Bills’ latest outpouring could be tempered in matchup against Bengals

In the Bills’ AFC East-clinching win over the Bears this past Sunday, they did quite a bit of damage on the ground. It was an impressive, dominating performance by their rushing attack.

Buffalo ran for 254 yards on the Bears en route to their division crown, led by their first 100-yard game on the season by an individual, Devin Singletary. The rookie James Cook also poured in a career-best 99 yards on his own.

It was downright freezing, with high winds all afternoon, so the Bills did what they needed to do in this one. Establishing the run was certainly priority number one, and they did just that.

This coming week, though, the Bills take on the Cincinnati Bengals in prime time, which will be a game that could really tip the scales of the AFC playoff picture.

Unlike Chicago, Cincinnati may not be so friendly against the run.

The Bengals have stifled the run as of late, which means the Bills may not be able to do what they did against Chicago.

Winners of seven games in a row, Cincinnati is rolling behind Joe Burrow and company. But, it hasn’t been just Burrow who has done the work. Defensively, they’ve come up with some big plays. In their last three games, specifically, the Bengals have been very good against the run.

Bengals rushing defense last 3 games:

Week 16 @ New England: 61 yards

Week 15 @ Tampa Bay: 92 yards

Week 14 vs. Cleveland: 71 yards

While the Bucs haven’t been great on the ground this year, slowing down guys like Rhamondre Stevenson and Nick Chubb isn’t always easy. But, that’s exactly what Cincy was able to do.

Stevenson went for just over two yards per carry on the day, while Chubb was held to 34 yards on 14 carries; similar performances from both backs against this Bengals defense.

Going into playoff time, it’s understandable that the stars will be relied upon. Josh Allen is going to have to be at his best, but if the Bills can continue to establish the run like they did last week, this offense could be unstoppable.

Granted, they likely won’t go for over 250 yards against the Bengals. But, a healthy total over 100 yards on the day will allow Allen to keep their defense honest.