When asked if anyone is surprised by the play Bernard made, safety Damar Hamlin didn’t hold back in propping Bernard up as the leader of their defense.

“Hell no, man. TB [Terrel Bernard] is always good for making a play,” Hamlin said. “Just thinking back, about that same yard marker in the Chiefs game late in the game, he had the pick. And I just think about that play right there. TB always shows up. He’s our captain, he’s our leader, he’s our communicator, and he does a lot for us.”

“This ship is not the same without having Terrel Bernard,” Hamlin continued. “I think having him back was a big difference in today’s game versus the first game. So, shouts out to TB, man, he deserves all the credit in the world for what we’re able to do on defense this year.”

Bernard has emerged into a cornerstone of a Bills defense, getting players lined up, making big time plays in big time moments, and is growing into a franchise pillar. His emergence is one of the biggest keys to the play of this Buffalo defense, which continues to find ways to rise to the biggest challenges.

Next week, the challenge is no smaller. Bernard and the Bills will have to go into Arrowhead and knock off Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game in order to reach the Super Bowl. As we’ve seen from Bernard already, though, there’s no stage too big for him.