The Week 14 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills, played in Buffalo under a heavy snowfall, seemed like another matchup they were on the verge of losing. And because of how this season has looked for the team led by Josh Allen, anything is possible at this point.
They have lost games like the one against Miami, where a blowout was predicted-one that did happen, but in reverse. The Dolphins delivered their best game of the season, humiliating the Bills. Then came the matchup against the Houston Texans, where once again Buffalo entered as the favorite.
However, they did not expect the Texans’ powerful defense, which sacked Allen eight times, giving him the highest sack total of his NFL career. And that has been the story of Buffalo’s entire season: two good games followed by a bad one.
The issue, or issues, stem from something simple yet difficult to fix: the offensive line is far from its top performance. And on the other hand, key players like James Cook are also failing at key moments.
Cook has lost four balls over the last two games, when in previous weeks he had only fumbled twice in total. That makes it incredibly difficult for them to establish themselves as serious contenders for the title.
Josh Allen’s message to his offensive teammates
Josh Allen once again managed to be the team’s hero in the final quarter. The Bengals were dominating and held the lead as the fourth quarter began. But little by little, Allen started executing better and capitalized on everything the opponents gave him, turning it into points for his team.
In the postgame press conference, Allen said something clear about what they need to improve to be legitimate contenders this season.
I think we had 3 drives in the first half, a field goal, a touchdown, and we really kind of hurt ourselves on that third drive.”… “It was frustrating that we hurt ourselves on that drive, and knowing that we could have put ourselves in a better position on the offensive side of the ball.
After the rough start for the Bills, offensive coordinator Joe Brady made the necessary adjustments at halftime to get his unit functioning better, and he succeeded.
He involved his two tight ends, who became crucial for the offensive resurgence. Knox finished with six catches for 93 yards, while Kincaid added four catches for 41 yards and a touchdown.
Slow starts are hurting the Bills significantly, and in response to that, Allen said:
We stress with this team all the time. We don’t blink, we don’t panic. It doesn’t matter if our defense is playing outstanding or we’re not playing great, and vice versa for our offense. You know, we, we, we have supreme trust in each other that we’re going to figure it out.
With a victory, correcting mistakes is always easier, and at the end of the game, Allen was seen smiling and sharing the moment with his teammates during this crucial point in their postseason aspirations.
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