Buffalo Bills stud linebacker Terrel Bernard was named the Week 11 AFC Defensive Player of the Week after his impressive performance that helped his team bring down the previously-undefeated Kansas City Chiefs.
Terrel Bernard has been named AFC Defensive Player of the Week. pic.twitter.com/MBNjS42zDn
— Buffalo Bills PR (@BuffaloBillsPR) November 20, 2024
His game-clinching fourth quarter interception of Patrick Mahomes is certainly the highlight reel play of the night, but Bernard also had a team-leading eight tackles, including a third down sack for a loss of six that forced the Chiefs to punt on their second possession. Although the sack came in the first quarter, which might seem inconsequential, it was on the heels of Mahomes throwing a pick to Taylor Rapp on his first toss of his first series and kept the dangerous Chiefs off of the scoreboard until the second quarter.
LET’S GO, TB!!
📺: @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/cMxkV0IfwE
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) November 18, 2024
In addition to his highly-populated stat sheet, Bernard was also largely responsible for the struggles that Travis Kelce experienced on Sunday, limiting the hall-of-fame tight end to two receptions for eight yards and zero scores. It even appears that Kelce was the target of the Mahomes pass that Bernard picked off to seal the deal, based on how #87 was standing with his empty hands outstretched as if he was trying to catch a falling coconut at the end of the play.
Bernard’s honors make him the sixth Bill to have won the award this season, joining Tyler Bass, Taron Johnson, Josh Allen, James Cook, and Greg Rousseau, or “Groot,” as fans lovingly call him because of his 6′-6″, 270-pound tree trunk frame. Only the dominant Detroit Lions have also earned this designation six times this year, with the Baltimore Ravens one off the pace thanks to three wins by Lamar Jackson and two by Derrick Henry.
The Buffalo Bills Could Clinch the AFC East Before Their Next Game
Even though the Bills are on a much-needed bye for Week 12, they could nab their fifth-straight AFC East title for the first time in franchise history without even leaving their couches. Channel 4 News in Buffalo has reported that if the following scenarios play out, the Bills will have claimed the crown before taking the field to face the San Francisco 49ers next Sunday night:
“Week 12: Patriots beat Dolphins (Bills and Jets on bye week)
Week 13: Dolphins lose at Packers, Jets lose to Seahawks, Patriots lose to Colts”
As unlikely as some of those results might be over the next two weeks, the Bills still currently sit at a 99% chance to take the division, according to the math folks at NFL.com. Grabbing the 1-seed should remain the primary goal for the Bills, especially considering the strength of the teams that will be fighting for the lower seeds in the AFC, but they will still need a slip-up from Kansas City to do so, and that often feels like hoping that Gollum will get over his ring obsession.
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