The Buffalo Bills, currently sitting at a solid 3-1, are gearing up for a huge Monday Night Football clash against the Los Angeles Rams, but it looks like they’re doing it while patching up a ton of holes. The biggest news rumbling out of One Bills Drive is that cornerback Christian Benford, who missed their Week 4 loss to the Patriots, has now participated in his second straight practice session. That’s a massive relief because their secondary is absolutely getting hammered with injuries right now.
The Secondary Scramble Is Real
Benford’s limited practice participation is a step in the right direction, especially considering he’s dealing with an injured toe and is still considered day-to-day. The hope is he can be back in the starting lineup for this Week 5 primetime showdown. Losing him for the Patriots game was rough, but things got even worse during that game. Nickel cornerback Dee Alford suffered an ankle injury, and corner Te’Cory Couch picked up a hamstring issue. It’s a full-blown crisis in the defensive backfield. Benford, for his part, is keeping a cool head, reportedly saying, “Sun gonna keep coming up,” and he’s got his teammate Maxwell Hairston’s back, expecting him to “bounce back.”
That secondary definitely needs a rebound, especially after the chatter surrounding their last loss. Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard didn’t pull any punches when addressing Alford’s complaints about noise in their home stadium hindering the team against New England. Leonhard’s message was crystal clear: “If we complain about home noise, ‘we are (expletive).’” Ouch. Talk about a wake-up call. You know the defense is going to be fired up after that.
Beyond the DBs: Injuries Piling Up
The injury bug isn’t just hitting the defensive backs, either. While Benford was a limited participant in Friday’s practice, other key players were totally sidelined. Defensive tackle Ed Oliver is still out with a knee injury, and star wide receiver DJ Moore is nursing a shoulder issue. And just when you thought things couldn’t get worse, wide receiver Joshua Palmer popped up as a new addition to the injury report with a shoulder injury himself, though he did manage a limited practice.
This is a team that’s being called a Super Bowl contender, along with the Rams, so seeing this many key players on the injury report is definitely not ideal heading into such a high-stakes game. On a separate but important note, starting left guard Alec Anderson is stepping up off the field, advocating for improved mental health awareness.
The Bills offense clearly needs to figure out how to bounce back against the Rams, and you have to wonder what moves general manager Brandon Beane might be looking at before the trade deadline to shore up some of these areas.
This Monday Night Football game against the Rams is huge for the Bills. With both teams eyeing a strong start to the season and facing off as Super Bowl contenders, getting Benford back on the field, even with a toe injury, would be a massive boost. Keep an eye on that starting lineup when it drops, because every healthy body counts right now.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Buffalo Rumblings.
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