Buffalo Bills: 5 keys to beat the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 9

4.) Protect Josh Allen at all costs

During the playoff game last year, it is hard to believe that Josh Allen was only sacked once for a loss of three yards. It seemed like every other passing play he was being pressured and forced out of the pocket. However, with these pressures it sometimes did turn into a forced run, as Allen was the leading rusher for 8 carries and 26 yards (also adding on a touchdown).

Through eight games this season, Allen has been sacked 12 times for a loss of 55 yards. The offensive line has been playing much better this season in protecting Allen. There have only been two games where Allen has been consistently pressured (Week 1 vs. Jets and Week 7 vs. Patriots).

The Bengals come into this game with 21 sacks (Trey Hendrickson with 8 himself), giving the Bills’ offensive line a big task at hand. If the offensive line that showed up for Allen in Weeks 2-4 performs against the Bengals, Allen should easily not be sacked. However, if the offensive line allows immediate pressure then the offense is going to do what they have done the last month and get off to a very slow start.