Just a few minutes prior, the Bengals forced a fumble at the 2-yard line and recovered in their own end zone to set up a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that gave them a 10-point lead. Buffalo responded with 21 straight points, including the pick-6 in the middle of that and capped by a drive that stemmed from Burrow’s second interception on back-to-back plays.
The Bengals fell to 4-9 and playoff chances are even slimmer with a best possible record of 8-9. Here are three takeaways from the loss Sunday:
1. Burrow is still human
Joe Burrow came back about a month early from turf toe surgery than expected just to try to help the Bengals make a last-season push for the playoffs, and he was looking like an MVP candidate until his back-to-back interceptions in the fourth quarter.
There probably wasn’t much he could have done differently on the pick-6, just a great play by Benford coming off a blitz to make the interception at the line of scrimmage. However, the Bengals were driving with a chance to try to put the game away if they could have scored a touchdown to extend a 28-25 lead. It proved game-changing for the Bills.
On the first play of the ensuing drive, Burrow threw another pass that was tipped into the air and intercepted again. Before those two plays, he had completed more than 70 percent of his passes, and this was just the ninth game in his career with multiple interceptions.
Burrow, showing no lingering effects from surgery or his hastened return, finished the game with 284 yards passing and four touchdowns, while also leading the Bengals down the field for a fifth touchdown scored on the ground by Chase Brown. This was the first game with Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on the field together since Week 2, as Higgins returned from a concussion this week and led the receivers with 92 yards and two touchdowns on six catches, despite twice exiting and returning after hitting his head on the ground.
Cincinnati was 7-of-7 on third downs on the first three possessions, which resulted in touchdowns to build a 21-11 halftime lead, and for the 11th time this season, the Bengals finished with 33 points or more. Unfortunately, this was the seventh of those that ended in a loss.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
2. Ups and downs on defense
The Bengals defense had its few shining moments Sunday, but most of those came after bad plays put their backs against a wall.
First there was a redzone stop to force a field goal four plays after Ty Johnson slipped at the 13-yard line with open space ahead of him. That drive had started with a 32-yard catch for Dawson Knox, a foreshadowing of more tight end troubles for the Bengals defense.
Then, there was a turnover on downs with a little more than a minute left in the first half to help protect a 10-point lead going into halftime.
Most notable was the play DJ Turner made punching the ball out before James Cook would have scored from the 2-yard line. Oren Burks recovered in the end zone, and that set up a 12-play, 80-yard drive capped by Mike Gesicki’s first touchdown of the season to make it 28-18 with 8:44 left.
Cincinnati couldn’t get the necessary stops down the stretch, though. Bills quarterback Josh Allen made clutch plays when his team needed him most, notably breaking free for a 40-yard touchdown (the longest rushing touchdown by a quarterback in franchise history) to pull Buffalo within three points with 7:33 left.
After Burrow’s second interception, Allen led the Bills down for another touchdown pass to Jackson Hawes, and that sealed it. The Bengals responded with a touchdown drive of their own, but an Allen 17-yard scramble on third-and-15 with less than two minutes remaining ended hopes of one last chance for Burrow.
Allen finished 22 of 28 with 251 passing yards, 78 rushing yards, three passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown, and the tight end trio of Knox, Dalton Kincaid and Hawes combined for 137 yards and two touchdowns on 11 catches.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
3. Playoff hopes fade further
Even with a win Sunday, the Bengals’ playoff chances were going to be slim – especially with Pittsburgh beating Baltimore to extend its lead in the AFC North.
Cincinnati’s playoff hopes are technically still alive but definitely on life support. The Bengals have to win their final four games, including next week at home against Baltimore, and then, they need a ton of help. There’s no path outside of winning the AFC North at this point, and the Steelers are sitting in the lead at 7-6, while the Ravens are 6-7.
The Bengals are stuck in the 12th position in the NFL.com playoff picture for the AFC with four teams eliminated at 3-10 (the Jets, Browns, Raiders and Titans). No one else still alive has fewer than six wins.
NEXT GAME
Who: Baltimore at Cincinnati
When: 1 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 14
TV: CBS
Radio: 104.7-FM, 700-AM
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