ESPN's Mina Kimes: Bengals' Wide Receivers Against Bills' Secondary 'Biggest Talent Discrepancy'

The Bengals have one of the deepest receiving rooms in the NFL.

Author:
Russ Heltman
Publish date:
Dec 31, 2022 10:00 AM EST

In this story:

CINCINNATI — ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes highlighted her favorite battles in store for Monday night's clash between the Bengals and Bills on NFL Live this week.

At the top of her list lies the Bills' secondary against the Bengals elite wide receiver unit.

"One of the reasons I love this game is not just because it's two of the most exciting young quarterbacks in football but also two of the best defensive coaches in football in Lou Anarumo in Cincinnati, and Leslie Frazier in Buffalo," Kimes said on the show. "Frazier's got his work cut out for him because I think the biggest discrepancy talent-wise in this game is those Bengals' wide receivers against a Bills' cornerback group that's been uneven, it's been a revolving door."

Kimes noted All-Pro caliber corner Tredavious White is still trying to find his normal level of play as he works back from the torn ACL he suffered last season.

She anticipates a lot of the same split-safety looks that defenses have tried slowing Joe Burrow down with all season.

"Job number one is to not let the Bengals beat you outside," Kimes continued. "You want to force them to attack you to between the numbers where the Bills have the third-best defense in football, EPA per play, so I suspect we're going to see a lot of zone, a lot of split safety. Saw the Patriots have success with some of those looks in the second half against Cincinnati. They're going to try to make Joe Burrow work underneath, run the ball, and hopefully make some mistakes, but it's a very tough matchup because Bengals wide receivers are very, very hard to defend."

The Bills' defensive strength lies in its spine rather than the outside, with linebacker Matt Milano and safety Jordan Poyer playing pretty well this season.

Cincinnati and Buffalo meet on Monday Night Football at 8:15 p.m. ET. The game airs on ESPN and is available on fuboTV—start your free trial here.

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