Bills’ defense gets a boost for Browns clash

The Buffalo Bills take on the Cleveland Browns in Week 16 with playoff seeding on the line. And the team got some good news on Friday ahead of that clash, as star cornerback Christian Benford is off the injury report and was a full participant in practice.

“No game status for #Bills CB Christian Benford, who was a full participant today and good to go for Sunday against the #Browns after missing the win over the #Patriots,” NFL Network reporter Mike Garafolo posted on Friday.

This is huge news for Buffalo as Benford has been arguably the second- or third-most impactful player in recent weeks behind Josh Allen and maybe James Cook. In Week 13, Benford turned the tide against the Pittsburgh Steelers by returning an Aaron Rodgers fumble for a touchdown to start the second half. A week later, he picked off a Joe Burrow pass behind the line of scrimmage and returned that for a score.

In both cases, Benford’s touchdowns gave the Bills a lead after being down, and the team won both games.

The Bills enter Week 16 against the Browns with a 99%+ chance of making the playoffs, according to The Athletic’s NFL Playoff Predictor. They also have a 23% chance of winning the AFC East and a 2% chance of winning the AFC and getting a first-round bye. However, in addition to beating Cleveland, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the New York Jets, they also need some help via losses by the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos to accomplish either of those goals.

Either way, Christian Benford coming back is good news, and the team also got a boost on offense as tight end Dalton Kincaid also went from a midweek non-participant to a full participant with no injury designation for Sunday.