Orchard Park, N.Y. — Josh Allen was still catching his breath on the sideline after a 40-yard touchdown run kept the Buffalo Bills in the game late Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Bills’ defense was back on the field and perhaps still reeling after taking some heavy punches from the Joe Burrow-led Bengals offense. Cincinnati had the ball six times in the game to that point, and Burrow led the Bengals to four touchdowns.
Allen was putting on his own show on the other side of the ball. So when he ripped off the big touchdown run, he walked up to the defense and let them know the team needed a big play.
“Josh said we needed one,” Bills linebacker Shaq Thompson said. “And when 17 says you need one, we gotta lock in and buckle up.”
Burrow completed a pass to tight end Noah Fant for 15 yards and then hit Ja’Marr Chase for 16. The Bengals were at the Bills’ 33-yard line and seemed ready to drive for another score.
That’s when Christian Benford decided to flip the script.
“It was a blitz. So they called my number, like they gave me a signal for me to go,” he said. “I actually didn’t do my technique right, if I’m being honest. … I wasn’t supposed to jump. Like the technique is don’t leave your feet. But I don’t know, God just gave me something for me to leave my feet. … and then the rest was history.”
Benford plucked the ball out of the air after leaping high off the snowy Highmark Stadium turf. He then turn his attention to the end zone, scrugged off Burrow’s tackle attempt, and beat Chase for a 63-yard touchdown.
The score gave the Bills their first lead of the game. Dion Dawkins was watching it all play out of the sideline after he pulled the Gatorade cooler in front of the heater to warm up before heading back on the field.
“All I see if 47 running and running,” Dawkins said. “I’m like, what the hell, whoa, whoa, whoa… touchdown. Game is flipped and momentum is in our corner. It was cool.”
The Bills’ defense didn’t have a great day overall. It wasn’t able to pressure Burrow much without star pass rusher Joey Bosa, who missed the game with a hamstring injury.
Benford made up for the lost production up front. He lined up across from Chase 16 times and didn’t give up a single reception, per Next Gen Stats. Benford’s touchdown was his second in consecutive weeks. He picked off Aaron Rodgers last week to flip the game and help the Bills storm back to win on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Chase finished with just 44 receiving yards. Benford didn’t only shut down Chase. The 25-year-old Bills cornerback played 35 coverage snaps in the game and was only targeted three times. He didn’t allow a single reception. He played a perfect game for a defense that needed him.
Watching from the sideline, Allen said he went into fan mode when Benford came down with the ball and started his dash for the goal line.
“Hopefully they weren’t showing me on the sideline, because I said a lot of bad (words),” Allen said. “It’s fun to see your brother, who works extremely hard, a guy that’s as humble as they come, a guy who just does his job, and he can make plays for your team in big moments of the game. It’s so awesome. He deserves every bit of it.”
Benford signed a four-year, $76 million contract extension this offseason. General manager Brandon Beane rewarded the former sixth-round pick and he’s been one of the bright spots for a defense that has struggled at times.
“That’s why we paid him, sh**,” Bills running back James Cook said. “To make plays.”
Bills coach Sean McDermott credited defensive coordinator Bobby Babich for the play call to send Benford on the blitz off the edge.
“It was a pivotal swing in the game, no doubt about it,” McDermott said. “They’re a tough offense to stop. We were doing good on first and second down, third down, they were converting, simply put, so it was a hard afternoon for us in particular on third down. … He made a huge play. To be able to score on it was huge as well. Just big-time moment in the game.”
Benford was worried at one point that Chase was going to catch him from behind as he tried to keep pushing toward the end zone.
“I thought Chase was about to get me, I ain’t gonna lie to you,” he said. “When I looked back and I saw him like really huffing it, so I was like, Yeah, okay, yeah, let me put some wheels. Because at first I wasn’t really running-running. I thought it was just me, and maybe some linemen.”
The Bills improved to 9-4 and currently sit in fifth place in the AFC with one of the three Wild Card spots. Next up is a critical matchup with the AFC East-leading New England Patriots.
McDermott said Benford’s monster play is what teams need in December football.
“That’s this time of year. You’re looking for moments, guys doing their job, and when you do your job, good things happen,” McDermott said. “That’s what we saw happen. It was just a phenomenal play, phenomenal call. Just great to see.”