Day two of the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs is well underway. The first game was a showdown between the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills, arguably the most anticipated game of the weekend. Sunday was to be a rematch of a game that was supposed to be played on Monday Night Football, but was ended after Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest on the field.
Now the Bills and Bengals were finally slated to lay each other… and it was a rather one-sided affair. Cincinnati dominated Buffalo from start to finish, taking an early 14-0 lead on their first two possessions. The Bills pulled within a single score twice, cutting the lead to 14-7 and 17-10 at separate points during the game, but were unable to truly close the gap.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was his usual sublime self, throwing for 242 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Joe Mixon led the way with 105 yards on the ground, as Cincinnati rushed for 172 as a team. Meanwhile the Bills couldn’t get anything going in the ground attack, as they have struggled all year with, only rushing for 64 yards.
In the first 53 years of franchise existence, the Bengals had never won a road playoff game. Now, they have won their third in two years under Joe Burrow. The Bengals will return to Arrowhead Stadium for the AFC Championship in a rematch of last year’s title game against the Chiefs.