Week 17: Bills at Bengals on MNF

[Low Positive]

People, the starting QB for the Cincinnati Bengals is Burrow, not Burrows. You people sound like people here in Cincinnati who can’t stop putting an “s” on Kroger.

[BRH]

14 hours ago, Beck Water said:

Yeah, I had the distinct impression from Josh's demeanor and what he said about conversations/discussions - that Joe Burrow wasn't his favorite person.  This was mixed in of course with a bunch of polite, praiseful stuff about how he really respects Burrow as a player and a person etcetera

 

Then in Burrow's interview, he said he and Josh are friends and he likes to hang out with him because Josh is outgoing and a fun guy to hang with.

 

Both things can be true I guess - they can enjoy hanging together and be friends to some extent, but also be highly competitive working with Palmer, and maybe as part of that Burrow said some stuff that grated on Josh.

Narcissistic personalities often have a different view of relationships.  You could be thinking some guy is a real DB and be surprised (and initially feel a little guilty) to hear the same guy say you’re a great dude… because they’re so in love with themselves that they can’t even fathom someone else not feeling the same way about them. 
 

Not saying Burrow has narcissistic tendencies.  But I’ve seen that movie many a time. 

3 minutes ago, FrenchConnection said:

People, the starting QB for the Cincinnati Bengals is Burrow, not Burrows. You people sound like people here in Cincinnati who can’t stop putting an “s” on Kroger.

 

They’re the same people who refer to “Mahommes” [grinds teeth].

 

[Low Positive]

1 minute ago, SCBills said:

Which playoff game has Burrow looked elite in?

 

Im not saying he isn’t a Top 5 QB.  He is. Allen, Mahomes, Burrow, Herbert … and then I may go Lawrence at 5. 
 

But I do think there’s a big game drop off from Allen & Mahomes to Burrow.  
 

Burrow’s Bengals rode last season’s playoff run on some luck, what seemed like 50 field goals, and a defense that hit stride at the right time and has figured out a way to confuse Mahomes.  
 

It wasn’t a run due to Burrow.  Most playoff games I watch of Buffalo and KC… the QB is very much on display.  

There was so much luck. Tennessee was driving to kick a game winning FG when Eli Apple of all people tipped a pass straight up into the air right into the arms of Logan Wilson. Of that ball goes left instead of right, the Bengals probably lose that game. All of this is to say that winning close playoff games requires the bounces to go your way. If the Bills had won the coin toss in KC, they probably host the AFC championship game.

[atlbillsfan1975]

The more I listen to Bengal beat reporters talk about Cincinnati’s D, I think we are going to need a big game from Davis and hopefully Diggs. I say Davis because to this point his play has been erratic and think he will be left one on one. Diggs will be bracketed a lot if I had to bet.
The Bengal’s D is built from inside out. Dline is stout with Reader and Hill, linebackers of Wilson & Davis-Gaither are like our two LB’s, and then the safety duo of Bell and Bates is very good. Hilton is a phenomenal slot corner. The weakness is Eli Apple (yes that Eli Apple)and Taylor-Britt (rookie). 
Need to find ways to get outside on this D. Sounds like the DC for Cinci is looking hard at what the Jets D did to Allen and the Bills. 

[BuffaloBaumer]

17 hours ago, MJS said:

Bigger than the 4 superbowls the Bills went to? I don't think that's the case. I'd also put a bunch of playoff games above this one.

 

Maybe you could make the case for the biggest regular season game.

The reason I say biggest game is because I truly think they WIN the Super Bowl if they win this one

[Motorin']

9 hours ago, Fleezoid said:

For the past 2 days I've been trying to figure out how to not be nervous for this game. The only way I came up with is to be passed-out-drunk.

 

I'm 90% sure that's not what I'm doing. 

 

 

 

Mr. Lahey! Oh my *****.

 

 

 

9 hours ago, Fleezoid said:

 

 

 

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Edited December 31, 2022 by Motorin'

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

38 minutes ago, FrenchConnection said:

People, the starting QB for the Cincinnati Bengals is Burrow, not Burrows. You people sound like people here in Cincinnati who can’t stop putting an “s” on Kroger.

Haha. I just can’t call it “Kroger.” Same with “Aldi”— I always have to add an S. I don’t care what the proper name is; it just feels wrong without an S. 

[Beck Water]

Diggs back at practice yesterday:

 

 

[John from Riverside]

31 minutes ago, atlbillsfan1975 said:

The more I listen to Bengal beat reporters talk about Cincinnati’s D, I think we are going to need a big game from Davis and hopefully Diggs. I say Davis because to this point his play has been erratic and think he will be left one on one. Diggs will be bracketed a lot if I had to bet.
The Bengal’s D is built from inside out. Dline is stout with Reader and Hill, linebackers of Wilson & Davis-Gaither are like our two LB’s, and then the safety duo of Bell and Bates is very good. Hilton is a phenomenal slot corner. The weakness is Eli Apple (yes that Eli Apple)and Taylor-Britt (rookie). 
Need to find ways to get outside on this D. Sounds like the DC for Cinci is looking hard at what the Jets D did to Allen and the Bills. 

Not like we haven’t face defenses like that all year for instants the Jets

3 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

Diggs back at practice yesterday:

 

 

Man, if a little dirty could just play ball as well as he can dance

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

29 minutes ago, atlbillsfan1975 said:

The more I listen to Bengal beat reporters talk about Cincinnati’s D, I think we are going to need a big game from Davis and hopefully Diggs. I say Davis because to this point his play has been erratic and think he will be left one on one. Diggs will be bracketed a lot if I had to bet.
The Bengal’s D is built from inside out. Dline is stout with Reader and Hill, linebackers of Wilson & Davis-Gaither are like our two LB’s, and then the safety duo of Bell and Bates is very good. Hilton is a phenomenal slot corner. The weakness is Eli Apple (yes that Eli Apple)and Taylor-Britt (rookie). 
Need to find ways to get outside on this D. Sounds like the DC for Cinci is looking hard at what the Jets D did to Allen and the Bills. 

It’s cute that both teams are scheming on defense. But the reality is that this game is going to be a shoot-out. I actually think also despite how stout the interior is of the Bengals D, the Bills will be able to run it well, probably with those pulls and outside zone runs. 
 

I expect a lot of empty-set spreads from both teams too, and both QBs taking chances downfield. Will come down to who makes more plays.

[Beck Water]

 

[BADOLBILZ]

10 hours ago, Fleezoid said:

 

 

Anyone seen @eball lately?

 

[Mat68]

Buffalo wins and imo it will not be close.  Cincy is the the more consistent team blah blah blah.  They played like garbage vs 2 poor teams.  Tampa and New England lost those games Cincy did not win them.  I think they are feeling themselves and buying into there own hype.  Buffalo shows they are the best team in the AFC and possible league 34-17 Bills.

[clayboy54]

32 minutes ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

Haha. I just can’t call it “Kroger.” Same with “Aldi”— I always have to add an S. I don’t care what the proper name is; it just feels wrong without an S. 

I bet you also say, “Happy New Years”. (Said like there’s more than one.)

[GolfandBills]

1 hour ago, FrenchConnection said:

People, the starting QB for the Cincinnati Bengals is Burrow, not Burrows. You people sound like people here in Cincinnati who can’t stop putting an “s” on Kroger.

Same people who pronounce the S in Illinois 

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

5 minutes ago, clayboy54 said:

I bet you also say, “Happy New Years”. (Said like there’s more than one.)

oddly enough, I say “happy new year.” I think my adding of the “S” is only for grocery stores. All grocery stores must end with an S! 

[YattaOkasan]

1 hour ago, atlbillsfan1975 said:

Bengal’s weakness is supposedly their boundary corners. Diggs is due for a big game. 

It is their weakness but they have a very good DVOA against #1 receivers (bills are bad against number #1s but throttle all others). I think Davis will really need to get going on the boundary. 

[Dan]

1 hour ago, BuffaloBaumer said:

The reason I say biggest game is because I truly think they WIN the Super Bowl if they win this one

There’s entirely too much football left to be played to state/think this. 
 

This is a huge game for several reasons. Easily the most important game since... Miami.  LOL.  But winning it doesn't even guarantee the #1 seed (unless KC forgets theres a game tomorrow).   
 

It’s a big game, in the spotlight, against last year’s Super Bowl representative, and gives us an edge in the playoff seeding with only one game left.  But its not the most important game of this season, let alone the franchise history.  

[BRH]

Blah blah blah. From the Athletic:

 

The biggest game on paper this week is the Monday night tilt between the Bills and Bengals in Cincinnati. Who has the edge as these teams continue to fight it out for the top seed in the AFC?

 

Graff: I’m taking the Bengals at home. Since Week 9, they have the best offense in the NFL according to EPA per play, one spot ahead of the Chiefs. The Bills, meanwhile, rank 11th. Time is running out for them to return to the form we all expected as season-long Super Bowl favorites. So give me Joe Burrow at home.

 

Jones: I think the Bengals can get the job done again. They’re the hottest team in the league, riding a seven-game win streak, and I don’t see any reason why they can’t continue this brand of complementary football that is carrying them. Joe Burrow and his defense have already bested Patrick Mahomes. Josh Allen is next.

 

Sando: The Bengals at home have been my choice in this game for the past few weeks, and I’m sticking with it. They should get Josh Allen’s best punch, which could be enough for the Bills to win. I just like how Cincinnati has been playing and think they should be able to pull this one out at home.

 

 

Great analysis.  “Time is running out for [the Bills].”  “I don’t see any reason why [the Bengals] can’t continue.”  “I just like how Cincinnati has been playing.” 🙄

Edited December 31, 2022 by BRH

[Rockinon]

3 hours ago, newcam2012 said:

The Bengals oline certainly is one the Bills can and hopefully exploit. 

 

Show me a QB who is really good with a very poor oline. Perhaps Allen is the best off the 3 when his oline breaks down. Hard to really know. Mahomes has an excellent oline. Imho, Allen is a better QB than Burrows. If I had to rate the 3 QBs it would be

1. Mahomes 2. Allen and

3. Burrows. 

 

One thing of note that I haven't seen mentioned is the offensive scheme of the Bengals. They play a west coast offense which is based on a very quick release passing game. Burrows gets the ball out very quickly. I believe he's in the top 5 in the NFL. Also, he is very good against the blitz. In short, his quick release may negate some of the effectiveness of the Bills pass rush. The Bills defense will have to successfully try to get Burrows to hold the ball longer. Burrows is quick to throw the ball away and move on to the next play. Perhaps the Bills can clog the middle, have tighter coverage, mix up their defenses looks to confuse Burrow, etc...

 

Chase is very explosive, Higgins is huge and catches contested passes, Boyd is a solid #3, and Nixon and Perine can do damage catching the ball. The Bills defense has a difficult task on Monday night. With that said, they will be ready to play. They have to tackle well this game which hasn't been a strength of the team. 

 

 

Just my thoughts. Thanks.

 

Good post. I will go a bit further. Many here are really underestimating Buffalo's defense. Some actually comparing KC to Buffalo and saying how well Cincy did against KC. Big difference between Buffalo's D and KC's. I see a bunch of people talking about a 3 man rush and dropping more into coverage. Buffalo does not need to drop more into coverage because LBs like Edmunds are so good in coverage. The Buffalo defense is good specifically because it's pass defense is so good. Now many will argue that the pass defense has dropped off and it has. That does not mean that they are going backwards. They simply have 2 rookies learning on the job and some injuries they have had to deal with.

 

I expect the Bills will go with a 4 man rush and be effective. The defensive backs will be up to the challenge this week. And Cincy will struggle to move the ball. Don't underestimate the game plan by Buffalo's coaching staff. Meanwhile, Cincy's D isn't that great. They have been good at stopping the run and pedestrian at stopping the pass.  I see Buffalo going with a balance attack. Perhaps a bit more pass plays than run plays and being effective at both. There is a recent trend that has been over looked. The running backs have been successful out of a spread offense. Perhaps a little Chan Gailey type success. Was Kromer with Buffalo when Gailey was the HC? Either way, this is a pretty cool development. The kind of stress this puts on a defense is noticeable. Safeties may decide the best course is to keep playing deep, but if the run is effective, they'll have to make some hard choices.  Drop into coverage and watch the run game beat you. Move up, and watch the pass game beat you. All this from the exact same spread offense.

 

I get the media hype. Cincy is a good football team. A dangerous team. They managed to find a back door into the Superbowl last year. If they had to go through Buffalo, I am not convinced they would have made it that far. And I am not convinced they are on Buffalo's level this year either. Of course maybe I'm seeing things through rose colored, Bills fan glasses, but I don't think so. Go Bills!

 

Also, if Cincy plays Buffalo like they do KC, they are in trouble. Mahomes is one squirrely QB. That's not Josh. Josh will lower his shoulder and run through a defender. Or stiff arm a defender. Or hurdle a defender. Completely different animal.

Edited December 31, 2022 by Rockinon