The Bengals Take Down The Bills And Advance To The AFC Championship Game

The Bills were preseason Super Bowl favorites and backed it up in the regular season, but none of that mattered at a snowy Highmark stadium on Sunday. The Bengals went into Orchard Park and dominated the Bills on both sides of the ball, handing the former AFC front-runners their second consecutive divisional round exit, by a final score of 27-10.

The Bengals quickly proved that concerns about their depleted offensive line were overblown, they were able to march down the field for two first quarter touchdown drives. Joe Burrow remained cool, calm, and collected as he was in full command of the offense despite snowy conditions. The Bengals were also able to run the ball well with Joe Mixon.

On the other side, the Bills struggled and weren’t able to manage a first down until the second quarter. Cincinnati’s defensive line had one heck of a day, keeping Josh Allen under pressure while the secondary limited the Bills’ ever potent big-play potential. The 10 points scored by the Bills marked Buffalo’s lowest total of the season. The Bills remain one of the NFL’s most complete teams, but their difficulty getting out of the AFC is a storyline that’s becoming difficult to ignore after another disappointing finish.

Instead of the Bills finding their way into the AFC championship game, it will be the Chiefs and Bengals for the second consecutive year. That means the NFL has avoided a neutral site game and ensures the game will be played at Arrowhead Stadium for the fifth consecutive year. Joe Burrow is 3-0 against Patrick Mahomes in his career, with the most notable win of the three coming in last year’s AFC title game. In a conference loaded with talented young quarterbacks, Burrow can make quite a statement next week by reaching the Super Bowl in back-to-back seasons.

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