The Buffalo Bills are set for a critical matchup in the race to the AFC Wild Card. The Bengals have Joe Burrow back under center and are hoping he can fuel a monumental comeback after a 3-8 start to the season. He completed step one by beating the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving.
Step two comes in Buffalo, where the Bills can all but guarantee themselves a Wild Card spot with a win. Even with Cincinnati ranking in the bottom quarter in most meaningful team statistics outside of their passing game offensively, picking up that win is much easier said than done.
As head coach Sean McDermott said on Wednesday, the Bengals are a much different team with Burrow leading the charge. That means the Bills own offense will need to be ready to duel him and the rest of the Bengals’ offense stars on the scoreboard. The players listed below will play a key role in making sure the team can do just that.
Bills need strong performances across their offensive core to control Sunday’s game
James Cook
James Cook had his most productive performance of the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers, totalling 177 yards on 35 touches on the ground and through the air. Heading into the first game of December, there’s no better time to lean on him as he continues this hot stretch.
The Bengals’ defense is ranked dead last against the run, and allowed 123 yards last week against Baltimore. However, the Ravens didn’t lean on their running backs the way they’d like to. Derrick Henry had just 10 carries for 60 yards, bolstered by a 28-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
Beyond another factor we’ll discuss shortly, the Bills can’t afford to fall into a similar trap that forces them to turn away from their star tailback. Cook must remain a focal point of the offense to take advantage of the weaknesses that still exist on Cincinnati’s defense.
Cook doesn’t need 35 touches again, certainly, but if he’s the most productive member of the Bills’ offense once again, then Buffalo should be able to control the tempo of the game while keeping the pressure on Burrow to respond.
Keon Coleman
Keon Coleman’s inclusion is more for his own sake. Coleman doesn’t need to replicate his Week 1 performance against the Ravens, as welcome as it would be, to have a positive impact. He just needs to be involved enough to have a positive impact.
Coleman got into the end zone for the first time since he was benched for disciplinary reasons. Reportedly, he’s taken the necessary steps to begin to earn his spot back in the offense. Sunday needs to mark another step in that process.
Whether by blocking as well as Khalil Shakir and Tyrell Shavers or by hauling in a few passes himself, Coleman simply needs to continue to play well when opportunities come his way so that Bills fans, and the franchise itself, can continue to feel more confident in his abilities.
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Whoever starts at offensive tackle
As of this writing, it’s not clear if the Buffalo Bills will have Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown back at their respective offensive tackle spots. Both players were limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday. Certainly, if they can get back on the field, there’s less concern in this area overall.
Of course, that’s not to discredit their backups. Alec Anderson and Ryan Van Demark filled in excellently last week against Pittsburgh, allowing zero sacks on Josh Allen and playing their part in a record-setting performance in Acrisure Stadium on the ground.
Still, the Bengals’ pass rush is more dangerous today than the season-long stats would have you believe, even without Trey Hendrickson in the lineup.
Joseph Ossai is a name to watch for in this matchup. In his last four games, Ossai has 17 pressures, 9 hurries, five QB hits and three sacks, one of which was a strip-sack. Two of those sacks, including the strip sack, came against Baltimore, in what was a career day for the fourth-year player.
Myles Murphy, the team’s 2023 first-round pick, is no slouch on the other side either. He also has 17 pressures in his last four games, as well as 14 hurried throws. He has just two QB hits and a sack, but he’s impacting the passer consistently, nonetheless.
Whoever is playing at the tackle spots will need to be ready for the two young pass-rushers who are quickly becoming key pieces of a growing defense.