A beating on the lines: Bengals embarrass no-show Bills in ugly game in Buffalo (Report card)

The Cincinnati Bengals referred to themselves as the big dogs in the AFC leading up to their matchup against the Buffalo Bills.

They looked the part on Sunday afternoon.

Cincinnati came out firing on all cylinders and were quickly up 14-0. Joe Burrow was finding all of his weapons in the passing game and Joe Mixon moved the ball with ease on the ground. Buffalo was able to hold Cincinnati to just one more score, a chip shot field goal, in the first half and went into the locker room down 17-7.

Things were not any better in the second half.

Simply put, nothing seemed to go right for the Bills on Sunday. Despite being at home, the Bengals being down three starting offensive linemen and Damar Hamlin being in the building, Buffalo played uninspired football in a must-win game.

After Buffalo had their Super Bowl hopes dashed in the divisional round for the second straight season, here’s how the team graded out on Sunday.

QUARTERBACK: C-

Josh Allen made more plays than he should have considering how badly the offensive line played in front of him. Allen had Bengals defenders in his face all game with the Bills’ offensive line failing to protect in front of him for much of the game.

Allen’s final stat line was far from impressive, but he did almost all you could considering the circumstances.

RUNNING BACK/FULLBACK: C-

Buffalo’s backs were not able to get anything going on the ground. Each back had five carries entering the fourth quarter due to the score and simply being ineffective when rushing the ball.

Singletary caught a few passes, but they all seemed to come in garbage time. He finished with five receptions for 37 yards. Nyheim Hines added one catch for four yards.

WIDE RECEIVER/TIGHT END: C

There were instances of Buffalo’s receivers getting open, but Allen was not able to get them the ball. Stefon Diggs had Cam Taylor-Britt beaten badly on the team’s opening drive, but Allen was not able to step into his throw with pressure coming right in front of him.

Gabe Davis made a great sideline catch in the first half, but dropped a deep ball in the fourth quarter with the Bills down two scores.

Tight end Dawson Knox was reliable for Buffalo on Sunday. He led the team in receiving with 65 yards on five catches.

Rookie Khalil Shakir led the team in receiving for most of the game. He hauled in two passes for 40 yards. The rookie was one of the team’s few bright spots in the loss and should see a bigger role in 2023.

Veteran Cole Beasley also made a few good grabs for the unit.

OFFENSIVE LINE: F

Which offensive line was down three starters? The Bengals defensive line had their way with Buffalo’s starting offensive line which led to Allen facing plenty of pressure. Allen was able to make some plays despite the offensive line caving in around him.

No unit needs to be overhauled more in the offseason. Let Aaron Kromer bring in some guys that fit what he’s looking to do via free agency and address the line early and often in the 2023 NFL Draft.

DEFENSIVE LINE: F

Buffalo signed Von Miller to be a difference maker in big games. Of course, Miller was lost for the season on Thanksgiving. Without Miller on Sunday, no Bills defensive linemen stepped up. Joe Burrow was able to pick the defense apart while Joe Mixon found big lanes to run through.

DaQuan Jones’ absence was noticeable as he missed the game with a calf injury.

Buffalo has invested heavily in their defensive line over the years via free agency and the draft, but there are still significant issues with their overall play.

LINEBACKER: C-

Matt Milano made a few plays for the defense, including the team’s lone sack, but it was not nearly enough against the Bengals. Tremaine Edmunds made plenty of tackles, but many were well down the field with the Bengals having their way against Buffalo’s defense on Sunday.

SECONDARY: F

The Bills’ secondary could not make any plays on Sunday.

Joe Burrow spread the ball to all of his pass catchers and the secondary always seemed to be giving the players too much cushion or simply being too slow to the ball.

Tre’Davious White had a few costly penalties in the loss as he tries to get back to speed on defense. Buffalo can only hope that White starts playing like his old self in 2023.

Jordan Poyer, one of the Bills’ most important players over the years, was a non-factor in the loss as well. It’s a shame that what may be his final game as a member of the Bills was a lopsided defeat.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C+

The unit was fine, but didn’t do much overall. Tyler Bass was perfect on his kicks and the coverage was fine on special teams, but not much can be said about the unit overall.

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