The Buffalo Bills earned a much-needed win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 13, as they cruised to a 26-7 victory. The Bills enjoyed strong performances on both sides of the ball, as the ground game led the way on offense, while the defense forced two turnovers, making life miserable for Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the Steelers’ offense.
The guy who came up with both of the turnovers for Buffalo on defense was cornerback Christian Benford, as he had a 17-yard scoop and score touchdown on a fumble lost by Rodgers, before intercepting him just a couple of plays later on the ensuing possession. Benford’s efforts earned him the AFC Defensive Player of the Week Award, and ahead of Week 14, head coach Sean McDermott had some high praise for Benford as well.
Sean McDermott Gushes Over Christian Benford After Big Game
A sixth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Benford has turned himself into easily the most important piece of the Bills’ secondary this season. After emerging as a de facto lockdown cornerback last season, Benford has taken his skillset to another level this year, thanks to his ability to do pretty much whatever McDermott and the rest of the coaching staff ask of him.
Initially, Benford was used more as a “field” cornerback to begin his career. However, he’s begun to play more on the outside at the “boundary” cornerback spot this season, although it largely depends on who Buffalo is playing. Having the ability to move Benford around as needed gives the Bills’ defense more options than usual when it comes to slowing down opposing offenses.
So far this season, Benford has 38 tackles, one interception, one pass deflection, one sack, and one touchdown for Buffalo. His emergence as one of the most versatile corners in the league has been huge for the Bills, and after his biggest game of the season, McDermott credited Benford for taking on a new role in the secondary this year.
“There’s a growth piece of that,” McDermott said of Benford’s strong play. “He was called the field corner … With that comes, ‘OK, now you’re gonna bounce around the field to boundary game to game.’ … That takes getting used to a little bit, and he’s done a really good job over the course of the season in growing into that type of position flexibility.”
Bills Looking to Continue Winning Ways in Week 14
GettyHead coach Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills
With Tre’Davious White being a fairly inconsistent option alongside Benford on the outside, and Darius Slay refusing to report to the Bills after recently getting claimed by the team on waivers, that makes Benford all the more important for Buffalo. He showed in Week 13 that he can be a game-changer, and those are the sorts of impact performances the team is going to need moving forward.
That will be true in Week 14, as the Bills have another tough matchup on their hands against the Cincinnati Bengals. Yes, the Bengals have a 4-8 record, but they finally have Joe Burrow back under center for them, and as they proved against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 13, he makes them a completely different team. Kickoff for this important matchup is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon.
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