The Buffalo Bills take on the Cincinnati Bengals in week three of the NFL season. Buffalo is playing in their home opener and have been impressive so far, starting the season off at 2-0. Cincinnati is 0-2 losing in a close game against the Seattle Seahawks before getting blown out by the San Fransisco 49ers in week two. Buffalo has an opportunity to start the season 3-0 for the first time since 2011. Here is my Buffalo Bills week three preview.
Buffalo Bills Week Three Preview Against the Cincinnati Bengals
Offense
The Bills offense has gotten better and better every time they take the field. The Bills have six 75-yard touchdown drives this season and four of them are 85 or more. This took Buffalo’s offense till week 10 to accomplish last season. Their offense has looked consistent and their ability to move the ball downfield is impressive. The additions of John Brown, Frank Gore, and Devin Singletary, among others, have transformed the Bills’ offense. Buffalo can take advantage of a Bengals defense that just gave up 41 points to the 49ers in week two. Josh Allen has led the team to their first two wins and he will either lead them again or let them falter.
The Bengals offense has been solid through the first two weeks this season. Andy Dalton is second in the NFL for passing yards and John Ross leads the league in receiving yards. This will be the first week Buffalo’s defense has to worry about a legitimate passing offense. Including a deep threat like Ross. The Bills’ pass defense is solid and should be able to contain Dalton, but it will be a test for them nonetheless. The Bengals also have a good running back in Joe Mixon. Mixon has battled injury this season and hasn’t had a breakout game yet, and with Saquon Barkley‘s performance last week, the Bills have to be better prepared to stop the run or Mixon will have a day against Buffalo.
Defense
The Bills’ defense has played well through two games. They have allowed 22 total points this season. The Bengals are averaging 18.5 points of offense this season and have not eclipsed 21 points. If Buffalo’s defense can continue to limit their opponents to 11 points per game, the offense won’t need to do much to lead the team to victory. The Bills’ secondary will need to be careful with John Ross and his incredible speed. Also, Buffalo’s run defense will need to improve from last week against Joe Mixon, who led the AFC in rushing yards last season, and Giovani Bernard.
The Bengals defense has allowed an average of 31 points of offense per game this season. They looked lost last week as Jimmy Garoppolo threw all over them in a 41-17 loss. Coming off a game where they allowed 41 points of offense, the Bengals defense now walks into New Era Field where they will need to stop Josh Allen and the Bills’ offense from causing a repeat performance.
Special teams
The Bills’ special teams have been great so far. Corey Bojorquez has been a top punter in the NFL through two weeks and Stephen Hauschka has earned his two-year extension with multiple made kicks. Their tackling on punts and kicks have been sound, especially Robert Foster and Siran Neal. They need to improve on their returning skills, but Andre Roberts absence due to injury has a significant part in that.
The Bengals special teams are also solid. Their punting has been fine and their returns as well. Their kicker, Randy Bullock, has room for improvement for Cinci. Bullock has missed a kick in both weeks so far this season. Bullock has yet to hit from more than 38 yards out. If the game comes down to a long-distance field goal for Cincinnati, the Bills might like their odds there.
Prediction
The Bills have been the better team through the first two weeks of this early season. Their defense has played better long-term and their offense has been more consistent. The Bengals have a top passing offense so far, but their balance with running the ball has not been there. Buffalo should be able to limit the Bengals offense to a minimal performance, allowing their offense to secure the win with only three scores. It would be shocking to see Buffalo lose their home opener to an 0-2 team while riding the momentum of a 2-0 start. That’s a wrap for this Buffalo Bills week three preview.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
