Bills vs. Bengals prediction: Josh Allen, Joe Burrow will produce a close, but high-scoring game
Cincinnati is fighting to get back into the playoff race, but it won't come easily against Buffalo
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2 min read
When the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals have met in recent years, it's typically been a heavyweight fight between AFC contenders. That may not be the case this season, but that doesn't mean there is nothing on the line.
After cruising past the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, the Bills are 8-4 and looking to improve their playoff standing. Buffalo is still two games behind the New England Patriots in the AFC East, but a win over the Bengals could help close that gap down the stretch. Since their monumental win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Nov. 2, the Bills have struggled with consistency. Can they string together a couple wins in a row by beating Joe Burrow and the Bengals at home?
Somehow, the 4-8 Bengals are still in the playoff race and just two games behind the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers at the top of the AFC North. After notching a key win over the Ravens on Thanksgiving, Cincinnati can get another one this weekend. In his return from surgery Joe Burrow didn't take long to shake off the rust, throwing for 261 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Baltimore. He'll have to improve upon that performance in another hostile environment against Buffalo.
Here's everything you need to know as two of the AFC's best quarterbacks face off.
Where to watch Bills vs. Bengals live
- Date: Sunday, Dec. 7 | Time: 1 p.m. ET
- Location: Highmark Stadium -- Buffalo, New York
- TV: Fox | Stream: Fubo (try for free)
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Odds: Bills -5.5, O/U 53.5 (via FanDuel)
Bills vs. Bengals: Need to know
- Burrow gives Bengals playoff hope. Not state the obvious, but the Bengals are a very different team when Burrow is on the field. Since 2020, Cincinnati is 45-30-1 with Burrow and 7-16 without him. On top of that, Burrow is riding an eight-game quarterback win streak, which is the third-longest active streak in the NFL. The Bengals' playoff hopes are on life support, but getting Burrow back gives them real hope.
- Josh Allen lives in the end zone. The game of football is all about scoring touchdowns, and no one is better at that than Allen. For the sixth straight season, Allen has scored 30 total touchdowns. The only quarterback with a longer streak in NFL history was Drew Brees, who totaled 30 or more touchdowns in nine straight seasons from 2008-16.
- Bills almost unbeatable in Buffalo. The Bengals will be walking into a hornet's nest this weekend because the Bills have been rolling inside Highmark Stadium. Buffalo has won 16 of its last 17 home games with this season's loss to the New England Patriots being the only exception. The Bills will need to keep riding that home field advantage in order to keep their division title hopes alive.
Bills vs. Bengals prediction, pick
Joe Burrow didn't get off to the hottest start against the Ravens last week, but he played better as the game progressed. Now that he's seen game action once again, I think two of the league's best quarterbacks could very well go back and forth in a shootout. The Bengals defense has holes everywhere, and I think Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase can pick apart the Bills secondary. I think we could see a high-scoring affair. Pick: Bills -5.5, Over 53.5
