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ESPN analyst raves over Bills LB Terrel Bernard after game-sealing INT vs. Chiefs

ESPN's Dan Orlovsky had nothing but praise for Buffalo Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard after his performance against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Nico Salimbene|
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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen re-entered the MVP conversation with his fourth-and-two go-ahead touchdown run to put the Bills up by nine points late in their Week 11 bout with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Buffalo faithful likely set decibel records with how loud the stadium was following the score, but they remained on the edge of their seats as Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes got the ball back.

Down two scores, Mahomes had the opportunity to create some of his patented magic with two minutes and 17 seconds to play. For most matchups, this game is as good as over. The Bills and the Chiefs, however, know that this matchup is never finished until the game clock hits triple zeroes.

"So you did just win the game, right? Right? Not down nine [points]. Nobody, right?" CBS color commentator Tony Romo slyly joked. "I'm not saying that," play-by-play commentator Jim Nantz responded. The duo remembers the 2021 AFC Divisional Round playoff game all too well, as they were the ones calling it. As we all remember, the Chiefs only need 13 seconds to score.

Patrick Mahomes
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The clock stopped for the two-minute warning. "I'm not comfortable," Romo remarked, "I can tell you why. Because that dude [Mahomes] is still standing... until zero zero zero, this game ain't over."

Related: Super Bowl-winning HC praises Bills backup OT who was forced to start vs. Chiefs

Four plays later and the game was indeed over -- Buffalo linebacker Terrel Bernard's interception closed the door on any late-game shenanigans that both of these teams are far too familiar with. With 67 seconds on the clock and the Chiefs out of timeouts, Allen ran back onto the field for victory formation.

Terrel Bernard
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Most of the glory for Buffalo's victory over Kansas City would be given to quarterback Allen, and rightfully so, but one shouldn't forget about the team's unsung hero in Bernard, who was all over the field for Buffalo's defense in the win. In addition to his interception, the third-year pro led the team in total tackles with eight and filled his stat sheet with a sack, a tackle for loss, a quarterback hit, and a pass defended.

ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky made his weekly appearance on One Bills Live on Tuesday and gushed over Bernard's performance. The pundit praised the linebacker's football IQ, implying that Bernard had a sixth sense with regard to the Chiefs' offense.

"When you watch, it looks like Bernard knows basically everything that's coming," the former NFL field general exclaimed. "It looked like he was calling things out pre-snap on a consistent basis. Them using him as the spy was brilliant; I thought that they were really good with understanding that [the] left defensive end would go inside, Patrick would try to get out, and [Bernard] would spy him. But even like the touchdown pass that [Mahomes] has, that two or three-yarder, Bernard gets so mad at [cornerback] Taron Johnson because Bernard knew what was coming. And so, it looked like they had a really good beat on what they were trying to get done offensively, so I thought the plan and the understanding of how to take that first thought away and then the rush would be impactful [and] was a big deal. He's a tremendous player man."

Without the big plays from Bernard, it's possible Bills fans would've come away from this game with the same feelings they had in 2021. Even after giving the ball back to Mahomes, this team would not be denied another victory thanks to the late-game heroics of one of Buffalo's emerging superstars.

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Nico Salimbene
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