Ten facts and a prediction for Bills-Bengals

By Connor Byrne  |   Friday, November 02, 2007  |  Comments( 27 )

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This weekend's game in Buffalo between the 3-4 Bills and 2-5 Cincinnati is certainly huge for both teams. The Bills, after a dismal 0-3 start, have a chance to get to the .500 mark and in the thick of the midseason AFC wild-card hunt; on the other hand, the struggling Bengals need a win just to stay afloat. Another loss from them would be their sixth, and a 2-6 mark is nearly impossible to bounce back from.

Let's take a look at some points of interests -- 10 possibly meaningful facts -- that could make a difference this Sunday.

Fact No. 1: When Bills running back Marshawn Lynch accumulates 21 or more carries in a game, the Bills are 3-0. Fewer than 21 attempts for the rookie has led Buffalo to an 0-4 mark. The Bengals, surrendering 139 rushing yards per game, are the NFL's 28th-ranked defense against the run. That means the onus is on Bills offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild to feed Lynch the ball 21-plus times. At the very least, it would chew up clock and keep Cincinnati's high-octane offense on the sideline.

Fact No. 2: The Bengals' offensive line has surrendered just 10 sacks this season, and the Bills' defense has accrued only eight (28th in the league). That sets up well for Cincinnati's fantastic starting QB, Carson Palmer, who has 14 touchdown tosses and a 90.7 passer rating in 2007. If Palmer has enough time to throw, he'll more than likely carve up any secondary he's facing. Unfortunately, the Bengals' O-line will be without perennial Pro Bowl tackle Willie Anderson, who is out with a knee injury.

Fact No. 3: The Bills' defense has surrendered 100-yard games to three receivers this year, but it hasn't happened since the Jets' Jerricho Cotchery caught eight balls for 107 in Week 3. The bad news for Buffalo is that the Bengals possess two wideouts -- Chad Johnson (44 catches, 731 yards, three touchdowns) and T.J. Houshmandzadeh (58 grabs, 629 yards, nine scores) -- who are both capable of having huge games. Johnson and Houshmandzadeh have combined for five 100-yarders this year, but they've only done it once in the same game (Week 3).

Fact No. 4: On the other hand, the Bengals have allowed a whopping five pass catchers to rack up 100 yards in a game this year. Bills receiver Lee Evans, who accrued his first 100-yard effort of the season last week, must be licking his chops.

Fact No. 5: Bills quarterback J.P. Losman is making the start this week over injured rookie Trent Edwards. That means Losman could potentially win his old job back with a dazzling performance against the Bengals' 28th-ranked pass defense. Consider that the last time Losman truly had his back against the wall in a start, Nov. 19, 2006, he completed 26-of-38 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns in a 24-21 win over Houston. Entering that game, Losman faced severe criticism and scrutiny for what most deemed a subpar year up to that point. He silenced critics with that performance; history might just repeat itself against a bad 'D' this Sunday.

Fact No. 6: Speaking of Losman, Buffalo's two QBs have only amassed one 200-yard game this year (Edwards threw for 234 in Week 4). Meanwhile, Cincy has allowed no fewer than 203 yards in an individual week this year. There's no reason why Losman shouldn't be able to at least match that output; in 16 starts last season, the 26-year-old threw for 200-plus yards seven times, including a pair of 300-yard showings.

Fact No. 7: Cincinnati's running backs have twice surpassed the century mark in a game this year. The problem for the Bengals -- who are getting Rudi Johnson back from injury -- is that Buffalo, after a dismal start in which it allowed three straight backs to hit 100 yards to begin the season, has only let one runner (Willis McGahee) reach the plateau during its last four games. As a result, the Bills are 3-1 over that span.

Fact No. 8: The fewest points Cincinnati has allowed in a game this year is 20 (Weeks 1 and 6). In the Bengals' other five games, enemy teams have totaled 51, 24, 34, 27, 31 and 24 points. Although the Bills have only gone over the 20-point plateau once, you'd better believe their offense, led by the fired-up Losman, likes its chances against the struggling Bengals.

Fact No. 9: Buffalo, which is 2-2 at Ralph Wilson Stadium, has a turnover ratio of plus-7 this season. Cincinnati (0-3 on the road) is minus-1.

Fact No. 10: Cincinnati hasn't beaten Buffalo since January 1989, when the Bengals bested the Bills 21-10 in the AFC championship game. Since that matchup, the Bills have won all eight of the teams' contests. The last time the two clubs met, Christmas Eve 2005, Buffalo went to Cincy and pulled a huge upset over the playoff-bound Bengals, 37-27.

Prediction (season record: 7-0) - Bills 26, Bengals 24.

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CommentsComments: 27  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
rich (the real one. the original one)		10:00 AM
11/02/2007
Hey Conner, why the hell would you say "unfortunantly Anderson is out" when our pass rush is obviously in need of all the help...
No.2
Nate		10:06 AM
11/02/2007
I suspect Fairchild will play it close to the vest, try to pound the ball with Mershawn to limit the time the Bengals offense...
No.3
ScrewLosmanHaters		10:46 AM
11/02/2007
This is an SLH news Alert: As a reminder it has been reported that Steve Fairchild has still been spending too much time at...
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