Winners and Losers From Bengals' Heartbreaking 39-24 Loss to Bills

CINCINNATI — The Bengals lost to the Bills 39-34 on Sunday to fall to 4-9 on the season. Cincinnati's playoff chances took a major hit.

The Bengals led for most of the game, but gave up the lead for good with 5:25 left in the fourth quarter.

Cincinnati is in danger of missing the playoffs for a third consecutive season. Here are our winners and losers from the loss:

Winners

Tee Higgins

Higgins had two drops and misjudged a deep ball late in the first half, but he also led the Bengals with 92 receiving yards and had two of the best touchdown catches that you'll ever see.

The Bills did everything they could to take Ja'Marr Chase away, which gave Higgins an opportunity to shine. He wasn't perfect, but certainly deserves to be in the "winners" column after his performance on Sunday.

This is just an INSANE play by Tee Higgins. A one handed touchdown catch cuts the Bills lead to 39-34. pic.twitter.com/Ifar96iH05
— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) December 7, 2025

Mike Gesicki

Gesicki reminded everyone why Joe Burrow pushed for the Bengals to re-signed him last offseason. He had six catches on six targets for 86 yards and one touchdown.

He's a tight end that plays like a wide receiver and can be a game-changer in big, gotta-have-it moments. This was Gesicki's best game of the season and he played like a guy that can remain a key piece of this offense over the rest of the year and into 2026.

Bengals' Offensive Line

Burrow was only sacked once and it was on a cornerback blitz in the final minute of the first half. This offensive front continues to play well. Burrow had plenty of time, which is all anyone wants to see from an offensive line that has really hit its' stride over the past month.

Losers

Joe Burrow

Burrow started the game 12-for-15 for 119 yards and two touchdowns. He led the Bengals on three-straight touchdown drives to start the game. He also ends up in the "loser" category.

Two interceptions in the fourth quarter will do that. Neither one is necessarily his fault, but they can't happen. The first one was a fantastic play by Christian Benford and it completely changed the game.

Cincinnati had the ball on the Buffalo 33-yard line with a 28-25 lead. Benford's pick-six made it 32-28 and the Bengals trailed for the first time.

Burrow didn't regret the decision, but it was a game-changing play late in the fourth quarter.

"Corner blitz and trying to throw a hot reaction and the guy jumps up and catches it. Great play," Burrow said after the game. "Could've thrown it higher, I guess. But the linebacker was running out there underneath of it. So if I threw it higher, he might have gotten involved, too."

Chase Brown

Brown turned 15 touches into 35 yards from scrimmage. He didn't look comfortable in the snow and wasn't running with the same decisiveness or explosion that we're used to seeing. Samaje Perine averaged 5.2 yards-per-carry to Brown's 1.9. Brown's longest run was a 5-yard touchdown on the Bengals' opening possession when he was pushed into the end zone. He never looked comfortable on Sunday.

Entire Defense

The entire defense belongs in the loser category. Yes, they forced a fumble and yes they had a big fourth down stop in the first half. That isn't enough.

They faced a 4th-and-goal from the 3-yard line and gave up a touchdown that put the Bills up 39-28 with 3:03 left in the fourth quarter. They also had a 3rd-and-15 with the Bengals trailing 39-34 with 1:54 remaining.

They allowed Josh Allen to scramble for 17 yards and clinch the win.

They struggled to get pressure, couldn't cover the Bills tight ends, who combined for 11 catches for 137 yards and two touchdowns, and couldn't get off the field with the game—and possibly the season on the line for Cincinnati.

Al Golden deserves blame for that play too. Cannot happen in that moment. It could've been a season saving play and they blew it.

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