MIAMI -- Buffalo Bills starting middle linebacker Terrel Bernard suffered a pectoral injury in Thursday night's 31-10 win against the Miami Dolphins and did not return.
After the game, coach Sean McDermott said he did not know the severity of the injury.
Bernard appeared to suffer the injury late in the first quarter on the Dolphins' touchdown drive, but he stayed in the game for a play. He then exited the field and went into the medical tent with the team's athletic trainers before heading to the locker room.
Bernard, who had two tackles, was initially ruled as questionable to return before being ruled out after halftime. He was replaced by 2022 seventh-round pick Baylon Spector.
It's not the first time Spector has come off the bench to play. In the regular season finale for the AFC East title last year, which the Bills won, linebacker Tyrel Dodson was injured, and Spector came in to play for him.
"I was prepared for it. I mean, it's the game of football. It's happened before. It's can happen again," Spector said. "It happened last year. Clearly, same stadium. So, you just always got to be ready. I mean, you never know when your time's going to be called and you just prepare each week the same way, and its football, it happens, and hopefully TB can get healthy and come back."
The Bills defense limited quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to an average air yard per completion of 1.82 yards, the worst in his career (minimum two attempts). It was also the Dolphins' fewest points scored in a regular-season game under coach Mike McDaniel.
One of two team captains, along with quarterback Josh Allen, Bernard started all 17 games for the Bills last season.
Bernard joins starting linebacker Matt Milano (biceps) and nickel cornerback Taron Johnson (forearm) in missing time because of injuries. Milano tore his biceps during a training camp practice and will sit out significant time; Johnson was injured on the first drive of the team's Week 1 win over the Arizona Cardinals but has not been put on injured reserve. If Bernard also must miss time, the Bills will be without three starters just two weeks into the year.
"I hate saying 'next man up,' because you can't replace those guys. TB, that's our captain," Von Miller said of Bernard. "He's the heartbeat of this defense. We already lost Matt Milano, so it's going to be tough to try to fill that void, but those young guys, man, got to give it to them. Baylon Spector came in and he made it work. Kept the defense together."
Spector tied linebacker Dorian Williams, who is in for Milano, and safety Damar Hamlin with a team-high 10 tackles.
Despite missing key defenders, the Bills recorded three interceptions, two of which were by defensive back Ja'Marcus Ingram, including one pick-six. With Johnson out, defensive back Cam Lewis shifted to the nickel corner role, leading to Ingram getting the spot in the team's dime package.
The Bills won despite being outgained by 104 total yards, their biggest disparity in a win since October 2017, (Atlanta Falcons, 108 yards). The Dolphins also controlled the clock for 36:19 compared with the Bills' 23:41.
Buffalo has won 17 division games since Allen was drafted in 2018, tied with the Dallas Cowboys for the most over that span.
"Next man up. The guys did a good job," McDermott said. "Baylon Spector knew the game plan, prepared like he was going to start and the results are the results. And then Ja'Marcus comes in and gets another big play for us and that's great to see. These guys work hard, so good things happen when you work hard. Sometimes the ball finds you like that."