The Buffalo Bills fell to 5-4 on the season after losing 24–18 to the Cincinnati Bengals on the road on Sunday Night Football.
The Bengals ran out the clock after a late touchdown by the Bills that endangered Cincinnati’s lead, ending any chance of a late comeback.
After winning the coin toss, the Bengals got the ball first, and tight end Irv Smith found the end zone. Joe Burrow, the quarterback, leads 21-2 after scoring on the opening drive of the game.
Josh Allen, the quarterback, responded by organizing an 85-yard drive that resulted in a two-yard touchdown run.
Bills vs Bengals
Despite looking sharp on their opening drive, the Bills would not score again until the first drive of the second half. In all, the Bills only passed the 50-yard line on five of their nine drives and struggled to win the field position battle with the Bengals, starting drives behind their own 15-yard line four times.
When the Bills finally did get in the end zone again, it was too late. Facing a 24-10 deficit, Allen used his feet and made short but effective passes before finding Stefon Diggs for a 17-yard touchdown, capped off with a two-point conversion catch from Diggs.
However, the Bengals were able to control the ball on the following drive and, after picking up a first down, were able to line up in victory formation and earn the win.
A key missed opportunity came as the Bills approached the red zone late in the third quarter. After catching a pass from Allen and turning up field for extra yards, rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid was flipped in the air by a pair of Bengals defenders. Linebacker Germaine Pratt punched the ball out of Kincaid’s hands, setting up a field goal drive for the Bengals.
Kincaid finished with 81 yards off of 10 receptions, which led the team.
Diggs, who leads the NFL with 70 receptions, was only targeted three times in the first half but saw more action in the second. The Bills receiver finished with 86 yards and a score. Gabe Davis was targeted twice, including once in the end zone on a key third-and-9 play, but finished with zero catches.
Despite middle linebacker Terrel Bernard exiting with a concussion acquired late in the first half, the Bills defense allowed only three points in the second half, giving the offense multiple chances to capitalize on the Bengals’ scoring drought.
The defense again was effective in mitigating the damage from Allen’s interception, which was intended for Davis, gave the Bengals a good chance to go up two touchdowns early in the second quarter, but the Buffalo defense stood tall near the red zone. During the drive, newly signed defensive tackle Linval Joseph made a huge play on second-and-1, picking Burrow up and stopping him from picking up a first down. Despite Cincinnati making it up to the Bills 23-yard line, they committed four penalties – including a false start on a field goal that Evan McPherson made as the play was blown dead – and were forced to punt.
Cornerback Dane Jackson, one of many Bills defensive backs faced with the tough task of covering the Bengals talented group of receivers, finished with three pass breakups. Rasul Douglas, who the Bills acquired from Green Bay earlier this week, split time with Jackson, playing 40 percent of snaps compared to Jackson’s 56 percent. Douglas finished with two tackles and a pass breakup of his own.
The Bills will have a long week to prepare for their Monday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos.
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