The Buffalo Bills did not escape their Week 17 win completely unscathed on the injury front.
Starting linebacker Terrel Bernard apparently tweaked his quad muscle in the 40-14 victory over the New York Jets on December 29, and he’s unavailable as the team prepares for its anti-climatic regular season finale.
“A leg, like a quad to be more specific,” said head coach Sean McDermott prior to Wednesday’s practice in Orchard Park.
Bernard, one of the team’s two captains, played 37 of a possible 63 snaps against the Jets.Outside of safeties Taylor Rapp and Cole Bishop, no Bills’ defensive starter played more than 40 snaps in the runaway win.
With Buffalo locked into the AFC’s No. 2 seed, Bernard will focus on recovery being the team’s Week 18 result has no bearing on playoff positioning.
“He will not play this week,” said McDermott. “I really don’t know if he was healthy enough, would he be able to go? Possibly. It’s probably somewhere between day to day and week to week, more like day to day.”
Despite being hampered by a pectoral problem at one point, Bernard made 13 starts for the Bills this season. He totaled 104 tackles, two interceptions and 1.0 sack. His focus will presumably turn to recovering in time for the AFC Wildcard Round.
Bernard’s absence, coupled with Baylon Spector on injured reserve, means undrafted rookie Joe Andreessen will see a lot of action against the New England Patriots on January 5. Andreessen, who didn’t enter until the fourth quarter, finished the Week 17 win as the team’s leading tackler.
