Bengals

Matchups to watch in Sunday's AFC Divisional in Buffalo: BENGALS QB JOE BURROW VS BILLS QB JOSH ALLEN IN RED ZONE. This is a red zone game.

Tre Flowers (hamstring) is doubtful and Hill played nine snaps last week when he went down and won praises from Anarumo for his work in the red zone. He caught six balls for 113 yards and a touchdown against the Dolphins last week and he's got six touchdowns in his last three playoff games. The Bengals are fifth scoring touchdowns in the red zone and the Bills are the second-best defenders inside the 20. Twenty days ago it looked like the Bengals were bound and determined to throw it 50 times, daring Buffalo's top down defense to come down. The Dolphins got ripped for blitzing Allen so much last week in the Wild Card Game, but they did get results. Plus, the Bengals are used to playing high-pressure playoff games with a young line. Those are all things that we've done all season long, so it doesn't really change our operation because those guys are really good on the other side and we try to minimize those impact players as best we can. He leads the league with 19 quick passing touchdowns and is top five in passer rating and completion percentage against pressure. The Bills under head coach Sean McDermott aren't known as big blitzers and according to Pro Football Reference, they do it less than 20 percent of the time (19.4). At the other end, the Bengals secondary forced a field goal before the game was cancelled. 9 preventing touchdowns and the Bills are ninth scoring in there. The Bills are fifth in scoring since the end of December, the Bengals 11th and they have used almost the exact same formula down here to craft their winning streaks.

Sports betting sites offer wagers on the moneyline, spread, total, player props and parlays for the Bengals vs. Bills playoff game.

The all-time series record is 17-15 in favor of Cincinnati, but there have been 33 played games between these two franchises.

[Tre’Davious White](https://theathletic.com/nfl/player/tredavious-white-2AJ6oTJrxGnx7gDh/) was penalized for pass interference in the end zone, where he also collided with top safety [Jordan Poyer](https://theathletic.com/nfl/player/jordan-poyer-WpZKWArS36a5jGeu/). The Bills had to be able to do one of those things to force enough stops to win, but with none of them working, it was the beginning of the end right at the beginning of the game. Every time the Bengals touched the ball, they were a threat to secure a first down and push it down the field for a score. [Ryan Tannehill](https://theathletic.com/nfl/player/ryan-tannehill-XUAZZ3AjcOywkoZU/) over three times and befuddled [Patrick Mahomes](https://theathletic.com/nfl/player/patrick-mahomes-WWwiw0IQD5ozgrHf/), had Allen forced to play hero ball on repeat. The Bills defense had no answers for Burrow and the Bengals offense early in the game. [Joe Burrow](https://theathletic.com/nfl/player/joe-burrow-MHPQIoyRCSO0fiiE/)started hot and remained steady through the snowy conditions going 23-of-36 passing for 242 yards with two touchdown passes ( [Ja’Marr Chase](https://theathletic.com/nfl/player/jamarr-chase-ToHiDqo1AnUHYTWK/), [Hayden Hurst](https://theathletic.com/nfl/player/hayden-hurst-IG1779AsnClQuq6e/)) resulting in a 101.9 passer rating. The defensive line kept winning up front to force Allen on the run and [Mike Hilton](https://theathletic.com/nfl/player/mike-hilton-2xF8nupbfBBDzJ5p/) and the corners made play after play on balls forced into tight spaces. They couldn’t register consistent pressure on him, they tackled poorly in the open field, and they had no answer to the Bengals’ run game right up the middle of their defensive line. [Chiefs](https://theathletic.com/nfl/team/chiefs/)in the AFC Championship game in Kansas City next Sunday at 6:30 p.m. Kansas City, the AFC’s top seed, knocked off the [Jacksonville Jaguars](https://theathletic.com/nfl/team/jaguars/)in the other AFC divisional round game Saturday. It’s the first time he’s made it back to a game since collapsing on the field with cardiac arrest during the Bills’ Week 17 game at Cincinnati. [Joe Mixon](https://theathletic.com/nfl/player/joe-mixon-sKnyZX3WQEWatJVj/)also produced with 105 rushing yards on 20 carries and a TD.

The most highly anticipated NFL playoff game this weekend pits the Bengals against the Bills in a rematch of their game that was canceled Jan. 2.

And even more when the NFL began to sell tickets for the game this week. If the Jacksonville Jaguars upset K.C., the winner of Sunday’s Bengals-Bengals game would host the AFC title game. Those numbers must make the Bengals defense eager to see not if, but how many times they can turn Allen over, too. Burrow was sacked four times during the Bengals' win over the Ravens last week and 41 times this season. Speaking of those Bengals weapons, receivers Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd will be instrumental to Cincinnati advancing. Starting right tackle La’el Collins tore his ACL against the Patriots on Christmas Eve.

Bills safety Damar Hamlin is attending Buffalo's Divisional Round home game against the Cincinnati Bengals, marking the 24 year old's first game attended ...

[96-yard kickoff return](https://www.nfl.com/news/bills-running-back-nyheim-hines-returns-opening-kickoff-96-yards-for-stunning-td) by [Nyheim Hines](https://league.pocket.nfl.com/#/wcm/custom/player/2e39f365-f950-49da-a771-c5d49bd2e0a6) on the game's opening play. [visited](https://www.nfl.com/news/damar-hamlin-visits-bills-facility-for-first-time-since-being-discharged-from-ho) the Bills facility for the first time and was able to greet his teammates in person. 11 after suffering a [cardiac arrest](https://www.nfl.com/news/bills-safety-damar-hamlin-in-critical-condition-after-collapsing-on-field-buffal) during a game on Jan. [discharged](https://www.nfl.com/news/bills-safety-damar-hamlin-discharged-from-buffalo-hospital-will-continue-rehab-a) from a Buffalo hospital on Jan. 2, and was transferred to the Buffalo General Medical Center that same day. Hamlin was then discharged from the hospital two days later.

Hamlin, the Bills safety who collapsed during the two teams' previous meeting, was on hand to support his teammates in the A.F.C. divisional round game.

But in the present, it was an unsatisfactory ending for a team that over the last few weeks had found ways to keep pushing forward. Bills fans booed and headed toward the exits, while Bengals fans went the other way, descending the stadium stairs to cheer on their team’s return to the conference championship. There was Allen’s well-thrown deep shot, which traveled more than 30 yards in the air, on a third down in the final seconds of the third quarter. When the Bills got the ball back, they marched to the end zone on a 15-play, 75-yard scoring drive capped by an Allen touchdown run on a 1-yard quarterback sneak. The Bengals built a 14-point lead in the first quarter on two touchdown passes from Burrow to wide-open targets — Chase on the first for 28 yards and tight end Hayden Hurst on the second for 15. Later, midway through the fourth quarter and after Cincinnati had grown its advantage to 27-10, a Bills drive stalled deep in Bengals’ territory. He returned for the next series and finished with four catches for 35 yards on 10 targets. Since then, the Bills tried to push forward, drawing strength from the steady progress of Hamlin, who was released from the hospital on Jan. But from that point on, it was all Bengals, who all game sustained the momentum that eluded the Bills’ offense. The Bengals were down three starters on their offensive line, but it was Allen who often found himself on the run, scrambling to make plays out of scheme. But on Sunday, the Bills found themselves back in a familiar place: waiting until next year. While that is an objective shared by all teams, it was both realistic and pressing for the Bills, who believed this season’s squad had as good a chance as ever to finally deliver a championship to this region.

BUFFALO, N.Y. _ You can call him Joey Frost or you can call him Joey De-Frost, but like Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes before him, you can call Bengals ...

After Millano beat a six-man line (D'Ante Smith was the extra tackle) to stop the rampaging Mixon (36 yards on his first four carries) for a two-yard loss, Burrow came back on the next snap to hit Hurst wide-open working the right sideline for a 15-yard touchdown play and there was silence with the Bengals up, 14-0,after having the ball for 9:35 compared to the Bills' 1:38 The Bills offense went hurry up and it helped as the Bengals left Allen off the hook twice in the Bills' first scoring drive. Their revamped offensive line didn't blink, silencing the Bills faithful with back-to-back opening touchdown drives for a 14-0 lead on the way to 274 yards by halftime that was supplemented by Mixon's 55 yards on nine carries. A few snaps earlier, Mixon banged for another first down on a counter behind new right guard Max Scharping, and then he scored the touchdown on a one-yard run that put them up, 24-10, with 1:17 left in the third quarter. On third-and-one, Mixon took a toss behind new left tackle Jackson Carman and bulled for 13 yards in the snow. But Burrow got right back up hit a wide-open Hurst on third-and-ten and as he hurdled to get the first.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Anyone who had tickets for an AFC Championship Game in Atlanta might want to get their money back. As the Cincinnati Bengals walked ...

"It might be our most complete game of the season as a team." "We go into Tennessee and we whooped their ass," Bates told ESPN. But Burrow referenced in it his postgame TV interview, telling CBS that the league "better send those refunds." The game was eventually canceled, which led to the NFL creating a potential neutral-site game with Kansas City and Buffalo if both teams advanced to the AFC Championship Game. The Bengals secured their spot as one of the last four teams left in the playoffs with their most convincing postseason win in recent years. He completed his first nine passes and finished the day by going 23-of-36 passing for 242 yards and two touchdowns. We knew what we were capable of from the jump. "We knew what we were capable of," Chase said. "Just proving people wrong, the NFL doing stuff like that for the Bills to go to the Super Bowl. [Ja'Marr Chase](https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4362628/ja'marr-chase) said. Cincinnati led 14-0 early and maintained control throughout. They trying to make it seem like we're not ready.

The Buffalo Bills had a good season. They went 13-3. They won their third straight AFC East championship and a playoff game. It doesn't matter.

By romping past the Bills in the Divisional Round and advancing to a second straight AFC title game appearance, Joe Burrow and the Bengals provided a ...

Burrow is the only quarterback to have faced Mahomes multiple times and still be undefeated, and the most recent victory came [in Week 13](https://www.nfl.com/games/chiefs-at-bengals-2022-reg-13), when the Bengals scored 10 fourth-quarter points to beat the Chiefs, again by the score of 27-24. [subjected to a coin flip](https://www.nfl.com/news/bengals-coach-zac-taylor-pushes-back-against-coin-flip-resolution-just-negatives) to determine where their Wild Card Round game against the Ravens would be played. Hamlin [attended Sunday's game](https://www.nfl.com/news/bills-s-damar-hamlin-attends-sunday-s-divisional-round-matchup-versus-bengals), and when he was shown on the scoreboard sitting in his suite, the crowd -- including the Bengals fans here -- roared in delight and waved to him. [50,000 tickets](https://www.nfl.com/news/potential-neutral-site-afc-championship-game-in-atlanta-extraordinary-demand) had already been sold to Chiefs and Bills season-ticket holders for a potential neutral-site game next week. [was cancelled](https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-announces-bills-bengals-game-will-not-be-resumed-this-week), forgotten that as the regular season ended, they were playing the best football in the conference. "It is tough," Bengals coach Zac Taylor said, with a grin, "because they have to formulate the plans for coin tosses, and they got to formulate the plans for neutral-site games, and we just keep screwing it up for everybody. [beat easily, 27-10](https://www.nfl.com/games/bengals-at-bills-2022-post-2) -- "It was never close," said cornerback [Eli Apple](https://www.nfl.com/players/eli-apple/), puffing a celebratory cigar; "it should have been 31-10" -- and, they believe, better than the team that [narrowly lost the Super Bowl](https://www.nfl.com/news/bengals-quarterback-joe-burrow-hopes-to-use-super-bowl-loss-as-fuel-for-the-rest) last season. Next Sunday, they will go to Kansas City -- no neutral site needed, after all -- to prove it all again in [the AFC Championship Game](https://www.nfl.com/games/bengals-at-chiefs-2022-post-3). [stunning the Chiefs, 27-24](https://www.nfl.com/games/bengals-at-chiefs-2021-post-3), in overtime at Arrowhead Stadium. And I hate that, for the people that have to endure all those logistical issues, and then we just keep screwing it up. Forgotten that they were the reigning AFC Champions, forgotten that they had a chance to contend for the No. -- For weeks, it had seemed that most of the NFL had forgotten about the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Cincinnati Bengals had little issues getting past the Buffalo Bills, dominating their way to a 27-10 win in the divisional round on Sunday.

Allen, meanwhile, completed 25 of 42 passes for 265 yards and a late interception with under a minute remaining in the game. Buffalo responded with a much better drive, with an Allen 32-yard pass to tight end Dawson Knox reigniting the offense. Cincinnati came back and marched deep into Buffalo territory before settling for a 20-yard field goal to seize a 27-10 lead early in the final quarter. assembled a much-needed 75-yard drive that took 15 plays to find the end zone. For a moment, Chase appeared to haul in his second touchdown of the day, but it was overturned after Bills linebacker Matt Milano stayed with the play and disrupted Chase's possession of the ball. Chase turned upfield and split two defenders to cap the play.

Bills Mafia showed its love for Damar Hamlin when he was shown at Highmark Stadium during Sunday's divisional round game against the Bengals.

The 24-year-old was transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and spent the next week there before heading back to Buffalo on Jan. He viewed the team’s regular season finale against the [New England Patriots](https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/patriots) on Jan. [watching the game](https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/sports/damar-hamlin-in-attendance-for-bengals-bills-game-in-buffalo/) from a suite with his parents and younger brother.

CBS will broadcast the game. Jim Nance (play-by-play), Tony Romo (color analyst) and Tracy Wolfson (sideline reporter) are on the call. TV channel: CBS.

The Bengals may experience similar weather compared to their game in Buffalo. CBS will broadcast the game. What is the weather forecast for the AFC Championship Game? It’ll be a rematch of last season’s AFC Championship Game, where Joe Burrow and Co. upset Patrick Mahomes and Co. 1-seeded Chiefs, who beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-20 on Saturday.

The last time the teams played, Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the field. They face off Sunday in the N.F.L. playoffs.

If the Bills advance, that game would be held [in Atlanta, the neutral site](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/12/sports/football/bills-bengals-neutral-site.html) the N.F.L. Hamlin’s neurological function is intact and he is able to walk and talk, but the doctors who cared for him in Cincinnati said recovery from a life-threatening event like the one Hamlin endured can take weeks or months. And I think right now we need to focus on the positive, and the positives that came out of that, as opposed to the other piece of it.” He said Hamlin’s presence around the team since then “brings everybody’s spirits up.” “Damar still requires oxygen and is having his heart monitored regularly to ensure there are no setbacks or after effects,” Rooney said in a statement. Coach Sean McDermott said last week that Hamlin had been at the team facility “almost daily,” though his activities have still been limited. He was released from the hospital on Jan. He stood up and gestured for the crowd to cheer on the defense, which was defending Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ offense on the goal line. 11 and visited the Bills for the first time last weekend in advance of their 34-31 wild-card playoff win against the Miami Dolphins. At the two-minute warning of the first half, Hamlin was shown on the stadium Jumbotron from the suite where he was watching the game. The last time these two teams were on the field together, on Jan. He attended Sunday’s divisional round playoff game against the Bengals.

The Buffalo Bills are set to play the Cincinnati Bengals weeks after Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest on the field at their regular season ...

He has visited with the team a few times but he still gets winded very easily. He was quickly surrounded by medical personnel, who performed CPR and restarted his heart on the field before being loaded into an ambulance and "Despite being out of the hospital, Damar still has a lengthy recovery. [spending more time](https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/damar-hamlin-bills-facility-daily-recovers/story?id=96508002) at the team's facility and is there "almost daily," ESPN reported. Hamlin collapsed suddenly after tackling Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins on Jan. [taken to a nearby hospital](https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/bills-safety-damar-hamlin-released-hospital-returns-buffalo/story?id=96320057).

Bills coach Sean McDermott said earlier this week that Hamlin has been at the team's practice facility almost daily.

[Bills](https://theathletic.com/nfl/team/bills/) safety [Damar Hamlin](https://theathletic.com/nfl/player/damar-hamlin-embojMAWMuz1cfqb/) visited the team in the locker room and attended Sunday’s AFC divisional round as Buffalo hosted the [Bengals](https://theathletic.com/nfl/team/bengals/). The Bengals [defeated the Bills 27-10](https://theathletic.com/4105012/2023/01/22/bengals-bills-nfl-divisional-round-streaming-takeaways/) to advance to the AFC Championship Game. [Miami Dolphins](https://theathletic.com/4092709/2023/01/15/damar-hamlin-bills-dolphins-visit/)at home as he continued his recovery.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals threw a big wrench into the highly anticipated travel plans of the Buffalo Bills, ...

The Bills limited the Bengals to a field goal, and trailed 17-7 at the half. The Bengals extended their franchise-best streak to 10 straight wins. Hamlin was whisked into the stadium in a security vehicle, and led directly into the Bills’ locker room about an hour before kickoff. The Bengals held one of the NFL’s top offenses to season-low 10 points. Cincinnati advanced to consecutive AFC championship games for the first time in franchise history and will prepare for a rematch of last year’s title game. Mixon’s 105 yards rushing alone were 1 short of how many the Bengals combined in their past two games, both against Baltimore. Joe Mixon scored on a 1-yard run, and Evan McPherson made field goals from 20 and 28 yards in a game the Bengals never trailed. “It’s going to be a fun one,” said Burrow, who went 23 of 36 for 242 yards Sunday. Aside from the stunning sight of Hamlin’s collapse, the Bills had their schedule twice disrupted by severe winter storms. Cincinnati has won the past three meetings against Kansas City, including a 27-24 victory last month. They walk on the field ready to attack.” 2 when Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated on the field.

Damar Hamlin held up his hands in the shape of a heart and pumped up the crowd as it cheered loudly upon seeing him on the big screens at Highmark Stadium ...

I'm really happy for the fans, the crowd, for him to be able to go out there and he's worked very hard to get in the position he's at right now." [Miami Dolphins](/nfl/team/_/name/mia/miami-dolphins) to start the playoffs, but he was watching from home. "It's what he needs and how we can help him and how our training staff can help serve him and we can serve him, and as anyone would do, we're just trying to be there for him and walk at his pace, so to speak, play on words," McDermott said. "But we're just there for him and want the best for him right now. He's not a big rah-rah guy and I'm sure that at some point he's a little bit exhausted of people asking how he's doing or put in a position that he didn't ask to be put in. "I thought it was a pretty cool moment," coach Sean McDermott said after the season-ending 27-10 loss.