KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Buffalo Bills lost a key defender in Sunday's AFC Championship Game when starting cornerback Christian Benford was ruled out in the first quarter because of a concussion.
Benford was injured as he went to tackle Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy; Bills safety Damar Hamlin made contact with Benford's helmet as he also went to make the tackle. After the hit, Benford went to the ground and tried to get up and return to the field. He was stopped from doing so by his teammates, including fellow cornerback and close friend Rasul Douglas.
Athletic trainers then surrounded Benford for a couple of minutes before a cart was brought out. Benford exited the field sitting in the front seat of the cart and was quickly ruled out of the game.
The 2022 sixth-round pick was in concussion protocol throughout the week after sustaining the injury on one of the final plays -- an onside kick attempt -- in last week's win over the Baltimore Ravens.
Cornerback Kaiir Elam, the team's 2022 first-round pick, entered the game for Benford.