Bills find a way to win in more ways than one and avoid potential disaster, plus other takeaways from Week 14 win over Bengals
What a win by the Buffalo Bills.
The Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals’ Week 14 contest was an instant classic, and a shame that the league didn’t prioritize the matchup. Buffalo found a way to win in one of the most exciting games of the regular season, keeping its playoff hopes alive. But it wasn’t all pretty, and there is some bad news coming out of Western New York from the win.
Buffalo was dominated early by the Bengals’ offense, led by quarterback Joe Burrow. In the first half alone, the Bills only forced one punt, and it looked like the Bengals quarterback would score on every single drive the rest of the way. Fortunately, a couple of turnovers late in the fourth quarter helped Buffalo pull out the victory.
Self-inflicted wounds once again reared their ugly heads in the matchup, nearly costing Buffalo the game. Running back James Cook had a costly fumble when the Bills were driving late, but he was having a dominant game nevertheless.
The team avoided a big blow in the win when safety Cole Bishop got hurt and was ruled out of the game. Though his official designation was due to cramping, so for now it appears the Bills avoided any major injury to one of their best defenders.
The Bills won the football game and kept their playoff hopes alive while their quarterback made NFL history.
Defense struggled mightily on third down, but came up big in the most important moments
It just seemed like the defense had no answers for Burrow and the offense, who scored on nearly every drive in the first half. Buffalo got a stop late in the second half, and it was the first time all game it stopped Burrow on a third down.
The team was down defensive end Joey Bosa, though that wouldn’t remove the fact that the Bills were lined up more than five yards deep, allowing Burrow to crush them underneath.
Buffalo made some second-half adjustments and came out with a key stop to allow Allen and the offense to get some points on the board. It settled in and found a way to slow down the Bengals’ offense in the second half, which seemed like a miracle after its early performance.
Shoutout goes to cornerback Christian Benford for his efforts, sacking Burrow when the team really needed to shut him down. Benford also had his second touchdown in as many games with a late fourth-quarter pick-six off Burrow.
Perhaps the biggest issue the defense had was stopping Burrow and the offense on third down. The Bengals gashed the Bills all game, as Buffalo just couldn’t get Cincinnati off the field.
However, late in the contest, on back-to-back throws from Burrow, Buffalo forced some key turnovers to give the ball back to Allen and the offense for a chance to close out the game.
Josh Allen makes history, offense struggles
The snowy conditions didn’t help, but far too often, Allen would be dropping back in the pocket, surveying the field, and then trying to make something out of nothing. Despite the bad conditions and some lack of separation, Allen had a heck of a performance against the Bengals.
After throwing perhaps the wildest touchdown we’ve seen this season to wide receiver Khalil Shakir, Allen cemented himself in the record books. He became the first quarterback in NFL history with three seasons of more than 20 passing and 10 rushing touchdowns. While he made history, it was clear Allen needed to do everything in the matchup.
Allen did damage with his arm and his legs, scampering into the end zone late in the fourth quarter as the team attempted to make a late push. It was another reminder of just how great No. 17 can be, doing all he can to will his team to a victory.
After a turnover late in the fourth, Allen and the offense drove down the field for a statement touchdown, ending the game and riling up the fan base. For a team that felt like it was playing from behind all game, it was a monster win for the organization, despite the Bengals’ record.
In the end, it wasn’t perfect, and it certainly wasn’t pretty, but the Bills proved something about themselves in Week 14. They survived a shootout, down a few key playmakers, all while leaning on their superstar quarterback and delivering in the highest-pressure moments. If they can clean up a few mishaps and get healthier across the board, this win could be the spark the team needed.
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Bills’ Josh Allen may have had the most insane touchdown of the season, all while making history once again
What a play from No. 17.
