

Starting linebacker Terrel Bernard (quad) had surprisingly appeared on the team’s injury report prior to their season finale against the New England Patriots. The week prior, he played.

Bernard did not suit up for the Bills (13-4) in that Pats outing. However, he’s not going to remain on the sideline with the postseason here. Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott said Bernard is “good to go” once Sunday’s Broncos (10-7) matchup arrives.

“The information that I got towards the end of the week from our medical staff was that he’s trending in the right direction,” McDermott said.

Throughout this week during practices ahead of facing Denver, Bernard has been listed as a full participant in workouts as well.

Bernard during practice can be found in the clip below:

Bills injury update: Now there’s good news on Terrel Bernard ahead of finale

Bills injury update: Now there’s good news on Terrel Bernard ahead of finale

After a brief scare, the Buffalo Bills saw a complete 180 from linebacker Terrel Bernard.

The Bills (13-3) face the New England Patriots (3-13) in their season finale in Week 18.

Most starters likely won’t play with their No. 2 seed in the AFC locked up, but it was announced by Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott that his starting linebacker will not play because of a new injury.

Bernard exited Buffalo’s 40-14 win over the New York Jets on Sunday at the start of the third quarter. Plenty of other first teamers did as well, but Bernard appeared on the Bills’ first injury report this week with a quad issue in a surprise.

McDermott said Bernard was somewhere between “day-to-day” and “week-to-week” in terms of his health status. It appears the former is closer to the truth.

After missing practice on Wednesday, Bernard did get on the field the following day. He was a limited participant but that’s still a great update ahead of the playoffs.

Bernard, 25, missed the Bills’ playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs last year. That was not ideal.

The way Bernard is trending, it appears he’s more likely to be healthy once the postseason does roll around.

Bills Wire will provide updates as information is made available.

Here is a clip of Bernard taking part in practice on Thursday:

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Bills injury update: Bad news on Terrel Bernard ahead of season finale

Bills injury update: Bad news on Terrel Bernard ahead of season finale

The Buffalo Bills will most likely be without starting linebacker Terrel Bernard in their Week 18 season finale against the New England Patriots.

Most starters likely won’t play, but the Bills (13-3) will sit Bernard because of a new injury.

Bernard exited Buffalo’s 40-14 win over the New York Jets on Sunday at the start of the third quarter. Plenty of other first teamers did as well, but Bernard appeared on the Bills’ first injury report this week with a quad issue in a surprise.

On Wednesday, Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott said via video conference Bernard is somewhere between “day-to-day” and “week-to-week.” The only reason Bernard would suit up is because of depth, but don’t expect him to play according to McDermott.

Bernard, 25, missed the Bills’ playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs last year. That was not ideal.

While Bernard’s status is up in the air, the Bills locking in the No. 2 seed last week is massive for this reason. Starters can rest in this “defacto bye” in Week 18 since Buffalo has nothing to play for.

Bills Wire will provide updates as information is made available.

Here is a clip of where Bernard was possibly injured against the Jets via Bills medical analyst and content creator “Banged Up Bills.”

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Bills LB praises Patriots following competitive game on Sunday

Bills LB Terrel Bernard believes the Patriots are a “good team”

Buffalo Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard praised the Patriots following the Bills’ 24-21 win on Sunday.

Bernard had his best game of the season in the AFC East divisional matchup racking up 12 tackles. It was his fourth game with at least 10 tackles this year.

Many thought the Patriots would get blown out in the game, but they put up a better fight than expected.

“That’s a good team. I said it earlier. They’ve been in a bunch of games, pretty much every game all season that they’ve played,” Bernard told reporters after the game. “They got a good quarterback, good offensive line, good running backs and two tight ends that are really effective in the passing game as well.”

The Week 16 performance could be viewed as a building block for the Patriots. They went on the road and competed against arguably the best team in football.

It was one of the more competitive games of the season for the Patriots, and they’ll have a chance to get revenge on the Bills when the two teams collide once more in Foxborough in the season finale.

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Bills LB Terrel Bernard named AFC Defensive Player of the Week

Bills LB Terrel Bernard named AFC Defensive Player of the Week

Buffalo Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard has been named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week following his team’s win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12.

Bernard is the second player from Buffalo the win the DPOTW honor in as many games as cornerback Taron Johnson won it seven days ago.

In total, the Bills (9-2) have had six player win a weekly honor so far this season.

Bernard led the Bills with eight tackles, including one for loss.

More importantly, Bernard notched a sack on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and intercepted him. The latter takeaway was the final play of the game for Kansas City’s offense as Bernard iced the 30-21 win.

Bernard’s impact stood out even further considering he missed this team’s postseason loss to the Chiefs last season. .

In total, Buffalo has taken home six total “Player of the Week” honors so far in 2024. The team record for the Bills in a single season is eight.

Bernard’s pick can be found in the clip below:

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Bills’ Terrel Bernard breaks down matchup vs. Chiefs’ Travis Kelce

Bills’ Terrel Bernard breaks down matchup vs. Chiefs’ Travis Kelce

The Bills beat the Chiefs 30-21 at home on Sunday.

The contest that saw the teams’ final scores roughly on average for the season so far also had significant takeaways on and off the field.

But the biggest one belonged to Buffalo linebacker, Terrel Bernard.

With 1:07 left to play in the fourth quarter, the Bills’ defensive captain and play caller took away a Patrick Mahomes pass intended for Kansas City tight end and MGMT “Electric Feel” fan Travis Kelce for an end-game interception.


The entire Buffalo defense ran down to celebrate with him in the end zone after getting in front of Kelce to grab the ball out of the air.

“The main thing is just having awareness of him, “ Bernard said about covering the Chiefs TE to WIVB. “Pre, post-snap, trying to get guys around him as much as possible, playing within our scheme and our system still but understanding he’s going to be one of the first options every pass play.”

It was the second interception for KC’s Mahomes, whose first and last throws in Sunday’s game were caught by Buffalo.

Bernard, who was out during the last meeting between the clubs in January’s divisional round of the playoffs, also had eight tackles and a sack on the day to go with the big-time turnover.

“I think having that awareness, [defensive coordinator] Bobby [Babich] did a great job in the gameplan, all the coaches did, putting him in our minds all week and knowing where he was at and where he was going to be, what he likes to do in certain spots. I think that was a huge factor, and everybody playing to the details of the defense.”

Everything has changed for Kelce since his last matchups against the Bills in which he seemed unstoppable.

He may just want to shake it off, knowing all too well that Bernard and the Bills defense held him to only two catches for eight yards receiving.

But with the win the Bills now have a better shot at a No. 1 seed and a first-round bye, the Chiefs do as well although they are not out of the woods yet.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was complimentary of the Bills when asked what his takeaways off the field were from the loss.

“Things you can learn, the main thing is that they’re a good team and, if you have a few mistakes in there, they can capitalize on them,” Reid said.

The teams could face off again in the postseason, and time will tell which club will play host to the other if they do.

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