Two of the top contenders in the AFC reunite for the first time since January when the Cincinnati Bengals (4-3) host the Buffalo Bills (5-3) on Sunday night.
The game marks the return of Bills safety Damar Hamlin to Cincinnati.
On Jan. 2, Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and was resuscitated on the field after making contact with Bengals receiver Tee Higgins. The game, which Cincinnati led 7-3, was postponed before it was ultimately canceled.
Hamlin was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he spent the next six days before being transferred to the Buffalo General Medical Center to continue his recovery.
“What happened is in the past, I think everybody remembers it but you know (we’re) not going to dwell on it,” Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said. “I know he’s not either. I know our fans are going to support, be loud, be proud. We’re going to fight our tails off for it.”
The two teams in the AFC divisional round in the snow in Buffalo on Jan. 22, with Cincinnati recording a 27-10 win.
Burrow earned his sixth career AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors in last Sunday’s 31-17 road win against the San Francisco 49ers. Burrow, showing no ill effects of a strained right calf that dogged him for weeks starting in training camp, completed 28-of-32 passes for 283 yards and three touchdowns.
He also completed 19 consecutive passes, one shy of Ken Anderson’s team record set on Jan. 3, 1983.
In snapping San Francisco’s 11-game home win streak, the Bengals gained 400 yards on offense and forced three second-half turnovers to move over .500 for the first time this season.
“That was our first real complete game,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said. “That’s how we’re meant to play.”
After starting the season 1-3, the Bengals have rebounded to win three straight but still trail Baltimore by 1 1/2 games in the AFC North.
The Bills enter with a little extra rest, having defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 24-18, on Oct. 26. Bills quarterback Josh Allen could use the extra rest, as he is dealing with an injured right shoulder and did not practice on Wednesday.
Allen completed 31-of-40 passes for 341 yards and two touchdowns to lead the way for the Bills, who enter the week a game behind Miami in the AFC East. Allen will be going against Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson, with whom he played collegiately at Wyoming in 2016 and 2017.
“That’s a really good defense that we’re going against and led by another Wyoming Cowboy Logan Wilson, who’s maybe the best linebacker in the game right now,” Allen said. “He’s flying around and is super instinctive.
“Their front is really good, they got four guys up front that can go and I think they’re playing really well in the secondary to playing and tying it together with their D-line.”
As for defending Burrow, Bills safety Jordan Poyer pointed to his accuracy as the biggest challenge in containing the Bengals quarterback.
“He’s an extremely smart quarterback who’s seen all the looks, he knows where to go with the football, he can make all the throws, he’s got good playmakers around him that understand that offense as well,” Poyer said. “We’re going to have to play extremely well to win and find ways to take the football away.”
–Field Level Media