Editorial

Bengals Outplay Bills To Advance To Second Consecutive AFC Championship Game

AFC Divisional Playoffs - Cincinnati Bengals v Buffalo Bills

(Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)

Seth Roy Contributor
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The Cincinnati Bengals are one win away from playing in a second consecutive Super Bowl.

Cincinnati defeated the Buffalo Bills Sunday 27-10 to advance to their second straight AFC title game. Despite the snowy conditions in Buffalo, the Bengals played a flawless game of football.

The Bengals came out firing from the opening kickoff. Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ offense would drive nearly 80 yards on their first possession of the game to score a touchdown. Burrow found a wide-open Ja’Marr Chase in the middle of the field to score the first points of the game.

On Buffalo’s first drive, they would go three and out and it would turn out to be costly. Cincinnati immediately made the Bills pay for punting the ball away on their first series. Burrow and company would go on a 10-play, 72-yard drive, that ended in another Cincinnati touchdown to go up 14-0 late in the first quarter.

Before the second quarter even began, the Bengals had the Bills reeling.

Burrow put on a masterful performance in the opening period. He started the game off 9/9 with 118 yards and 2 touchdowns before Buffalo even had a first down. After the first, Cincinnati posted 160 total yards compared to Buffalo’s 8.

The Bills would score a touchdown on their first drive of the second quarter, after quarterback Josh Allen broke the goal-line on a one-yard QB sneak, but it would turn out to be Buffalo’s only touchdown of the game. Cincinnati would answer with a field-goal the next time they touched the ball, to go up 17-7 heading into halftime. (RELATED: Chiefs Outlast Jaguars In Divisional Round To Advance To Fifth Straight AFC Championship Game)

In the second half, Cincinnati’s defense would hold the Bills’ offense to only three points. It was one of the more impressive defensive performances of the year given how good Buffalo’s offense was in the regular season. The Bills had the NFL’s second ranked offense in 2022 in yards per game and in points per game, according to ESPN’s Team Total Offense Regular Season Stats.

In the third quarter, the Bills made it a seven point game. They turned their opening possession of the third quarter into three-points after Tyler Bass booted a 25-yard field goal. In response, Cincinnati would drive the football down the field 75 yards and punched the ball into the end zone on a one-yard touchdown run by Joe Mixon. This expanded the Bengals’ lead to 24-10 and it all but sealed the deal on an impressive victory for Cincinnati.

In the fourth quarter, the Bengals would kick another field goal to add to their lead.

Cincinnati’s 17-point victory sends them to Arrowhead Stadium next Sunday for a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Last year, the Bengals overcame an 18-point deficit in the conference championship game to defeat Kansas City in overtime, 27-24, according to ESPN.

The rematch between Kansas City and Cincinnati could go either way if you ask me. It’s a battle of the two best quarterbacks in the NFL right now. Though Burrow got the better of Mahomes and the Chiefs last season, it wouldn’t surprise me if Kansas City redeemed themselves and made it back to the Super Bowl again.

Whatever happens, I’m sure it will be an absolute slug-fest.