Superman Rescues Bills from Mauling by Bengals

BY GREGORY BROWN

PHOTOS BY JEROME DAVIS

GREGORY BROWN

On a cold, snowy day at wintery Highmark Stadium, Sunday’s contest was the epitome of December football. In a super exciting game, the Buffalo Bills came from behind to defeat the desperate Cincinnati Bengals 39 – 34, in a tense battle that saw the long-awaited return of Superman, aka: Josh Allen. In the fourth of three previous showdowns between these quarterbacks - two of the best in the business - Josh finally prevailed over Joe Burrow. But it was not easy.

For the better part of three quarters, the Bengals offense was mauling the Bills. The Buffalo defense was simply unable to get off the field on third down, as Cincinnati converted on 10 of 12 third down opportunities. Just as he has in every game he’s played against Buffalo, Burrow carved up their secondary with pinpoint strikes to a corps of exceptional receivers, but most especially, WR Tee Higgins and TE Mike Gesicki.

For the most part, this game looked like a replay of the 2023 AFC Divisional round game that was also played in nasty Buffalo weather. That’s when Burrow sliced and diced the Bills secondary on a wet, slippery field, the prelude to a Super Bowl match against the Los Angeles Rams.

Fortunately for Buffalo, Josh Allen was also playing at a very high level, which made this quarterback duel perhaps the most exciting of the entire NFL season. With the Bills trailing by a fourth quarter score of 28 – 18, Allen took off on a 40-yard TD scramble that put the Bills behind by just three points.

But that’s when lightning struck again for Buffalo. On the Bengals next possession, CB Christian Benford, snagged an interception that was as spectacular as it was improbable. Benford proceeded to race 63 yards to the endzone, and in the process, broke an attempted tackle by Burrow and then outran the speedy All-Pro WR, Ja’Marr Chase, to paydirt.

That one electrifying play put Buffalo up by four points and set the stage for more of Allen’s heroics. That started with another Bills interception by AJ Epenesa on the Bengals very next possession. It came on a pass attempt that was tipped by DT Jordan Phillips. At the time, Buffalo was nursing a four-point lead, only its first of the game. However, all game long, the Bills had shown themselves powerless to stop the potent Cincinnati offense. Thus, their slim lead seemed temporary, at best.

Fortunately, however, Josh continued to spread the familiar red cape normally worn by Superman, his alter ego. After the Epenesa interception, Josh led the Bills on a short drive that culminated in a fourth down, 3-yard TD strike to rookie TE Jackson Hawes, who has already become one of the best blocking tight ends in the league. It was that touchdown that gave Buffalo a two possession lead, one that should have pretty much sealed the deal for Buffalo.

However, no lead is safe when Joe “Cool” is under center. Thereafter, Burrow proceeded to lead the Bengals on a long touchdown drive that ended with a 25-yard TD pass to Higgins in the endzone. With just over two minutes left on the clock, Cincinnati still had time for a go-ahead score, if only they could force a Buffalo punt.

However, Super Josh was not having it. With Buffalo facing an impossible third and fifteen, with time still left on the clock, Allen picked up a critical first down with a surprise 17-yard scamper that he told no one in the huddle he was going to run. It was only then that the Bengals had finally been muzzled, as the Bills were then able to run out the clock.

Cincinnati was a must-win game for Buffalo, who needed it in order to keep pace in the AFC Wild Card race, as well as keep alive their slim hopes for overtaking New England in the Divisional race. In what now shapes up as their biggest game of the season, Buffalo will take on the well rested Patriots, who play after their bye week, with home field advantage to boot. While it is highly unlikely that the Bills can overtake New England for the divisional crown, this game will go a long way toward determining how the playoff seedings shake out. It will also bestow a huge psychological advantage on whichever team wins, should they meet again in the playoffs.

The Bills still have a lot of fight left in them. With Superman leading the way on offense, the Bills will always have a puncher’s chance. They just need their defense to do a little more of the punching.