The Buffalo Bills had a slow start but recovered very quickly. By the end of the second half, the Bills were up by a huge margin. However, taking a comfortable lead wasn’t easy. They had to work extra hard after their linebacker, Terrel Bernard, was ruled out of the game early on. So, what happened to the 3 year linebacker out of Baylor?

Well, Cameron Wolfe of the NFL gave a clear picture of what happened to the Bills LB. His post on X said, “Bills LB Terrel Bernard has a pec injury, questionable to return. He just went back to the locker room.” The analyst further added, “Buffalo already down Matt Milano and Taron Johnson. Bernard is a key defender.”

This injury occurred in the first quarter on Miami’s first and goal. The play happened on Dolphins‘ first and goal, but the footage available at this point makes it hard to see. However, it’s a pectoral injury and apparently, the LB injured his left arm when he tried to cross the line of scrimmage. Baylon Spector took over Bernard and played beside Dorian Williams.

He came out of the blue medical tent holding his shoulder and was later headed to the locker room where he was declared questionable to return. However, the Bills clarified that he’ll miss the game just after halftime. Some sources suggest that this is a serious injury and Bernard will miss a significant amount of regular season games.

David Chao, former NFL doctor turned injury analyst, believes the linebacker will need surgery if a pectoral tear is confirmed. “If pec tear confirmed will need surgery with possible late season/playoffs return, Bills now without two of their top LBs,” wrote the doctor on Sports Injury Central. But that’s not all because the Bills are also without another of their LB.

Will the Bills defense bounce back?

Without their top linebackers, the Bills did a phenomenal job of holding Miami down. However, they will also miss All-Pro Matt Milano, who got injured in the training camp and was placed on injured reserve. Apparently, he also came down with a pectoral injury. The Bills believe that he can return by the end of the regular season.

Cameron Wolfe also noted in his X post, “Buffalo already down Matt Milano and Taron Johnson. Bernard is a key defender.” As evident by now, Taron Johnson was not on the IR list ahead of this week 2 matchup against Miami. That just means he was expected to play in week 2. He was ruled out of the game against the Cardinals due to a forearm injury.

With their 2 linebackers and nickel gone, the Buffalo’s defense might be in jeopardy in the future. However, they did an amazing job of holding the Dolphins to a 31-10 score. Before leaving the game, Bernard had 2 solo tackles. Hopefully, he’ll be back by the end of the regular season.