AFC Divisional Playoff
(3) Cincinnati Bengals at (2) Buffalo Bills
Bengals: Can you believe they are AFC North champions for the second time in as many years? This is actually a first for their organization because they have never won back-to-back division titles, until now. This is a different team with a different mindset now and they will be a competitive group for years to come. Remember the days when they would breeze through the regular season then be one and done come playoff time? Dating back to last year, they’ve won four playoff games and snapped a drought that was still active since 1990. If I must be blunt here, I didn’t care too much for how they looked on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens. I understand it was their third time seeing a division rival and sometimes, that’s just how those rematches in the playoffs can be. Something seemed off with the Bengals because they didn’t put the game away as early as people expected them to do. Once again, that Offensive Line continues to be a glaring issue in Cincinnati. The Ravens were able to apply pressure on Joe Burrow and throw him off his rhythm several times. As a defense, they were somewhat picked apart by a Baltimore offense that didn’t necessarily have a slew of explosive threats on the perimeter. The turning point in the game was Sam Hubbard’s big time fumble recovery for the go-ahead touchdown. Let’s also admit that Baltimore was close to eliminating the Bengals by inches if that ball is caught in the red zone. This offense is playing at such a high level right now and most importantly, they are taking care of the football. I wish they would run the football a bit more though to add more balance. On Sunday, they will make a trip to Orchard Park.
Bills: I wasn’t all that impressed with how they looked on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. They were in cruise control of the football game and Miami came back and put themselves back in the game. At one point, they even took the lead. Give the Dolphins credit because they played much better than many people anticipated because they were expected to be blown out. Entering that game, the major key for the Buffalo Bills was to play a clean football game. I’m referring to pushing the football up the field, getting off the field as a defense and most importantly, don’t turn the ball over! Josh Allen threw two interceptions and lost the ball on a fumble. I like Josh and the way he plays. He has a cannon for an arm and when defenses play man coverage and they don’t account for the Quarterback, he makes them pay. However, there are moments when he can be careless with the football and that takes chances away from his team to create opportunities for the opponent. This is why I continue to reiterate for the Buffalo Bills to run the football because that would tremendously take amounts of pressure off Josh. Despite the rant I went on, this is a good football team, and they were able to seal the deal on Sunday in the Wild Card round. With the loss of Von Miller (who was signed for these playoff moments) and what happened to Damar Hamlin, they are showing true mental toughness as the weeks go on and it starts with the head coach, Sean McDermott. They are playing with purpose right now. With a win on Sunday, the Bills would play in their second conference title game the following week in two years.
Bengals X-Factor: Tyler Boyd– I always refer to him as the “forgotten piece” of the offense. He’s the true number three option behind Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Tyler is so sure handed, and this is who Joe will target whenever he’s open or if the chains need to be moved. He’s quick and shifty enough to escape would be tacklers, then he can move well with the football in his hands. Tyler knows how to get himself open, especially when it’s zone coverage because he can find that soft spot in the coverage, sit there and the ball is coming his way.
Bills X-Factor: Greg Rousseau– The pass rush started with him and Von Miller. You saw the impact Von was having on him during the season. Now that Von has been lost for the remainder of the season, Greg anchors this pass rush. I followed him closely during his college days and when Von was signed, I told people he would be immediately impacted. Greg is a 6’6 Defensive End that can get after the passer and stop the run. He’s very athletic and shows that in many ways on the field. I look for him to be a difficult challenge for the Bengals on Sunday.
Final Thoughts: Well, here we go! When they met the first time, the game was suspended after Damar Hamlin collapsed. This will be an emotional setting for both teams (hence the title). Out of the four playoff games this weekend, this is the one I’m really looking forward to too. As I said prior to that Monday Night game, I expect the football to fly up and down the field in this game. I need to see the Bengals get their running game going a bit more because that will throw the defense off. Everyone knows Joe is going to throw the ball, why not confuse the defense. Joe Mixon brings that added element of balance that every offense needs. On the defensive side, keep Josh Allen in the pocket! His mobility can hurt you when you don’t account for him in man coverage! For Buffalo, I need to see a much cleaner performance. This is a Cincinnati defense that you can’t give the football back to because they will make you pay for it. This is set up to be quite the battle and I can’t wait to see it.
Prediction: Bills 31, Bengals 27
