Buffalo Bills starting linebacker Terrel Bernard is expected to play Thursday night against the Detroit Lions after a calf injury that briefly raised doubts about his availability.
Bernard hurt his calf during Sunday’s 36-31 win at Houston but stayed on the field. He finished with a team-high 12 tackles, including one for loss, and recovered a fumble that helped seal the victory. He played all 79 of Buffalo’s defensive snaps.
The Bills listed Bernard as limited in practice throughout the short week. On the final injury report released Wednesday, he carried no designation and is cleared to start the home opener at the new Highmark Stadium.
Three other Bills players remain questionable. Safety Cole Bishop (knee/groin), running back Ty Johnson (hamstring) and defensive lineman T.J. Sanders (knee/illness) were limited Wednesday.
Edge rusher Bradley Chubb (thumb) and defensive back Jordan Hancock (quad) practiced fully and are also off the report.
Bernard’s Week 1 numbers stood out on a defense that faced 79 snaps. Official statistics credit him with six solo tackles, six assists and the fumble recovery after Ed Oliver forced the ball loose from C.J. Stroud on a late sack.
Johnson missed the opener with the hamstring issue. Practice-squad running back Frank Gore Jr. was elevated and saw limited work while James Cook handled most of the carries.
The Lions enter 1-0 after an overtime win over New Orleans but will be missing two starting offensive linemen. Right tackle Blake Miller (knee) and left guard Christian Mahogany (hip) are out. Cornerback D.J. Reed (foot) is questionable.
Detroit is also without safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph, both on the physically unable to perform list and ineligible for the first four games.
Buffalo’s defense allowed 31 points and a late Houston drive that reached deep into its territory before the consecutive sacks ended the game. The unit now faces a Lions offense that produced 156 rushing yards from Jahmyr Gibbs in Week 1 and 410 passing yards allowed in that same contest.
Head coach Joe Brady described Detroit’s attack as having plenty of weapons.
“They’ve been a dynamic offense for a lot of years. Jared Goff does a great job running the show and you see what Gibbs is able to do,” Brady said. “They’re dynamic as it gets.”
Chubb emphasized the need for pressure.
“They got players at each level of the offense,” he said. “They got key playmakers at each position. It’s going to be big for us on defense to slow them down.”
Bernard’s presence in the middle of the defense is viewed as important after he led the team in tackles and produced the game-ending recovery. He has started 43 of 59 career games and recorded 346 combined tackles, 7.5 sacks and six interceptions entering this season.
The short week leaves little recovery time. Buffalo went 1-0 on the road and now hosts a Lions team that is also 1-0. Kickoff is set for Thursday night.
Both clubs will monitor the questionable players up to game time. Bernard’s removal from the injury report is the clearest positive development for Buffalo’s defense heading into the matchup.
