The Cincinnati Bengals were heavy favorites over the Baltimore Ravens during Super Wild Card Weekend. This time around, however, they are underdogs against the Buffalo Bills in the NFL Divisional Round. This is a highly anticipated matchup featuring two of the best quarterbacks in the league right now. With that laid out, let's look at some of the issues the Bengals have when they face the Bills in the Wild Card Round.

The Bengals are presently on a nine-game winning run. They are arguably the hottest team in the playoffs. However, they didn't exactly dominate the Ravens last week. That may present some concerns heading into their Divisional Round clash with the Bills.

Still, star QB Joe Burrow and playmakers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are all outstanding. On a good day, those guys can fully take over any game.

This will be sort of a rematch since the Bengals and Bills were slated to face each other in Week 17. That game, of course, was canceled after the Damar Hamlin incident. Now, we finally get to see these teams collide, and it'll be interesting to see how coach Zac Taylor addresses some of the chinks in Cincy's armor.

That said, here are some of the issues the Bengals will have when they face the Bills.

4. Bengals Ground Game

The truth is that the Bengals have an inconsistent (if not poor) running game. This is evidenced by their low ranking in both rushing yards per game and yards per attempt.

Keep in mind that in their recent playoff game against the Ravens, running back Joe Mixon gained only 39 yards on the ground and 17 yards through receptions. The team struggled to move the ball against Baltimore's defense. Despite this, we expect Mixon to receive more carries in this game against the Bills. Will that be enough for the Bengals to win? We're not sure.

Overall, the Bengals had just 51 rushing yards last week. That's not nearly enough to beat the Bills. Burrow isn't particularly known as an elite rushing QB, but even he may need to hit the ground running so Cincy can diversify its offense. Otherwise, the Bills will have one less thing to worry about against the Bengals.

3. Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins might be held down

In order for the Bengals to succeed against the Bills, wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins will need to elevate their play. In their last playoff game against the Ravens, Chase caught nine passes for 84 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Higgins caught four passes for 37 yards and scored a two-point conversion.

They will need to work extra hard to produce similar numbers against the Bills' strong secondary, specifically against Tre'Davious White and Kaiir Elam. That pair had success in limiting the production of the Miami Dolphins' Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill last week.

Based on this, we anticipate that both Chase and Higgins will have difficulty getting big yardage. We predict they will combine for around 150 yards in total.

As such, Cincy also needs a good outing from TE Hayden Hurst. He had 45 yards last week, and we feel he needs at least 50+ yards here to help Burrow out.

2. That Bills Pass Rush

Joe Burrow is known for his ability to remain composed under pressure. However, in this upcoming game, his pass protection may be a concern. The Bengals may be missing as many as three of their starting five offensive linemen. Remember also that the Bills are coming off a game in which they recorded four sacks. That spells trouble for Burrow in the pocket.

Keep in mind that in games where Burrow has been sacked four or more times this season, the Bengals have lost all but once. Based on how strong the Bills pass rush has been, we expect them to generate a minimum of four sacks and 10 quarterback hits in this game. That will make life much more difficult for Burrow. He will likely get flushed out of the pocket often and rocked as he throws.

1. Can they stop Josh Allen and his receivers?

Josh Allen and Joe Burrow, two star quarterbacks, will finally face off in the NFL. That's great for football fans the world over. Remember that in their short-lived Week 17 meeting, both opened the game with scoring drives, making this matchup highly anticipated.

However, Allen's recent performance during Super Wild Card Weekend raised doubts about the Bills' chances. This is especially after Allen had three turnovers in their win against the Dolphins. He also had a total of 19 turnovers during the regular season.

The big question for Cincy is can they put a lot of pressure to force Allen into a plethora of turnovers here as well? On paper, the Bengals defense is solid. They had a top-five plus-6 turnover differential in the league. Allen also had two interceptions and a fumble returned for a touchdown last week. Still, he rallied Buffalo and scored consecutive touchdowns at the end of the third quarter.

Allen is just as composed as they come. He is expected to carry the Bills again in this game, with predictions of 300 total yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and one fumble. Additionally, the Bills' offense has been performing well in the past four weeks, scoring an average of 34 points per game. Can Cincy's “okay” defense slow them down?

We also have to consider that Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, and Dawson Knox have been strong performers for the Bills. It will be a huge challenge for the Bengals' Eli Apple and the secondary to limit their productivity. In fact, we expect the Bills receivers to dominate this matchup. If it does play out that way, this may be a long game for the Bengals.