The Buffalo Bills have already been hit hard by injuries early in this NFL season and may have suffered another major blow on Thursday Night Football.

Linebacker Terrel Bernard went down with a pectoral injury early in the first half of the team’s 31-10 win over the Miami Dolphins. As reporter Josh Reed of WIVB noted, the third-year linebacker went to the sidelines but later had to leave for the locker room.

“Terrel Bernard is going up the tunnel to the locker room. That would be a brutal loss for this defense,” Reed shared in a post on X.

The Bills initially announced that Bernard was questionable to return, but ruled him out just after halftime. While the team did not give any further details, one insider believes it could be a long-term injury for the team’s defensive captain.

Bills Linebacker Could Miss Significant Time

Bernard could potentially face a significant injury. David Chao, a former NFL doctor turned injury analyst, wrote for Sports Injury Central that Bernard may have suffered a torn pectoral muscle that could keep him out for months.

Chao said that if a pectoral tear is confirmed, Bernard “will need surgery with a possible late season/playoffs return.”

Bernard is coming off a season where he had a team-high 143 tackles with 6.5 sacks and three interceptions.

The Bills were able to clamp down on defense after Bernard’s exit on Thursday. The defense intercepted Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoathree times, including two by cornerback Ja’Marcus Ingram with the second returned for a touchdown.