All Bengals Staff Picks For Divisional Round Playoff Showdown With Buffalo Bills

Cincinnati is hoping to win their 10th straight game.

Author:
James Rapien
Publish date:
Jan 21, 2023 9:01 AM EST

In this story:

CINCINNATI — The Bengals are hoping to beat the Bills and advance to the AFC Championship Game for a second-straight season.

Cincinnati is the underdog according to the oddsmakers. Here are our staff picks for Sunday's matchup:

Elise Jesse, All Bengals Insider

Season Record: 13-4

We had to wait until the divisional round, but on Sunday the Bills and the Bengals will finally get the opportunity to see who is the better team. Neither one has lost a game in 2+ months of football, but Cincinnati has lost the ability to show up with a healthy offensive line. The offensive line has been the biggest talking point this week with guard Alex Cappa in a boot (ankle) and left tackle Jonah Williams (knee) out for Sunday's game. Cincy’s line might be limping into the divisional round, but let’s not forget that the Bills offensive line allowed Miami to sack Josh Allen seven times last week.

Both quarterbacks want the ball in their hands, both are quick problem solvers, both are creative and both quarterbacks are generational talents, but if I’m picking who wins this game based on that position, I’m going with Cincinnati. Joe Burrow’s ability to take care of the football and Josh Allen’s love for low percentage deep balls makes me lean towards the guy who started 0-2 before telling the world to “relax.”

The Ravens defense is tough, but the Bills defense isn’t too shabby either. They may have given up 31 points to the Miami Dolphins but they also held them to 4-16 on 3rd down while sacking Skylar Thompson 4 times and hitting him 10 times last week.

I think a lot of the responsibility will fall back on Cincinnati’s defense to get the job done, take care of a turnover prone team, and give the ball back to Joe Burrow.

I personally wouldn’t mind seeing more run packages from Cincinnati’s offense with growing potential for a winter storm in Buffalo on Sunday. I think the NFL started the ticket sales for the Chiefs/Bills game too early because I think the Bengals will take care of business and move onto the AFC Championship after an overtime win.

Prediction: Bengals 24, Bills 21

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Russ Heltman, All Bengals Contributor

Season Record: 12-5

The Bengals enter Sunday as the biggest underdogs they've been in any game this season. That motivating factor, plus the Bills' turnover problem has me picking Cincinnati to advance.

I'm not as worried about the Bengals scoring enough to win this game, as I am about the Bengals' defense. Cincinnati is second in defensive DVOA at home this season and 22nd on the road. The best way to improve on that is by forcing mistakes out of Josh Allen.

He leads all quarterbacks in turnovers this season (22 in 17 games) and just gave the ball to Miami three times last weekend. The Bengals will force multiple Allen turnovers and set up the offense for success with short fields.

If that happens, Cincinnati's slimmed-down passing versatility shouldn't be as glaring. Burrow will test Buffalo's expected heavy zone-coverage patience with short passes, enough to break them out of it and start dictating the game.

Prediction: Bengals 24, Bills 21

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Nicole Zembrodt, All Bengals Contributor

Season Record: 13-4

Both of these teams are Super Bowl contenders. They are well-rounded on both sides of the football, finishing with top-10 offenses and defenses. However, they both have some flaws heading into this AFC Divisional Round matchup.

Buffalo has been turnover prone. Allen finished the regular season tied for second in interceptions (14) and fumbles (8), losing two of those loose balls. Plus an additional two interceptions and three fumbles (one lost) against the Dolphins in the Wild Card Round.

Cincinnati will be without three of their starting offensive linemen, which includes both tackles in La'el Collins and Jonah Williams. Guard Alex Cappa was an unsung hero as a staple on the line before his ankle injury in Week 18. The Bills' pass rush hasn't been the same since Von Miller went down with an ACL tear on Thanksgiving Day, but they are still middle-of-the-pack in applying pressure at 22.2% per dropback, which is .2% behind Cincinnati. Greg Rousseau, A.J. Epenesa, Shaq Lawson, and Ed Oliver have all combined for 20.5 sacks.

The expected cold weather and snow could play a factor Sunday, but this game will likely come down to who has the ball last. The Bengals continue to bend but don't break as they move onto the AFC Championship for a second consecutive season.

Prediction: Bengals 31, Bills 30

Blake Jewell, All Bengals Contributor

Season Record: 14-3

With three starting offensive lineman out for the Bengals, I think they rely on the short passing game early on, and Lou Anarumo’s defense keeps the Bills offense in check.

I think this game remains relatively low scoring as the game goes on, with both teams taking and occasion deep shot. I think this will be a tough battle, but Burrow leads the Bengals down the field and Evan McPherson hits a game winner as time expires to send Cincinnati to their second consecutive AFC Championship.

Prediction: Bengals 27, Bills 24

Mike Santagata, All Bengals Film Analyst

Season Record: 12-5

The Bengals square off against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday in what should be one of the best games of the season. Two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL will play in this game. Allen with his raw talent and superhero ability contrasts well with Burrow's precision and decision making.

On paper both the Bengals and Bills they have an advantage when it comes to their skill position players against the opposing secondary. The biggest storyline for the Bengals is whether their patchwork offensive line can hold up this week, but the Bills have failed to take advantage of these types of matchups before.

Ultimately I think the Bengals pull this game out despite being underdogs. The team is better despite the injuries this year than they were last season. The quarterback and coaching staff are the largest improvements on the Bengals and I think they can overcome the adversity.

Prediction: Bengals 27, Bills 24

Lindsay Patterson, All Bengals Contributor

Season Record: 13-4

It's about survive and advance for a Bengals team coming off a close one against an AFC North rival. We saw nine minutes of this match-up a few weeks ago and I think we will be in for a good one.

The Bengals' injuries to the offensive line is an issue. I think we will need to see more from the wide receivers in this one. They come up big time against the Bills secondary. Allen will challenge the defense, but I still trust Anarumo in the playoffs.

The Bengals make it 10 in row and beat a close one on the road against the Super Bowl favorites.

Prediction: Bengals 31, Bills 28

Andrew Miller, All Bengals Video Editor

Season Record: 12-5

Heading into this weekend's matchup, a lot of the concern surrounding Cincinnati's offense has centered around Burrow's pass protection. This season, the Bengals were 0-3 in games where Burrow was sacked five or more times, which will be a tall order for Buffalo's defense, but worth noting nonetheless.

Meanwhile, the narrative surrounding Buffalo's offense has been Allen's ball security and the fact that the Bills have committed three turnovers in each of its past three games. The Bengals have gone 4-0 when they've finished with three or more takeaways. The keys to winning this game will be Burrow's ability to escape pressure, much like we saw last season, along with Cincinnati's defense capitalizing on any moments that Buffalo's offense gets sloppy. The final score will be close, and naturally the Bills have the edge as the homefield team.

Reaching the AFC Championship two years in a row seems unsurmountable for the Bengals, but this doesn't feel like the end of Cincinnati's story for the 2022 season. I believe we'll see their patchwork on the offensive line extend into next week with Burrow taking advantage of a banged-up Bills' secondary and a Bengals' defense that finds ways to keep them in the game each week.

Prediction: Bengals 27, Bills 24

James Yarcho, All Bengals Contributor

Season Record: 13-4

The rematch of the Week 17 game that wasn't. Neither the Bengals nor the Bills looked overly impressive in their wins during Super Wild Card Weekend, but with divisional matchups in the playoffs all bets are off. Now, the Bengals have the chance to return to the AFC Championship for the second straight season if they can find a way to beat Allen and the Bills who are sure to be fired up for this game.

While the Bengals were clipping along as one of the hottest teams in the NFL. Now, with injuries piling up along the offensive line things are going to look painfully similar to last season when Burrow and the offense were able to overcome way too many deficiencies up front. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening this time around. A full healthy Bengals squad probably wins this one, but the Bills will get the better of Cincinnati in the Divisional Round.

Prediction: Bills 34, Bengals 28

James Rapien, All Bengals Publisher

Season Record: 12-5

Do you want to bet against Burrow in a playoff game? Expect this offense to be aggressive early on, which could translate into some big plays. The Bengals win the turnover battle and McPherson kicks the game winner late in the fourth quarter.

Prediction: Bengals 34, Bills 31

Cincinnati and Buffalo meet in the divisional round this Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on CBS. The game is available via fuboTV—start your free trial here.

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