By CHUCK POLLOCK, Wellsville Sun Senior Sports Columnist
When the NFL schedule was released last spring, the Bills paid in full for being a division winner.
On Buffalo’s slate were four of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks, albeit all of them at Orchard Park. But then it became five in home-and-home games.
It started with the season opener when coach Sean McDermott’s team miraculously dug out of a 15-point, fourth-quarter deficit to hang a 41-40 defeat on Lamar Jackson and the Ravens.
Then, in Week 8, it was a 28-21 decision over Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.
NOW, IN Week 14, it’s Joe Burrow and the Bengals. Burrow is just over surgery for a Grade 3 Turf Toe sprain and is in his second week back after suffering the injury. He missed nine games after being hurt and the Bengals went 1-8.
Meanwhile, as for his team being 12-1 in the last four Decembers, Bills coach Sean McDermott assessed, “The toughness of our team is what’s going to drive us. We don’t have time to feel sorry for ourselves (due to mounting injuries). We’ve got to get ourselves ready for a big-time challenge this weekend.”
He added, “We respect their football team … it’s a well-coached team. The offense is very explosive and they have big-time weapons.We have to make sure we’re at our best and we execute. That’s the important thing at this point in the season … what do we do well and what’s our overall execution?”
But, alas, Cincinnati, at 4-8, can still make the playoffs as the AFC North is a mess (Pittsburgh and Baltimore are both 6-6, Cleveland 3-9). Indeed, Burrow and the Bengals manhandled the Steelers two weeks ago before the Bills (8-4) did the same last Sunday.
Any time you get to play against one of the premier quarterbacks in the league you have to be ready for it and put your best stuff out,” Bills QB Josh Allen said. “He’s given them a huge spark.”
BUFFALO and Cincinnati meet Sunday afternoon (1 o’clock Fox-TV, Bills Radio Network) and that’s not good news for the Bills as Burrow is 2-0 against them and Allen is 0-2 versus Burrow including a 27-10 evisceration in the ’22 playoffs in the snow at Highmark Stadium. A third meeting between the two teams was canceled that year after Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin suffered a near-fatal cardiac event on the field in Cincinnati.
THE HEAD-to-head matchup of Allen and Burrow is an elite one. Both have strong, accurate arms and while the Buffalo QB has the advantage of rare mobility, Burrow has high-quality receivers in Ja’ Marr Chase and Tee Higgins while Allen has a substandard pass-catching crew that has been undermined by injury.
The Bills are 4-4 in their last eight games.
How does a team stop the win-loss cycle?
“You have to stay with the process of what works for us and not worry about the result but rather the process of it,” Allen said.
The Bills still have two high-quality quarterbacks to meet including Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts on Dec. 28 in Orchard Park.
But now a fifth contender has been added, New England’s Drake Maye. The second-year pro has led the Patriots to 10 straight victories, ended Buffalo’s streak of five consecutive AFC East titles and has a half-game lead over Denver (10-2) atop the AFC standings.
And, oh yeah, he came into Highmark Stadium and led New England to a 23-20 victory that went a long way toward deciding the division title prematurely.
Now the Bills meet coach Mike Vrabel’s team in Foxboro, Dec. 14 with a playoff berth likely at stake for Buffalo.
As Allen surmised, “It’s the best time to play football when the stakes are high. That’s a big part of this team. We want the pressure … pulling for each other and sharing the love we have for each other.”
INJURIES:
Buffalo’s situation has improvedsomewhat from last week against Pittsburgh when both starting offensive tackles (Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown), tight end Dalton Kincaid, wide receiver Jesse Palmer and middle linebacker Terrel Bernard were all out.
Left tackle Dion Dawkins (concussion) will play against the Bengals though right tackle Spencer Brown (shoulder) is questionable.
Bernard (elbow) is still out and so is edge rusher Joey Bosa (hamstring/wrist) while Kincaid (hamstring/knee) is questionable and Palmer is doubtful.
For the Bengals, edge rusher Trey Hendrickson (hip/pelvis) is unlikely to play.
WEATHER
Temperatures in Orchard Park will be in the upper 20s with a 40% chance of snow and modest wind speeds of 11 mph.
POLLOCK’S PICK: Bengals 20, Bills 17
