Fresh off their first win of the season, the Baltimore Ravens face a huge challenge against the high-flying, undefeated Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night Football.
The Bills, who just destroyed the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday night, have been an AFC contender for years, and they look just as dangerous as ever.
They lead the league in scoring with 37.3 points per game, and Josh Allen looks like the clear MVP frontrunner. Buffalo’s defense is also thriving, as it’s allowed just 10 points in back-to-back games.
Unfortunately, Buffalo will be a bit shorthanded when it comes to Baltimore. On Tuesday, head coach Sean McDermott announced that linebacker Terrel Bernard (pectoral) and cornerback Taron Johnson (forearm) will miss Sunday’s primetime showdown. Neither player suited up for the win over Jacksonville on Monday.
“Both are improving and they’ll do a little bit more this week but they will not make it back for this game,” McDermott told reporters, per Buffalo Bills On SI.
Bernard, a third-year pro, broke out in a big way last season. The Baylor product finished the year with a team-high 143 tackles, as well as 10 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, three interceptions and three fumble recoveries.
He had 11 tackles against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1, but left in the first quarter of Week 2’s game against the Miami Dolphins.
With Bernard out, Buffalo will lean on fellow third-year pro Baylon Spector to carry the load. Spector has 16 total tackles since Bernard went down.
Johnson, a seventh-year pro, just had his best season yet with 98 total tackles, eight passes defended and three forced fumbles, earning second-team All-Pro honors. He left in the first quarter of the Arizona game, and he’s not played since.
Fifth-year pro Cam Lewis has stepped up in Johnson’s absence, recording 22 tackles in the first three games. Ravens fans should expect to see him a great deal on Sunday night.
Rookie offensive tackle Tylan Grable, who left Monday’s game with a core muscle injury, will also miss “some time,” according to McDermott.
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