It’s been five years since the Cincinnati Bengals finished with a season with a losing record, and it’s been six years since they’ve lost to the Buffalo Bills. Both streaks can end Sunday if the Bills defeat Cincinnati in Orchard Park.

How do the Bengals prevent that from happening? It’s going to take the exploitation of a weakened personnel group, and ensuring one of Buffalo’s brightest stars doesn’t have a repeat performance from a week ago.

Let’s find out what this all means with the help of A to Z Sports Buffalo’s Adam Zientek.

Bengals at Bills NFL Week 14 Preview

JS: First things first, let’s get an assessment of the injury situation. How’s Buffalo looking in terms of health, and who’s likely to miss this game?

AZ: The Bills are looking a little banged up heading into the matchup, as has been the case for the majority of their games this season. Dion Dawkins is still in the concussion protocol, so his status remains uncertain. Perhaps the biggest hit is that of defensive end Joey Bosa, who is considered week-to-week and has been a superstar on defense for Buffalo this season. Outside of that, tight end Dalton Kincaid is trending in the right direction, who happens to be quarterback Josh Allen’s best weapon. A mixed bag of both good and bad on the injury front.

JS: James Cook and the Bills’ offensive line steamrolled the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. What makes their run game so imposing when things click?

AZ: Buffalo’s running game is elite when it works, and crumbles when forced to crawl from behind with the limited success the passing attack has had. Honestly, I think it’s buy-in and a conscious effort for the team to get a bunch of dogs in that unit. Jackson Hawes has been a revelation this season and is one of the steals of the draft, and his blocking has been phenomenal. The same goes for the offensive line and some of the skill positions for Buffalo; you’ll find a player like wide receiver Tyrell Shavers sprinting down the field for a key block near the goal line. It’s just been a main focus for the team, and you can tell they’re all hungry to run through someone’s face.

JS: Buffalo’s defense has been solid against the pass, but there are some definite tackling issues when defending the run. Is that concerning this week with Chase Brown heating up?

AZ: Buffalo was able to stop the run against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 13, which has me hopeful that they’ll be able to continue the success against the Bengals. Injuries, once again, I think are a big issue; the defensive front has been ravaged. However, one of the unsung heroes of the defense and a big help in assisting in the run defense doing well is linebacker Shaq Thompson. The veteran has made a statement in place of Terrel Bernard and is someone the team should continue to lean on for success.

Final Score Prediction

AZ: Buffalo got embarrassed by the Bengals at home the last time they played, and with the team needing to win for playoff implications, it just seems like it’s Buffalo’s time to shine. While Allen might not have a six-touchdown performance, the team could once again lean on their impressive run game to control the game against the Bengals. After a nearly 250-yard performance against the Steelers, I expect the team to lean on that once again. Buffalo’s defese puts on another clinic, giving fans hope for the future by shutting down Burrow and the offense.

Bills 32, Bengals 17

Buffalo Bills News

Bills’ Josh Allen and the offense have the perfect opportunity to exploit a major weakness in their Week 14 matchup against the Bengals

Kickoff is just days away between the Bengals and the Bills.

Adam Zientek