11 winners and 1 loser in Bengals’ 24-18 win over the Bills
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For the second week in a row, the Cincinnati Bengals got a massive playoff-boosting win, this one being a 24-18 triumph over the Buffalo Bills. Cincinnati improves to 5-3, while Buffalo falls to 5-4.
Here is a look at tonight’s winners and losers.
Winners
Joe Burrow:
The Bengals needed a great game from their quarterback in this one, and he delivered. Sore calf, bloodied index finger on his thrown hand, it didn’t matter.
No. 9 brought his signature brand of football, complete with scrambling, ad-lib completions, and pinpoint accuracy for a much-needed Bengals win. He finished with over 70% completion rate, 348 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
Tee Higgins:
The “Cinco Comeback” has been underway for the past two weeks. Against San Francisco, Higgins had five catches for 69 yards, cementing his status as one of the league’s top receivers once again.
This week, the Bills admirably clamped down on Ja’Marr Chase, daring Cincinnati to beat them elsewhere. Higgins responded with eight catches for 110 yards, becoming a drive-extender and key to this week’s victory.
James Casey:
The team’s tight ends coach saw great outputs from secondary receiving options the past couple of years in C.J. Uzomah and Hayden Hurst. Unfortunately, this year’s group hasn’t brought the same results.
Yet, tonight, his group brought a lot of quality results. Three tight ends (Tanner Hudson, Irv Smith, Jr., Drew Sample) contributed to the win, with two of those guys catching touchdown passes.
On the NBC postgame show and in Zac Taylor’s postgame presser, he specifically pointed out Casey and his position group. Good on Casey, Taylor, and this position group for stepping up in the wake of so much criticism.
Irv Smith, Jr., Drew Sample, and Tanner Hudson:
For weeks, the Bengals’ tight end situation has been the subject of much scrutiny. And, when the Bengals didn’t swing a trade at the deadline, more criticism came their way.
These three stepped up in various ways, with two in the group netting touchdowns. Hudson led the way with 45 receiving yards on four catches, while both Smith and Sample had touchdown grabs.
The three combined for 10 catches for 101 yards and two scores. A nice golf clap for that group.
Zac Taylor and the offensive brain trust:
Look, the Bills knew what they wanted to take away, even if their roster was limited by injuries. Ja’Marr Chase was bracketed, largely to favorable results for Buffalo, as “Uno” had just four catches for 41 yards.
Still, despite some questionable decisions (ahem, toss plays), Taylor and the crew had a great plan this week. It’s like they knew the tight ends would be forgotten this week, leading to the above-mentioned output.
This had a brilliant counter-attack label on this win. Everything the Bills had or tried to achieve, the Bengals had an answer.
Lou Anarumo:
You’ve got Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, and a myriad of other weapons to account for this week. It’s a formidable matchup, to say the least.
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