Back Bengals To Beat Bills
Bills vs. Bengals, 8:20 ET
Now we are talking! For all the complaining I do about the bad teams that get featured on the primetime slates, I need to recognize when we get a good one. You're telling me after hours of uninterrupted football, I get one game to devote my attention to and it is the Bills and Bengals with Josh Allen and Joe Burrow going head-to-head? Sign me up.
After a couple of years where everyone seemed to think the Bills were finally going to break through, I feel like most have softened their stance on them this season. When everyone was saying how they would win the Super Bowl last year, they fell short. It was almost like tonight's opponent (who has been to a Super Bowl and also beat the Bills last year in the playoffs) pushed the Bills to the back of people's minds. This season, the Bills haven't shown me they are ready for the next step. They look pretty crummy on the road, and I've been willing to throw out the London game. Even at home, the offense doesn't look quite as dominant or scary as it once was. Stefon Diggs is still balling out, but that's about it. The running game is nonexistent and even Josh Allen doesn't seem to be racking up as many yards on the ground as he had in other seasons. In fairness to him, he does have five rushing touchdowns this season which is great. He's completing 72% of passes for the year and has 17 passing touchdowns. Most quarterbacks would kill for those stats, but he also has an interception in five of his last six games. The defense has been solid, but beatable. I can't quite put my finger on it, and am not willing to give up on them, but something isn't quite clicking with Buffalo. They are playing in a lot of close games, and I really would be surprised if this isn't another one.

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 11: Quarterback Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills warms up before the NFL game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on September 11, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
The Bengals have had quite the turnaround. They started the season slowly, just like last year. Now they are 4-3 and in the midst of a three-game winning streak. Beating Arizona and Seattle isn't really going to "Wow" anyone, but taking the game from the 49ers in San Francisco and scoring 31 on them should turn some heads. Joe Burrow looks like he might be in better health and Ja'Marr Chase is looking like the standout receiver we know. The defense for the Bengals has also improved simply because the offense isn't putting them in as tough of a situation. They seemingly had to be perfect in order for the Bengals to win in the first few games, but now they can bend a little without breaking altogether. I'm interested to see how the Bengals attack this game. If the offensive line can keep Burrow upright, the Bengals should win the contest. If the Bills pressure gets to him and forces him to make quick throws, I think we see a lot of three-and-outs. Joe Mixon hasn't provided much help, but it would be nice to see him involved and make the Bills have to guess on the play calls a bit more.
I think the public is going to expect this to be a shootout, but I'd be a little more surprised to see that happen. I kind of expect both teams to treat this as a measuring stick type game. They will look to see where they are and use this as a playoff-type matchup. In the end, I think the Bengals at home will take the game. They are playing better right now and have the home-field advantage. I'll take them on the moneyline.
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