Bills’ Christian Benford suffers another concussion in injury controversy

Christian Benford, the Bills’ No. 1 cornerback, was ruled out with a concussion after his helmet collided with a teammate’s helmet during the first quarter of the AFC Championship game against the Chiefs on Sunday.

Benford also sustained a concussion at the end of Buffalo’s divisional round win against the Ravens on Jan. 19, but he cleared protocol in time for Sunday’s game.

His injury against the Chiefs occurred with just under three minutes remaining in the first quarter, when Kansas City wideout Xavier Worthy took a handoff and raced 8 yards.

Christian Benford (43) exited with a concussion after colliding with Damar Hamlin in the first quarter of the AFC Championship game on Jan. 26. Screengrab via X/@Rate_the_Refs

As he neared the sideline, both Benford and safety Damar Hamlin converged to make a tackle, but their helmets ended up colliding.

Benford takes a hit to the head from his own teammate. Benford was in concussion protocol this week and was cleared to play today. pic.twitter.com/Cy13Tl3lBr— Rate the Refs (@Rate_the_Refs) January 27, 2025

Christian Benford sits on a cart after exiting the Bills’ game against the Chiefs on Jan. 26. AP

And after he exited, questions emerged about how Benford was able to clear protocol — which started after he sustained the injury while defending Baltimore’s onside kick last week — and play in the first place.

Benford, the Bills’ sixth-round pick during the 2022 NFL Draft, has started 14 and 15 games for Buffalo across the last two seasons, respectively.