Bengals-Bills Preview: Buffalo's Moment to Lose Out On

Joe Burrow vs. Josh Allen could end up being the storyline of the weekend and is must-see TV. We didn’t get the entire Buffalo Bills–Cincinnati Bengals game back in Week 17 for reasons bigger than football. With a recovering Damar Hamlin, a regular at the Bills’ facility, the teams can focus on football, specifically their battle for entry to the AFC Championship Game. 

For more trends, line movement, injury updates, player props, picks, and videos on the Bengals at Bills and all of the Divisional Playoffs, visit our NFL Game Previews page. 

• Location: Highmark Stadium | Orchard Park, NY
• Time: 3:00 p.m. ET | TV: CBS

Did either team look impressive last week? We know their ceilings are Lombardi-related, but neither looked the part Wild Card weekend. Horrific clock management by the Miami Dolphins cost them the game with a third-string quarterback in Buffalo, while the Ravens gave the Bengals everything they could handle with Tyler Huntley at the helm. 

The Bills will come into Sunday the healthier of the two teams. Star safety Jordan Poyer headlines Buffalo’s injury report as he was a limited practice participant. Still, this man drove to Kansas City from Buffalo earlier this season for a matchup with the Chiefs because he wasn’t cleared to fly on a plane. We’d be shocked if he weren’t out there.

Cincy’s offensive line is continuing to go through injury after injury. Since they lost La’el Collins for the season, two more starters went down, as Jonah Williams and Alex Cappa are expected to be out for Sunday. 

• Spread: Bengals +5.5 (-110) | Bills -5.5 (-110)
• Moneyline: Bengals (+198) | Bills (-240)
• Total: Over 49.5 (-110) | Under 49.5 (-110)

This line opened at 3.5 and has swung two points in favor of the Bills, likely due to Cincy’s offensive line concerns. Despite the injuries, getting over five points with the Bengals almost feels too good to be true. Cincinnati hasn’t lost a game in two and a half months.

We all know the feeling of “too good to be true” when it comes to gambling. We’re siding with the Bills here. Add in the potential of Damar Hamlin being introduced to the crowd before kickoff. At that point, there is little chance they lose. We’ll lay the points with Buffalo.

• Ja’Marr Chase OVER 7.5 Receptions (+106) | ATDS (+125)
• Devin Singletary UNDER 39.5 Yards (-114)
• Dawson Knox ATDS (+195)

In the six games since returning from injury, Ja’Marr Chase has averaged 12 targets per outing, with eight or more receptions in four contests. The LSU product has also had four touchdowns during the stretch. At plus odds on both these props, we like the value. 

James Cook out-carried Devin Singletary last week, 12-10. A sign of Buffalo’s willingness to get the rookie more involved. In a game many anticipate being a duel between Allen and Burrow, we don’t see Singletary getting enough carries with Cook’s presence. Consider his UNDER. 

Buffalo tight end Dawson Knox has found the endzone in five straight games after only scoring two touchdowns in the first three months of the season. At +195, we’ll roll the dice on that continuing, given Allen’s confidence in Knox in the Red Zone.