Buffalo Bills LB Terrel Bernard Reveals How Defense ‘Set a Standard’ vs. Dallas Cowboys
Week 15 may have been the most important win of the Buffalo Bills’ season. In a matter of hours, they cast doubt upon the playoff viability of the visiting Dallas Cowboys and re-emerged as a contender in the AFC.
On Sunday, Buffalo won 31-10 and got the toughest game of its home stretch out of the way. With two B-team quarterbacks on the schedule before a Week 18 contest with the Miami Dolphins, the playoffs are looking increasingly likely.
Part of finding success in the playoffs is playing into one’s identity. Of course, opponents will go out of their way to limit what teams do best, but when push comes to shove, whose number is called? The same is true on both sides of the ball.
Buffalo LB Terrel Bernard celebrates with his teammates against the Washington Commanders.
© Brad Mills, USA TODAY
Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard claimed his defense – despite the injuries and inconsistencies – has found its identity.
“Defensively, we’re physical, fast, affecting the quarterback, stopping the run, and taking the ball away,” Bernard said. “Those are the things that we preach and those are things that we live by. We set a standard of how we play, how we do things, and how we execute. We feel like we’ve steadily improved on that throughout the year and today was another step in that.”
Those traits were epitomized in what could very well go down as head coach Sean McDermott’s magnum opus.
Few, if any, quarterbacks are as consistently strong between the ears as Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. On Sunday, he was lost in Western New York. The Bills did an excellent job of lining up and dominating in man coverage when necessary, but changed up enough looks to cause him to hesitate. With a pass rush as effective as Buffalo’s, that was a death sentence.
In all, Prescott’s hot streak came to an abrupt end, completing 21 of 34 attempts for just 134 yards. He was intercepted once, sacked three times, and failed to throw a touchdown.
Bernard, meanwhile, played well. He had just five total tackles, but the defense surrendered just 195 total yards, and a flurry of incompletions limited the opportunities to rack up stats. Dallas was not efficient in either facet of its offense, allowing the Bills to go on cruise control for the second half.
McDermott, and his defense stepped up to the plate on Sunday. They’ll be rewarded with a struggling Los Angeles Chargers team that’s without star quarterback Justin Herbert for the rest of the season. Coming off of a 63-21 rout at the hands of the Las Vegas Raiders, it’s hard to see Buffalo having much trouble on Saturday.
With its identity proudly proclaimed and an 8-6 record to its name, Buffalo is back. Just how long the defense lives up to its Week 15 performance could write the final chapter of an incredibly chaotic season.
