“There were moments in there where they were working together really good,” DC Bobby Babich said of the three LB sets. “I can put them in a better position at times. But they knew what the plan was. It was pretty specific, and they did a good job executing.”
Bernard, the captain of the Bills defense, was tasked with making sure the Buffalo defense was properly aligned each snap and in the right position to guard against the run, as well as Baltimore’s read option attack.
RB Derrick Henry was held to just 21 yards rushing in the first half on eight carries as Buffalo held a 21-10 lead going into the locker room.
The CBS broadcast several times showed Bernard calling out shifts and assignments to the other 10 defenders before the ball was snapped. The instincts from the third-year linebacker were on display in the biggest game of the year to this point, and surely make up for what some say is an undersized middle linebacker at 6-foot-1, 224 pounds.
“When it comes to the intangibles, Terrel is the total package,” Babich said. “Really liked him coming out of Baylor, and I knew a lot of what people wouldn’t like him for, the things that, in my mind, don’t matter as much in football. And we’re lucky to have him.”
