The Cincinnati Bengals dropped some notable news on the Friday before “Sunday Night Football” against the Buffalo Bills.
Not only did the team shift a core piece of the special teams unit to injured reserve, it issued the final injury report, which featured a bit of a surprise designation for running back Joe Mixon.
Since game day was close, it was also the right time to round up the expert picks from all corners of the internet as onlookers analyzed what could be the best game of the week.
Here’s a look at the must-know Bengals news, notes and quotes for November 4.
Final injury report -- Bengals Wire
Joe Mixon pops as questionable on the final injury report. And while coaches said he would play, it still registers as pretty notable. The Bengals will also miss a core part of the run defense.
Tycen Anderson to IR -- Bengals Wire
Core special-teamer Tycen Anderson got shifted to IR on Friday with a torn ACL. And in a stunning development, head coach Zac Taylor said Anderson suffered the injury early in the win over the 49ers, yet somehow played through it.
Mike Hilton with elite numbers -- Bengals Wire
Before moving on fully to the Bills, a quick look at the stunning game Mike Hilton put together against the 49ers, especially since most of the attention only goes to Joe Burrow.
What the Bills game means for the playoffs -- Bengals Wire
There is a near-30 percent swing in the chances either the Bengals or Bills make the playoffs this year based on the outcome of Sunday’s game.
All exerts take Bengals -- NFL.com
All five experts polled pick the Bengals in Sunday night’s game, with one writing the following: “There’s been a bit of a role reversal between these two AFC contenders in the past month, with Cincinnati heating up after a rough start while injuries are clearly taking their toll on the Bills. No ailment stands out more than the shoulder issue that continues to hinder Josh Allen. I wouldn’t put it past Allen to gut out a narrow win on the road when people are starting to doubt him, but the Bengals are playing too well for me to pick against them. It’s hard to love a Buffalo defense down three Week 1 starters against Joe Burrow right now.”
Two experts split -- ESPN
Two ESPN experts go opposite ways with the pick here, with one notable x-factor: “Allen will throw at least two interceptions. He has thrown an interception in each of the past four games and is going against a Cincinnati defense that has forced 10 interceptions, the third most in the NFL. In addition, he is dealing with a right shoulder injury that led to limiting the amount he throws leading up to the game, including not participating in practice Wednesday.”
Bengals back to life -- CBS Sports
That’s the reason for siding with the Bengals over at CBS Sports: “The Bengals have come back to life after the slow start due to Joe Burrow’s calf injury early in the season, which really impacted the offense. Buffalo played looser against the Bucs last week and they have three extra days of rest. This will be a fun offensive game that will go right down to the wire. It’s tight, but the Bengals will win it late.”
Bengals by a 1.5-point spread -- Ringer
While the Bengals are on a resurgence, part of the pick here is due to the struggles of the Bills: “The Bills, meanwhile, have been up and down over the last month. I still believe their ceiling is high, but their defense is banged up, and playing with suspect corners against Ja’Marr Chase and Co. is less than ideal. Offensively, Josh Allen is still playing like Josh Allen, but he didn’t practice Wednesday because of a shoulder injury.”
