The Cincinnati Bengals are one of the hottest teams in the NFL right now. They have won seven straight games and have the inside track to wrap up the AFC North division. They also just finished off a two-game road trip with back-to-back wins at Tampa Bay and New England. Now they will try to defeat another red-hot team when they take on the current AFC top seed, the Buffalo Bills, at home in Week 17. At 11-4, the Bengals can officially clinch the AFC North top spot with a win coupled with a Week 17 loss by the Ravens. If the Bengals do prevail over the Bills here, they can also potentially snatch home-field advantage in the AFC, at least before Week 18. Now let's look at our Bengals Week 17 predictions as they take on the Bills.
The Bengals, led by quarterback Joe Burrow, will host the Bills, led by Josh Allen, in a potential AFC Championship Game preview on Monday Night Football. Needless to say, this matchup between two top teams in the NFL has important implications for playoff seeding.
The Bills will be playing consecutive road games, but they have an extra day of rest, which could give them an advantage. Both teams have strong offenses, so we could see a high-scoring game.
The Bengals, who are currently the underdogs, will need to have a strong performance as they did in the first half of their game last week. That's where Burrow had 28 completions and helped his team to a 22-0 lead. However, the Bengals struggled in the second half and allowed the Patriots to close the gap with 18 points. All eyes will be on the Bengals as they try to maintain their winning streak.
With all these in mind, here are our four bold predictions for the Bengals in their Week 17 game against the Bills.
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4. Bengals offensive line crumbles
The Bengals will be without starting right tackle La’el Collins for the remainder of the season due to a torn ACL and MCL. Collins, who joined the Bengals as a free agent this year, started 15 games and played a key role in protecting Burrow's right side. For sure, Collins' injury will be a significant blow for the team.
Replacing Collins will be a challenge for the Bengals, who are facing two tough opponents in the Bills and the Baltimore Ravens in their final regular season games. Prior to Collins' injury, the Bengals' offensive line had been performing well. They allowed an average of only two sacks per game after the first two weeks of the season. Take note that Burrow has been sacked a total of 39 times this season. We feel like the Bills will take advantage and wrap him up at least thrice in this game.
3. Ja'Marr Chase goes for 90 yards
In Week 16, wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase had eight receptions for 79 yards and was targeted ten times. Although he had a solid performance in terms of receptions and yardage, Chase also made some mistakes during the game. He lost a critical fumble in the second half and was the target on a pick-six. The interception was the result of a miscommunication between Chase and Burrow, as Chase ran a go route while Burrow threw a back-shoulder pass.
Despite this, Chase has had at least seven catches and 60 yards in each of the four games since returning from a hip injury. This week, Chase will face the Bills, who rank 25th in terms of defending against wide receivers. The Bengals passing game has been strong during their seven-game winning streak, and they will hope to continue this success against a favorable matchup.
As such, we expect Chase to put up close to 90 yards in this contest.
2. Joe Burrow makes history
Star Cincy QB Joe Burrow should correct some of his second-half errors from the previous week and keep this game tight. Still, due to his 375 throwing yards and three touchdowns last week, Burrow was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 16.
QB1 put on a show 😏@JoeyB has been named AFC Offensive Player of the Week pic.twitter.com/G8rsrGS3x7
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) December 28, 2022
That said, Joe Cool still had a mixed performance in their win over the Patriots. In the first half, he was dominant, completing 28-of-36 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns. However, in the second half, he struggled. He threw an interception returned for a touchdown and failed to reach 100 yards passing.
Despite what he showed last week, Burrow is now just 12 pass attempts away from officially qualifying for the NFL's all-time completion percentage list. Keep in mind that this requires a minimum of 1,500 attempts. Burrow has completed 69.0 percent of his passes in his career so far. Now, even if he throws 12 incomplete passes in Week 17, he will become the league's all-time completion percentage leader. He would surpass Drew Brees' record of 67.6 percent.
We have Burrow having a big game. He should put up 270+ total yards with three touchdowns and another interception.
1. Bengals lose a classic at Paycor Stadium
Both the Bengals and Bills are on hot streaks, and this game will be a clash of two top offenses led by two elite quarterbacks.
The Bills have been relying on their running game, featuring their backs and quarterback Josh Allen. Meanwhile, the Bengals have shown a more well-rounded offense with a strong balance between their passing game and rushing attack.
Both Allen and Burrow have had some recent interceptions, but Burrow tends to be more consistent at home. Despite this, we believe Allen will rise to the occasion and lead the Bills to victory in this game.
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