Last week, the Buffalo Bills defense had to square up with the New England Patriots’ offense without one of its brightest young pieces. Christian Benford landed on the injury report late last week with a foot injury that kept him out of the game.
Luckily, the Bills’ defense held its ground enough to get the win over the top team in the AFC East and keep Stefon Diggs largely at bay in the process. Still, the sooner Benford is back on the field for Buffalo’s defense, the better.
Head coach Sean McDermott offered key injury updates in his weekly Wednesday press conference and confirmed that Benford will be back on the practice field this week as he works his way back into the lineup.
“We’ll see today. Moving in a good direction. I’ll know a little more today and then certainly tomorrow,” McDermott said about Benford’s status.
As for other updates on the Bills injury report, DT Jordan Phillips and K Matt Prater are not practicing Wednesday, but the rest of the active 53-man roster, including Benford, are. Veteran wide receiver Mecole Hardman is also hitting the practice field as his 21-day window to return to the active roster is opened.
Buffalo Bills defense gets a massive boost as Christian Benford returns to practice
While Buffalo was able to contain Drake Maye and the Patriots’ passing game to just 181 yards of production last week without him, there’s no denying the impact Benford brings to the defense, especially in recent weeks ahead of his injury.
Benford helped spark comebacks against the Steelers, scoping up a fumble returned for a touchdown out of halftime and then picking off Mason Rudolph on the following drive, and against Cincinnati, snagging a 67-yard pick-six off Joe Burrow while coming off the edge on a corner blitz.
In Benford’s absence, the Bills were still able to force a takeaway, as Tre’Davious White came up with his first interception of the season, snagging a jump-ball intended for Mack Hollins near the end of the third quarter.
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Still, having Benford back in the lineup is a massive boost to the defense. Against Cincinnati, Benford shut down one of the top receivers in the league, and while Cleveland doesn’t have a Ja’Marr Chase on their roster, Jerry Jeudy and Isaiah Bond can be dangerous downfield targets. Then there’s next week, when the Philadelphia Eagles bring A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith into the conversation.