ORCHARD PARK, New York – The Cincinnati Bengals wasted another opportunity to salvage another disappointing season in Buffalo on Dec. 7.
With the snow falling, two of the NFL’s best quarterbacks battled for four quarters in what felt like a playoff atmosphere.
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Stakes were high for both teams heading into the Week 14 matchup, and it was the Bills who left Highmark Stadium with the win.
The Bengals’ 39-34 loss at Buffalo essentially ended their playoff dreams. They are now three games back in the AFC North with four games to go. The Pittsburgh Steelers lead the North at 7-6 after their victory over the Baltimore Ravens.
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As Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said when he returned, it was always going to be an uphill battle to make it into the postseason. The Bengals needed to win all of their remaining games and get help from Baltimore and Pittsburgh to win the division.
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Now, the best record the Bengals can achieve is 8-9 if they win out. The Bengals have yet to be eliminated from postseason contention yet, so it’s not officially over.
But nine losses with four games to go makes it challenging for Cincinnati to find a path into the playoffs.
If the Bengals do, in fact, miss the playoffs for a third consecutive year, the loss to the Bills will be one of the many that coaches, players and members of the organization will look back on when they are sitting at home watching the AFC playoffs.
Joe Burrow walks off the field after throwing an interception that was returned 63 yards for a touchdown by Christian Benford. The fourth-quarter score gave the Bills their first lead of the game 32-28.
Joe Burrow makes two uncharacteristic mistakes
Rarely do the Bengals lose because of Burrow. Against the Bills, his two mistakes cost the Bengals the game.
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Burrow threw two interceptions on back-to-back plays, and the Bengals went from having a three-point lead to quickly trailing 39-28 with five minutes to go.
For the majority of his career, when he’s on the field, Burrow is among the best in the NFL in taking care of the ball.
It’s why his two interceptions at such a critical time in the game came as such a surprise.
“Great plays by them,” Burrow said. “Corner blitz and trying to throw a hot reaction and the guy jumps up and catches it. Great play. The next one, tipped ball, lands right in that guy’s hands. Good plays by them.”
Burrow was certainly disappointed at the podium when he addressed the media following the game. But his recent toe injury and the time he missed playing with his teammates helped him mature, he said.
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And his new perspective helps him deal with a tough loss like the one his team endured in Buffalo.
“That’s been a struggle for the past couple of years, but I’ve grown and matured and understood the position we find ourselves in,” Burrow said. “Certainly, the last two weeks has shown me a lot. I’m just happy to be out there. We want to win games and be in the playoffs and do everything that we say we are capable of doing, but when I came back I knew it was going to be an uphill battle.”
Outside of the two interceptions, Burrow played a solid game. He was accurate when throwing the football with great command in tough conditions.
Burrow was 25-of-36 passing for 284 yards and four touchdowns.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen breaks away for a 40-yard touchdown run with 7:33 remaining in the fourth quarter. The TD cut the Bengals lead to 28-25.
Bengals defense can’t get a stop when team needed it most
Going up against the reigning NFL MVP in Bills quarterback Josh Allen was never going to be easy for the Bengals.
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Early in the game, the Bengals handled Allen and the potent Bills’ rushing attack well. But once Allen started to heat up, the Bengals couldn’t contain him or his tight ends.
The Bengals lack of pressure on Allen was apparent throughout the game. Allen had too much time to escape the pocket and find his targets on a number of occasions.
And if Allen didn’t see any of his teammates in blue and red open, he took off and did what he does best: Run.
Allen finished with 78 rushing yards and a touchdown. In addition, he completed 22 of 28 pass attempts for 251 yards and three touchdown passes.
It was a vintage Allen performance, and despite all of the things he did well against Cincinnati’s defense, the Bengals still had a chance to make a stop on defense in the final two minutes and give Burrow one more chance to win the game.
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Facing a third-and-15 with 1:54 left, Allen scrambled up the middle of the field and went untouched for a 17-yard gain and a first down.
“He scrambled through again (and) he found a lane in the pocket and guys were matching the coverage and he found a way to make one miss and get a first down,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said of the critical third down play.
The Bengals allowed 11 catches for 137 yards and two touchdowns to Buffalo’s tight ends. Cincinnati’s defense has struggled against tight ends in the middle of the field all season, and it continued against the Bills.
For a two-game stretch, the Bengals showed improvement on defense. In Buffalo, they resorted to the unit they proved to be this year − and that is a group that is inconsistent and lacks playmakers.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Analysis: Why Bengals loss to Bills will be one to remember