Bills will try to get even for last season's playoff loss as they take on Burrow and the Bengals
BUFFALO (5-3) at CINCINNATI (4-3)
Sunday, 8:20 p.m. EST, NBC
OPENING LINE: Bengals by 2 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Bills 3-5-0, Bengals 3-3-1.
SERIES RECORD: Bills lead 17-16.
LAST MEETING: Bengals beat Bills 27-10 in the divisional round of AFC playoffs on Jan. 22 in Orchard Park, New York.
LAST WEEK: Bills beat Buccaneers 24-18 on Oct. 26; Bengals beat 49ers 31-17.
BILLS OFFENSE: OVERALL (5), RUSH (14), PASS (4), SCORING (4)
BILLS DEFENSE: OVERALL (13), RUSH (22), PASS (10), SCORING (3)
BENGALS OFFENSE: OVERALL (24), RUSH (28), PASS (29), SCORING (23)
BENGALS DEFENSE: OVERALL (16), RUSH (27), PASS (28), SCORING (21)
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Bills plus-2; Bengals plus-7.
BILLS PLAYER TO WATCH: TE Dalton Kincaid. The rookie first-round draft pick has topped 60 yards receiving in each of his past two outings, and scored his first career touchdown in the win over Tampa Bay. Kincaid has provided the Josh Allen-led passing attack a much-needed secondary threat.
BENGALS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Joe Burrow came out hot after the bye week, throwing for 283 yards on 28-for-32 passing and three touchdowns. Burrow didn't show any signs of the right calf injury that hampered him in the first part of the season.
KEY MATCHUP: Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase against the Bills defense. With Burrow back to form, Chase could continue to benefit. He lines up all over the field, and if he's double-teamed it opens up opportunities for receivers Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd.
KEY INJURIES: For Buffalo, Allen is expected to play despite missing practice on Wednesday with a sore throwing shoulder he aggravated against Tampa Bay. ... S Damar Hamlin did not practice because of an illness, but wasn't expected to suit up on Sunday. Hamlin has played in a game just once this season. ... CB Kaiir Elam (ankle) was placed on IR on Thursday. ... For Cincinnati, DE Trey Hendrickson (foot), OT Orlando Brown Jr. (groin) and Joe Mixon (chest) were limited in practice.
SERIES NOTES: Certainly, the most notable game was Jan. 2 when Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field in Cincinnati and went into cardiac arrest. He was rushed to a hospital, the game was stopped and eventually canceled. Twenty days later, the teams met in Orchard Park in the divisional playoffs with the Bengals prevailing. Previous to that, the Bengals had won four of the past six meetings, going back to 2011. Buffalo had a 10-game winning streak from 1989 to 2010.
STATS AND STUFF: Buffalo is in the midst of playing three consecutive prime-time outings and four in five weeks. The stretch closes with the Bills returning home to host the Denver Broncos on Monday, Nov. 13. ... The Bills are 2-1 in prime-time outings this season, and have won their past two since a season-opening 22-16 overtime loss at the New York Jets. ... The Bills have won five straight games played on Sunday night, going back to a 17-10 win over Pittsburgh on Dec. 15, 2019. ... Bills coach Sean McDermott has a 67-38 record, leaving him one win from matching Lou Saban for second on the franchise list. Hall of Famer Marv Levy is first with 112 wins. ... Allen has produced three or more touchdowns five times this season, upping his career total to 199 (155 passing, 43 rushing and one receiving) to tie Hall of Famer Dan Marino for second among quarterbacks through their first six seasons. Patrick Mahomes tops the list with 204. ... Allen’s 43 TDs rushing ties Steve Young for second by an NFL quarterback behind only Cam Newton (75). ... WR Stefon Diggs became the fourth player in the Super Bowl era to open a season with six or more catches in his team’s first eight games, tying Jimmy Smith and Adam Thielen. Wes Welker holds the record with 11 consecutive games. ... The Bills are tied for sixth in the NFL with eight interceptions, all coming in their first four games. ... Buffalo forced a season-high six punts against the Buccaneers. ... Bills PK Sam Martin landed three of his four punts inside the 10 against Tampa Bay. ... The Bengals have won three straight games since dropping three of their first four as Burrow continued to rehab his injured calf. ... WR Ja'Marr Chase was targeted 12 times and made 10 catches for 100 yards in the win over the 49ers ... He ranks seventh in the NFL in receiving yards with 656. ... RB Joe Mixon rushed for a season-high 87 yards and scored his second TD of the season. ... Burrow's 87.5% completion rate in the game was a career high. He also completed 19 passes in a row, also a career high. ... Linebackers Germaine Pratt and Logan Wilson had interceptions against 49ers QB Brock Purdy. CB Mike Hilton had another late in the game, but it was negated by a penalty. ... Cincinnati DEs Trey Henderson and Sam Hubbard each had sacks Sunday. It was Henderson's eighth of the season, just two off the league lead held by Vikings LB Danielle Hunter. ... The Bengals finished with a season-high 400 yards. .... Bengals K Evan McPherson made a 56-yard field goal last week, his longest of the season so far. He has made 11 of 14 field-goal tries.
FANTASY TIP: Bengals RB Joe Mixon had 105 rushing yards and a touchdown in last season's playoff win over Buffalo. The Bengals are finally getting some traction with the run game this season, with Mixon picking up 87 yards (5.4 per carry) and a TD in last week's win.
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