After beating the Baltimore Ravens in the Wildcard Round, the Bengals moved on to face the number 2 seed Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round. It was a highly anticipated matchup, not only because of the two high-powered offences, but also because their first matchup was cancelled following the Damar Hamlin situation. A win would mean a trip to Kansas City for the AFC Championship. A loss, meanwhile, would mean that the Bills and Chiefs would go head to head in Atlanta, a neutral site that had recently been picked. Needless to say, the way the NFL handled the scheduling and seeding issues gave the Bengals additional motivation.
Going up against a team with a lot of firepower, a quick start was important for the Bengals. After a couple of shorter gains to pick up a 1st down, Burrow completed one down the field to Tyler Boyd for 23 yards. The running game was getting strong push, as Mixon was able to run for 10 on the next play. A couple of plays later, Burrow stepped up in the pocket and found Ja’Marr Chase for the 28 yard TD. 7-0 Bengals.
The Bengals defence forced a three and out, and the Bills punted the ball. Mixon got the first couple of runs, going for 21 between the two. The Bills limited Cincinnati’s downfield ability on this drive, but they were still able to move the ball in smaller increments, with Higgins, Perine, Mixon, and Chase all getting touches. Now inside the redzone with a 3rd & 7 situation, the Bengals dialed up a fake screen to Chase. With three defenders biting, Hayden Hurst was wide open in the endzone for the TD. 14-0 Bengals.
The two teams then exchanged punts, before the Bills went on a drive to put up their first points of the game. The drive was 15 plays long with Allen finding a variety of targets,including Diggs, Davis, Beasley, and Shakir. They, like the Bengals, drove down methodically, with no huge gain on the drive. Eventually, they had the ball at the Bengals 1 yardline, 3rd & goal. Josh Allen ran the QB sneak for the TD. 14-7 Bengals.
Before the half, the Bengals thought they had another TD. Burrow found Chase in the back of the endzone. But after review, they determined that the ball had moved a little, and ruled it incomplete. Instead, McPherson kicked a 28 yard field goal to make it 17-7. This was the score at the half.
The theme of long methodical drives continued in the 2nd half. Buffalo got it to start. The longest play was 17 yards to Shakir, but the gains were otherwise shorter, for the most part. It was a 14 play drive that took over 7 minutes off the clock. The Bills managed to get inside the Bengals 10 yard line. However, the Bengals defence got off the field with a big 3rd down stop, and the Bills settled for a field goal. 17-10 Bengals.
The Bengals answered with a drive that almost took up the rest of the quarter. Burrow was able to complete passes beyond the sticks to Chase, Higgins, and Hurst to keep the chains moving. The run game also continued to go strong. Joe Mixon was also able to get upfield for a 13 yard gain, this after a 7 yard run not long before. Cincinnati eventually ended up at the one yard line. Mixon took the handoff, and was initially ruled to be down short of the goal line. However, the call was reversed after Zac Taylor threw the challenge flag. 24-10 Bengals.
Cincinnati’s offence again found themselves deep in Buffalo territory. However, they could only get as far as the 2 yard line before encountering 4th down. Opting to make it a three score lead instead of going for it, they sent out McPherson for the 20 yard field goal. 27-10 Bengals.
Buffalo would drive down the field once more. But on 4th & 6 from the Bengals 16, they decided to go for it. There was still 7:32 left on the clock, and a field goal would have made it a two score game. However, they opted to take the gamble. The Bengals secondary had Allen trying to extend the play. He eventually tossed it up for Davis, but Eli Apple broke up the pass. His CB partner, Cam Taylor-Britt, would snag a late interception, and the Bills failed to put up another point, after kicking a field goal on the opening drive of the first half. 27-10 final.
With the win, the Bengals advance to the AFC Championship for a second straight year. Like last year, they will face the Kansas City Chiefs on the road. Mahomes picked up an ankle injury in their Divisional Round matchup against the Jaguars. Though he is expected to play against the Bengals, he won’t be at full health. Even still, the Chiefs will be hungry for a victory, after losing to their last three matchups against Cincinnati. The Bengals will have to bring their best in order to get back to the Super Bowl.
Modified Homescreen Image Via: Eric Drost (CC)