Orchard Park, N.Y. (WGR) - On the heels of his defense having their best performance of the season, as well as several players stepping into bigger roles, Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard recognized that some big decisions lie ahead.
"Guys rose to the occasion, they made plays," Leonhard said on Monday following the Bills' 36-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens. "You always want to reward players for playing well, and that's what this sport is all about."
The Bills defense, facing Ravens' emergency third quarterback Joe Fagnano most of the game, allowed a season-low 144 yards of offense and held Baltimore to just 2.9 yards per-play. It's the first time since 2013 the Ravens were held to under 3.0 yards per-offensive play in a game.
The Bills did it with several players having to step into bigger roles, including safety Damar Hamlin, who started for C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who was suspended for the game due to a spitting incident against the Las Vegas Raiders in the team's previous contest.
"He did a great job of running the show," Leonhard said of Hamlin, who was the only player to play all 51 snaps on defense. "I would say the tricky part about evaluating yesterday was so many different guys made big plays, but they were spread around. So you didn't see a ton of guys just over-and-over-and-over again where they were the guy. There was a number of guys that did stand out, but Damar's was a little bit more subtle. He made some big plays, just very steady all day long, executed everything we asked him to do and played at a high level."
As for cornerback Te'Cory Couch, Leonhard felt he "had a great game." Couch started at nickel cornerback in place of Dee Alford, who missed the game with an ankle injury.
"He went out there and executed really at a high level," Leonhard said. "Communication, and just winning some 1-on-1s."
Even though his suspension is over, neither Leonhard nor head coach Joe Brady committed to Gardner-Johnson immediately returning to the starting lineup when the Bills play at the 6-1 Minnesota Vikings next Monday night.
"We have some guys that are gonna make some conversations tough," Leonhard acknowledged.
Inglewood, Calif. - Buffalo Bills wide receiver D.J. Moore warms up prior to a game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on Oct. 12, 2026. Luke Hales - Getty Images
No injury updates
Brady did not have any injury updates as of Monday afternoon. Several players left the game Sunday at various points, including wide receivers D.J. Moore and Joshua Palmer, as well as running back James Cook and offensive guard Alec Anderson.
Outlet Liquor
