The Buffalo Bills (9-4) had one of their biggest matchups of the season with the Cincinnati Bengals (4-9) visiting Highmark stadium with their playoff hopes on the line. Buffalo had plenty of pressure on themselves to not play down to their competition, especially in the midst of some snow, but the Bills managed to take care of their opponent thanks to some pivotal plays.
The Bills beat the Bengals 39-34 on Sunday thanks in large part to quarterback Josh Allen and his Herculean effort along with some turnovers generated by the defense. Allen finished the game completing 22 of his 28 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns while also running the ball nine times for 78 yards and a 40-yard touchdown run to build on the lead.
Buffalo’s defense struggled trying to stop Cincinnati’s passing attack with Joe Burrow throwing to the likes of Tee Higgins and Mike Gesicki, but the Bills also forced Burrow into three turnovers that changed the momentum of the game in the fourth quarter. Here is the stock report for the Bills following Sunday’s win over the Bengals:
Stock Up: QB Josh Allen
With the snow falling on the Highmark stadium field, the Bills needed Allen to make sure that he didn’t turn the ball over and that he made smart decisions in a tough game. Allen did more than just manage the game as he was throwing the ball all over the field and made one of the biggest plays on the day with his 40-yard touchdown run.
Stock Neutral: RB James Cook
This is one of the hardest entries in this series given that Cook had a good game by all accounts aside from the fact that he seems to have a fumbling problem at this time. Cook was efficient on the ground and through the air, but he had two key fumbles in this one, including one near the goal line that essentially wiped away a scoring drive for the Bills.
Stock Up: CB Christian Benford
Benford came up with one of the biggest plays in this game as he intercepted Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow on what became a 63-yard return to put the Bills in front towards the end of the game. Benford was everywhere on the field as he had to shadow Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins at times, but when he was one either of those players, not much happened.
Stock Down: DE Greg Rousseau
Rousseau has had some good moments for the Bills throughout this season, but this game was not one of his best outings as he seemingly disappeared against Cincinnati’s offensive line. Rousseau managed to hit Burrow once, but outside of that, you could not tell that Rousseau was out there rushing the passer and that is a disappointment.
Stock Up: TE Dawson Knox
Knox had easily his best game of the season as he was the main weapon in the passing game against a Bengals team that struggles defending the pass. Knox had looked like he lost his spot in the tight end hierarchy to Dalton Kincaid, but a game like this reminds everyone that Knox can still be an effective part of the offense.
Stock Down: WR Keon Coleman
To be fair, it’s hard to gauge where Coleman’s stock is at this moment due to the fact that he was a healthy scratch for two games and outside of that, he’s been ineffective and disappointing overall. It should be noted that the Bills threw the ball just 28 times so there weren’t many targets to go around, but Coleman has to be better at some point if he is going to get back to the second-round pick that he was drafted with.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: Stock up, stock down after the Bills’ 39-34 win over the Bengals
Reporting by Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Bills Wire / Bills Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
