Bills vs. Bengals a Close Game? 'Zero Chance!' Argues Ex All-Pro Eric Weddle
The Buffalo Bills are set to host the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday at Highmark Stadium in a highly anticipated AFC Divisional round matchup ... but not everybody's buying into the hype.
Former Super Bowl champion and six-time All-Pro safety Eric Weddle, who spent three years with the Bengals' AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens, had strong words for Cincinnati ahead of Sunday's game.
Appearing on the "Up & Adams" podcast, Weddle shared his belief that the Bengals are fortunate to have gotten past the Ravens ... and don't have a chance of doing the same against Buffalo.
"They should've lost to the Ravens, they got outplayed by the Ravens, they snuck that through," Weddle claimed. "They weren't sniffing another point once those linemen went out and everyone knew it. Then that play happened at the goal line which is really unfortunate for the Ravens and everyone involved ...
"They've got zero chance against the Bills."
Weddle, a 14-year veteran, referenced Cincinnati's loss of starting left tackle Jonah Williams, bringing their total of "healthy" offensive linemen down to two.
The six-time Pro Bowler also mentioned Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley's goal line fumble on a quarterback sneak attempt, which the Bengals returned 99 yards for a go-ahead touchdown that proved to be the difference.
Weddle noted that the Bengals overcame subpar offensive line play a season ago on their run to the Super Bowl, where they ultimately came up short against the Los Angeles Rams ... who had Weddle on their sideline.
But this time around, Weddle simply doesn't see it happening, adding that Cincinnati is "down too many guys" to pose a threat and will have difficulty giving Burrow time in the pocket.
"They can't protect Joe," Weddle said. "They're playing without any lineman. How do you expect that team to go in there (and win)?"
Oddsmakers currently have the Bills as five-and-a-half point favorites, and Weddle seems to think that'll be a safe cover, as the Bengals' offensive line troubles will affect more than just Burrow.
Cincinnati running backs Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine had only 13 combined attempts for 42 yards against Baltimore, averaging just 3.2 yards per carry.
Weddle believes the Bengals will grow one-dimensional, becoming heavily reliant on Burrow ... who still won't have time to throw, making that dimension even smaller than.
"They're not going to be able to run the ball," Weddle started. "How are they going to protect and take some shots up the field? It's going to be a minimized game plan of quick game and shots, go-ball's to (Ja'Marr) Chase and (Tee) Higgins. It's just not going to work for four quarters."
While Weddle certainly made his feelings very clear about the Bengals' odds of winning, he still respects what they've accomplished and how they're built ... but finished with one last assertion of his stance on the outcome.
"They are defending AFC champs," he said. "They are battle tested. They've got an amazing, incredible big-game quarterback. I'm not discrediting any of that - I'm just looking at the fact. If I were a betting man, I'd put a lot of money on the Bills."
The Bengals and Bills are set to kick off at 3 p.m. Sunday ... though per Weddle, the result has already been decided.
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter at @DFlickDraft
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