AFC Game Of The Week
Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals
Bills: Congratulations. They did what they were predicted to do by many during the off-season and won the AFC East. In fact, this is their third straight division title under Sean McDermott. If you look at the stat line against the Chicago Bears, you’re probably saying to yourself, okay, 35 points? A blowout win? That’s good, right? I wasn’t all that impressed because they appeared to struggle and as I’ve been saying with many teams throughout this season, they looked ahead. I’ll say it again. You cannot just show up on the field because you have a better record than a team. That doesn’t win football games! Effort and consistency will! Yes, they won the game and looked dominant. They even made it a point to try and establish Devin Singletary and James Cook! That caught my eye without question but what I don’t care for is how careless Josh Allen can be with the football at times. He threw two interceptions in week 16 and should be thanking his defense countless times for making stops and getting off the field because the Bears couldn’t do much of anything with the ball after the turnovers. I need to tip my cap to this Buffalo Bills defense. After the loss of Von Miller (who was bought here to get them over the hump), they’ve had to figure out who they are as a defense. There’s no replacing a future Hall of Famer at all. Instead, they’ve been playing collectively as a team and I love to see it. If there’s any team that needs homefield more than any other team in the league, it’s the Bills. Force teams to come to Orchard Park and play in that tough environment and the weather will also be a factor. On Monday night, they will travel to Ohio for a showdown with the defending AFC champions.
Bengals: They’ve really turned the page. After that loss to the Cleveland Browns back on Halloween, they’ve won seven straight games including wins over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New England Patriots. Who can say they were able to beat Tom Brady and Bill Belichick in back-to-back weeks? Not many. I love the intensity they play with. This is an aggressive group with top tier confidence because they feel they can push the ball down the field, no matter who they’re lined up against. As I said a few weeks ago, they’re clicking, and they caught fire at the right time and in the hunt for the top seed in the AFC Playoffs. That contest against New England on Christmas Eve was cutting it close, wasn’t it? In the first half, the Bengals simply had their way with the Patriots and got whatever they wanted, when they wanted and how they wanted too. In the second half was when they had my eyes wide because they allowed the Patriots to get back into the game. The Bengals offense didn’t score a single point in that second half, but the defense rose to the occasion. I wasn’t a fan of Joe Burrow throwing the football 52 times, but as you see, their running game was shut down and non-existent and because of that, they had no choice but to throw it. There have been a few teams that caught fire, and this is one of them. This is a group I don’t want to face come playoff time because one, they return much of the same roster from last season and two, they have a year of experience under their belts. On Monday night, they’ll return home for a huge game with the AFC East champion and leaders of the conference in the Buffalo Bills.
Bills X-Factor: Greg Rousseau– When Von Miller came to the Bills, this was who I was most excited for and I said to myself, Greg would benefit from Von’s mentorship the most. The first thing you notice when you watch him is how freakish of an athlete he is. You can tell Von has had an impact on Greg and I say this because he feels he can get home to the passer at any time. This is his time to be the man of that defense. Take the lead and everyone else will follow. I believe he can do great things for them down the stretch.
Bengals X-Factor: Tee Higgins– He stepped it up in a big way when Ja’Marr Chase was out with his hip injury. Along with Ja’Marr, these two have formed an elite duo of receivers for Burrow. What’s always amazed me about Tee is he runs routes better than some receivers who are shorter than he is and he’s 6’5. It’s safe to say he plays small. Overcompensating Ja’Marr just gives the land of opportunity for Tee to be free and make plays up the field. He’s a key piece to what this offense does.
Final Thoughts: This will mark the first ever meeting between Josh Allen and Joe Burrow. We’re getting a late-season showdown of two of the very best Quarterbacks in this league on Monday night. Two of the best Wide Receivers are also featured in this game (Diggs and Chase). Can this Buffalo defense put pressure on Burrow? Blitzing him is the worst thing to do because he burns blitz packages with his quick passes. The Bills must time themselves when it comes to pressuring him. How will the Bengals regroup from their second half miscues in New England? They must keep Josh from extending plays and getting yards with his feet. Keep him in the pocket. Weather isn’t expected to be a factor and the ball will most definitely fly in this one as points will be put on the scoreboard. Finally, it’s a Monday night game to look forward to.
Prediction: Bengals 31, Bills 28
