Sean – @SeanCorleone (3-2)- The Bills have a huge game this week against the 5-0 Bengals and they’re going to need to play the perfect game to come out victorious. Will it be EJ who starts this game? Who knows, but regardless of who starts, I’m not liking the Bills chances. This team is banged up, and now the injury bug has taken a bite out of Tyrod, the guy who singlehandedly willed the Bills to victory last week in Tennessee. Injuries suck, but so have the first halves of the last 2 games from an offensive standpoint. If not for Tyrod’s 2nd half heroics last week, this team is staring 2-4 in the face. The Bengals are a good team. They’re healthy. They will probably win this week in Buffalo. I’m not giving up hope completely, but I’m also not a blind homer. If you’re a betting man, take Cincinnati -3 in Buffalo. If you lose, at least your team won (or you pushed). The best matchup of the day will be AJ Green against Gilmore and Darby. I’m looking forward to seeing how this duo handles one of the best offensive threats in the league this week. Dalton is going to get the ball out quickly, as hes currently second in the league behind Tom Brady when it comes to the shortest amount of time from snap to release. We all know that this is the blueprint for success against this Bills defense. In the end, I just don’t think this Bills team will have enough offensive firepower to pull this off. Prediction: Bengals 24 – Bills 13.
Chris@2ITB_Buffalo: Record: 2-3? I don’t really know, I haven’t been paying attention. The Bills are jumping the gun on the NFL’s military appreciation month given the M.A.S.H. unit that made up the roster by the end of last week’s win. While it appears that some of Buffalo’s best weapons are returning to healthy, it’s hard to see them grabbing a win from one of the AFC’s most impressive teams early in the year. Cincinnati has moved the ball at will this year with Andy Dalton shedding many of the criticisms that have followed him in recent years thanks to a gaudy stat line and monster performances from AJ Green, among others. While their defense has been porous at times, the Bengals certainly appear to be the real deal. With the Bills potentially missing Tyrod Taylor, Sammy Watkins, Lesean McCoy, Karlos Williams and Aaron Williams – although four of those five could certainly play Sunday – I can’t imagine the Bills having the horses to run with the Bengals. But that’s okay.
Buffalo is in the thick of a stretch of their schedule that features five very winnable games, six depending on how you view the Jets. a trip to London and the bye week are nestled in there but when I look at the long game, a loss this week isn’t debilitating. Particularly if the decision to get Taylor, Watkins and McCoy back to full health is made. Having a limited arsenal this week almost assures a loss. Having a full arsenal for Jacksonville, Miami, the Jets, Kansas City and Houston is a different animal altogether. Give me the Bengals to roll over a shorthanded Bills team 31-13.
Mike Migliore (@mmigliore) Record: 3-2- The undefeated Bengals are coming into Orchard Park on Sunday and I think they are primed for a letdown after their big win Sunday over Seattle. Andy Dalton has yet to have a game where he completely melts down, but this is as good a chance as any against this Buffalo defense. I think Rex and his defensive staff have made adjustments to counter the quick passing attack that Brady and Eli used against them. I can see Dalton being fooled into a couple of timely turnovers. With Sammy Watkins and LeSean McCoy set to come back this week, I think the Bills will pull off the up…oh, EJ Manuel’s playing… Prediction: Bengals 24, Bills 17
Scott Michalak (@ScottyMCSS) (3-2)- It’s hard to predict a team as banged up as this one – who will be the QB? What about those RB’s? Will Sammy Watkins return, and if he does, will he be healthy enough to be truly productive? I don’t know, and neither do you. The Bills need to win every game in a 16 game season, including this one, but perhaps more so this week they need to survive this game. Going 1-1 against Cincy and the Jags to finally reach the bye would be a good result, but adding a healthy roster to that 1-1 would be a very auspicious result for the remaining games on the schedule. That being said, the Bills will fight their butts off to win this game, and the defense could make it close. It’s a nice litmus test for these Bills, to see how they can rally during a time of upheaval, or uncertainty. So far, I just haven’t seen enough consistency from them to expect a heroic victory. I’ll be cheering for the big win, but expecting a loss. As for the score? Your guess is as good as mine, but as of right now, I expect the Cincinnati offense to see a lot of time on the field. Bengals 31, Bills 10.
Michael Necci (@manecci) 2-3? I think? I don’t know – There a plethora of great College Football games on Saturday. Michigan State at Michigan, Alabama at Texas A&M, Florida at LSU, and it will be interesting to see how USC responds after their week from hell when they travel to Notre Dame. If watching fun entertaining football is your thing, Saturday afternoon and night will be your jam. The Bengals are really good. The Bills aren’t that good and have a ton of injuries and are probably gonna start one Erik Rodriguez Manuel Jr at QB. Here we have yet another Bills game vs a superior AFC team and the Bills just can’t seem to win these games. I don’t even know or seem to even recall the last time the Bills won a must win game vs an AFC foe, and yes for all intents and purposes, this Sunday is a must win. Bengals 28 Bills 18
Rich (3-2, @RDotDeuce): Tyrod’s hurt and may not start and that of course means that Matt Cassel would’ve been great to have (per MSM). I’m not of that opinion, as I’ve had this game circled since week one regardless of who was at QB. Right now the Bengals are a bit too much team for the Bills and while I think the defense will do a yeoman’s work keeping them in the game, I think this is lost late on an AJ Green Bomb. Bengals 27, Bills 16.
Luke Wachob (4-1) @lukewachob – The Bills have problems. The offensive line is meh, the weapons are banged up, and now Taylor might miss a start due to a sprained MCL. Up against a 4-0 Bengals squad that looks legit, conventional wisdom says to pick Cincy, hands down. Well… screw conventional wisdom! I refuse to write this game off as a loss. Was it over when the Nazis bombed Pearl Harbor? Sometimes you have a gut feeling, you remember that upsets happen all the time, and you can tell it’s time for the winds to change. I have that feeling this week. The Bengals are due for a poor performance, Andy Dalton is due to make some boneheaded turnovers, and the Bills are good enough to capitalize at home. Bills 24-20.
Brett Ludwiczak – @BLeez17 – 2-3- Living in Columbus, Ohio around a bunch of Bengals fans, I would love for the Bills to win so I could have some bragging rights. Sadly for me, I don’t think that’ll happen on Sunday. Right now there is just too many injuries for me to be confident about a Bills victory. Cincinnati is playing at a high level right now and I think they stay undefeated on Sunday, even though I think Buffalo gives them a run for their money. Cincinnati 24 Buffalo 20
Mike@mack10zie Cincinnati (-3.5) at Buffalo- Everything about this game (and line) screams Bengals. When starting a backup QB, you need great defense (so far so good) and solid RB/OL play (crap). If healthy, this would be a fun game, under these circumstances, Bengals 27 Bills 13
Joe@buffalowins (3-2)- Say what you will about Andy Dalton, but he’s kind of killed the Bills. In Dalton’s 2 games against the Bills (2011/2013), he has 635 yards, 4TDs and 2INTs. The Bengals are 2-0 in those games and his better game happened in 2013 against Mike Pettine’s defense which is very similar to Rex’s. Also, Dalton has a 5TD and 300-yard game against Rex on his resume. So, 9TDs against the Rex Ryan type of defense. Giovani Bernard has been a beast this year as he’s averaging 5YPC. On defense, the Bengals are pretty bad against the run as they just gave up 200 yards rushing last week. They’ve also given up the 11th most passing yards and the 69% QB completion rate. 3 of their five wins have been decided by 5 points or fewer. I don’t know what it is, but I kind of think the Bengals are due for a loss. I just can’t see them going to 6-0. I’m going to go against my mind and heart while going with my gut. Bills win, 20-17.
Brad Gelber, @BradleyGelber (2-3): Hard to make a prediction when I don’t know who will be QB. Regardless this Bengals team is really good. Andy Dalton looks like he’s finally taking the next step. Even if Watkins/McCoy is back, I have lost a lot of confidence in this team recently. I hope I’m wrong, but I think the Bills leave for London with a loss. 23-13 Bengals
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
