NFL Week 3 Primer: Cincinnati Bengals (0-2) at Buffalo Bills (2-0)

The Bengals are only two games into the 2019 season, and honestly, things could be going better. Week 1 left fans inspired and hopeful for what could be ahead of them this season after giving the Seahawks a scare at home. This past Sunday, against the 49ers, was a much different story.

The defense looked like a mirror image of the 2018 unit that finished last in the league. The offense moved the ball, but they always seemed to stall out when they were getting into scoring range. It resulted an a very familiar beatdown from last season.

The Bengals can’t change what happened in Week 2 or in 2018, but they can change how they respond from a shot to the jaw. This week they have a chance to prove that this isn’t going to be a regular thing for the Zac Taylor era. They also get a chance to ruin someone else’s home opener this week.

The Bills are headed back to Buffalo as one of the most surprising 2-0 teams. It seemed like the Bills had little hope of being a contending team this season, but the moves made to improve the offense during the offseason have paid off, and quarterback Josh Allen hasn’t looked half bad in his second season.

Will the Bills be able to continue shocking people, or will the Bengals finally get Taylor his first win as the team’s head coach?

Everything you need to know for when the Bengals take on the Bills:

Game: Cincinnati Bengals (0-2) at Buffalo Bills (2-0)

Date/Time: Sep. 22nd, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. EST

Location: New Era Field in Orchard Park, New York

Series Leader: The Bills lead the series 16-15

Streak: The Bengals have won four of the past five meetings

Coaches vs. Opponent: Zac Taylor: 0-0. Sean McDermott 0-1

TV Broadcast: The game will air on CBS-TV. In the Bengals’ home region, it will be carried by WKRC-TV (Ch. 12) in Cincinnati, WHIO-TV (Ch. 7) in Dayton and on WKYT-TV (Ch. 27) in Lexington. Broadcasters are Tom McCarthy (play-by-play) and Jay Feely (analyst).

Radio Broadcast: The game will air on the Bengals Radio Network, led by Cincinnati flagship stations WCKY-AM (ESPN 1530; all sports) and WEBN-FM (102.7). Broadcasters are Dan Hoard (play-by-play) and Dave Lapham (analyst).

SB Nation Bills’ site: Buffalo Rumblings

Weather: Mid 80’s, slightly cloudy [NFL weather]

Odds: Bengals, +6 [Odds Shark]

Bengals Notes

• Quarterback Andy Dalton threw for 311 yards and two touchdowns with one interception for a 90.5 passer rating last week. He ranks second in the NFL with 729 pass yards. He threw for 328 yards and a touchdown in the last meeting with the Bills. Dalton aims for his third game in a row on the road with at least two touchdown passes.
• Running back Joe Mixon had a rushing touchdown in his only career game against Buffalo. He aims for his third game in a row against the AFC East with a touchdown. Running back Giovani Bernard has 173 scrimmage yards (86.5 per game) and two touchdowns in two career road games against the Bills.
• Wide receiver John Ross III had four catches for 112 yards and a touchdown last week. He leads the NFL in receiving yards (270). He aims for his third game in a row with at least 100 receiving yards and a touchdown. Ross has recorded consecutive 100-yard receiving games for the first time in his career. Wide receiver Tyler Boyd led the Bengals with 10 catches for 122 yards last week. He aims for his third game in a row with at least eight catches. Tight end Tyler Eifert had a receiving touchdown last week. He had a touchdown catch in the last road game against the Bills. (10/18/15).
• Defensive tackle Geno Atkins had a sack in the last meeting. He aims for his third game in a row against the AFC East with a sack. Defensive end Carlos Dunlap had six tackles and a tackle for a loss last week. He had a forced fumble in last meeting. He aims for his third road meeting in a row with sack. Since entering league in 2010, Atkins (71) & Dunlap (73.5) are only pair of teammates each with more than 70 sacks. Defensive end Sam Hubbard had six tackles last week. He leads the team with two sacks. Linebacker Preston Brown led the team with 14 tackles last week. Cornerback William Jackson had an interception last week. Cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick had six tackles and a pass defended last week. Safety Jessie Bates had 10 tackles in Week 2.

Bills Notes

• Quarterback Josh Allen passed for 253 yards and a touchdown with a 101.1 passer rating as well as rushing for a touchdown last week. He became the second-fastest quarterback (14 games) in NFL history (Cam Newton took 11 games) to reach 10 career rushing touchdowns. He has a rushing touchdown in five of the past six games.
• Running back Frank Gore rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown last week. He has 14,836 career rushing yards, fourth-most all-time, and 18,647 career yards from scrimmage, fifth-most all-time. Rookie running back Devin Singletary rushed for 57 yards and his first career touchdown last week. He leads the team with 127 rushing yards, second-most among rookies.
• Wide receiver John Brown had seven catches for 72 yards last week. He aims for his third game in a row with at least seven catches. He has a receiving touchdown in two of three career games against the Bengals. Wide receiver Cole Beasley had four catches for a team-high 83 yards last week. He had a receiving touchdown in his only career game against Cincinnati. (10/9/16 with Dallas.). He aims for his fourth in a row against the AFC North with at least five catches. Wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie caught his first career touchdown last week.
• Safety Jordan Poyer had an interception last week. He had an interception in his last game against the Bengals. Safety Micah Hyde had a pass deflection last week. He had also had an interception in his last meeting with Cincinnati. Cornerback Tre’Davious White tied for a team lead with eight tackles last week. He had three passes defended in the last meeting. He had 28 tackles, four passes defended and two interceptions in eight home games last season. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds had seven tackles and a pass defended last week. He aims for his seventh game in a row with at least seven tackles. Linebacker Lorenzo Alexander had a forced fumble in the last meeting. He aims for his third game in a row with at least half of a sack and a pass defended. Defensive end Trent Murphy had his first career interception last week.