ORCHARD PARK – Sean McDermott, Joe Brady and the Buffalo Bills’ offensive coaching staff knew all about the Cincinnati Bengals’ unusual difficulty in defending tight ends, and they exploited it to the hilt Sunday afternoon.
The Bengals entered the day allowing an average of 93.4 yards to opposing tight ends, by far the worst mark of any team in the league, and their average didn’t improve during their 39-34 loss to Buffalo at snowy Highmark Stadium.
Dalton Kincaid, back after a three-game absence, Dawson Knox and Jackson Hawes combined to catch 11 of Josh Allen’s passes for 137 yards with Kincaid and Hawes scoring touchdowns.
“Our guys do a great job,” McDermott said of his staff. “We walk in on Mondays and they’ve crunched the data. That was one of the areas that we felt we could expose some of what they do. Having Dalton back helped, Dalton had a big game, Dawson Knox, and then Jackson Hawes (with the TD), so coach (Rob) Boras is doing a great job getting all three of those guys ready.”
Buffalo’s first offensive play of the game was a 32-yard Allen-to-Knox connection that started a drive that ultimately ended in a field goal. Knox – who entered the game with just 293 yards receiving but tacked on 93 in this game which is the third-highest total in his 98-game NFL career – then had a 14-yard catch on the second possession which helped lead to the Bills’ first touchdown, an 11-yard pass to Khalil Shakir.
Kincaid caught two passes on the opening possession of the third quarter, the second of those a five-yard TD on a quick slant, beating CB DJ Turner, and he had a 20-yard grab on the possession that ended with James Cook’s goal-line fumble.
Then in crunch time in the fourth quarter, Kincaid had a 12-yard catch before Allen’s 40-yard TD run; Knox had a 31-yard catch-and-run right after AJ Epenesa’s interception; and that led to Hawes’ three-yard TD catch when the Bills went for it on fourth-and-goal to extend their lead to 39-28.
“It’s awesome, and especially with those tight ends, they do such an amazing job in the run game and they don’t get a lot of love and a lot of praise, but they got their opportunities tonight and they made the most of them, and we’re going to need that going forward,” Allen said.
Knox really stepped up, but getting Kincaid back in the mix is important because he remains the big-play tight end among the group.
“Absolutely, yeah, he’s a difference maker out there for us,” Allen said. “We know that, and I think the defense knows that, too. He’s an absolute stud.”
Here’s how I graded the Bills:
PASS OFFENSE: A-
While the tight ends were the focal point of the passing game, the much-maligned WRs were once again pretty quiet in this game, a problem that simply won’t go away. It gets swept under the rug for a day because Knox had 93 yards and Kincaid 41, but Allen needs more from his outside targets.
He finished 22 of 28 for 251 yards and three touchdowns on a day when it wasn’t easy to throw the ball, but the WRs were responsible for just seven catches and 69 yards. And newcomer Brandin Cooks had nothing as he was targeted just once and he managed to draw a penalty that gave the Bills a first down. In his first two games, he has one catch for 13 yards.
Allen, who became the first player in NFL history with three seasons with at least 20 passing and 10 rushing touchdowns, had a 27-yard hookup to James Cook, and Ty Johnson caught a couple passes.
Up front, Allen received some pressure and was sacked three more times, bringing his season total to 31, already the third-highest for a season in his career.
RUN OFFENSE: A
James Cook has had a brilliant season, but his fumble at the end of the third quarter was almost a crushing blow. They were two yards away from taking the lead when he coughed it up and the Bengals recovered in the end zone. Otherwise, he was his usual productive self with 80 yards, a 4.4 average, plus 31 yards on two receptions.
Allen’s 40-yard TD run in the fourth quarter was the longest by a Bills QB in team history and it paved the way for a season-high 78-yard output for him. Ty Johnson had a 23-yard run on a fourth-and-1 play on the first possession of the game, but as he was headed for what might have been a touchdown, he slipped and fell, and that possession ended up in a field goal.
PASS DEFENSE: C-
The Bengals converted their first seven third downs in the first half and five of those came via the pass on plays where they needed five or more yards to go. It was a ridiculous performance by the pass defense. But obviously in the second half, the Bills came up with two plays against Joe Burrow that keyed the victory.
The first was Christian Benford’s 63-yard pick-six, the second a tipped pass by Jordan Phillips then wound up in an interception for AJ Epenesa, leading to what became the winning touchdown. Benford had another outstanding day as he helped limit Ja’Marr Chase to five catches for 44 yards.
Tee Higgins had his way, though, with Tre’Davious White and Maxwell Hairston as he had six catches for 92 yards and two TDs including a gorgeous one-handed TD with White in coverage. As much as the Bills exploited Cincinnati with their tight ends, the Bengals TE, Mike Gesicki, hurt the Bills with six for 86 and a TD.
Burrow completed 25 of 36 for 284 yards and four TDs, partly because the pass rush was once again muted as Benford had the lone sack on a blitz.
RUN DEFENSE: A-
Chase Brown came into the game on a roll for Cincinnati, but the Bills did a very good job of shutting him and Samaje Perine down. Brown managed just 23 yards on 12 carries while Perine on 31 on six attempts. The Bills did a nice job up front fitting their gaps, and once again LB Shaq Thompson was a hammer as he finished with six tackles, one of those for lost yardage.
It felt like a quiet day on the line, but that’s not always a bad thing against the run because if they are holding the point of attack, LBs and DBs can flow in to make tackles. Jordan Poyer had seven and Cole Bishop had six.
SPECIAL TEAMS: B
The kickoff coverage team did not have a great day. The Bengals had first-half drive starts at their own 33, 45 and 31, and after all three of those, they marched for a touchdown. For the game, the Bengals average start following a kickoff was the 34.
On the flip, Buffalo’s average start after a kickoff was the 29 as Ray Davis and Ty Johnson failed to provide much of a spark and both looked tentative running on the slick field.
In messy conditions, the placekicking operation was flawless – snaps, holds, and Matt Prater made his lone field goal and all three of his extra points. Punter Mitch Wishnowsky’s lone contribution was holding because the Bills never punted.
COACHING: B-
Fans, as is often the case when the Bills are losing, wanted McDermott fired at halftime. It’s insane, but fans love to blame the coaches for everything. I would imagine no one wanted him fired after the Bills rallied to win, which was due in large part to the culture he has instilled within the team which manifests itself in their ability – which we’ve seen often – to stick with it when things are going well and keep pushing and playing.
He had a great feel for the need to be aggressive and the Bills went 3-for-4 on fourth downs which played a big part in the victory. Those who continue to call him conservative just aren’t paying attention.
Joe Brady did a great job exploiting the Bengals’ weakness against tight ends, and he also stayed true to the run game even though the Bills never led until midway through the fourth quarter.
On defense, McDermott and Bobby Babich have to get the third-down woes cleaned up. Many teams would have lost this game had they allowed 10 of 12 on third down, but the Bills found a way to overcome it.
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for more than four decades including 36 years as the full-time beat writer/columnist for the D&C. He has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bills report card: Josh Allen exploits Bengals, defense makes season-altering play
Reporting by Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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