Game Recap

Bills season concludes with 27-10 loss to the Bengals | Game recap, highlights, and stats

Jan 22, 2023 at 06:45 PM

Grace Heidinger

Contributing Correspondent

The Buffalo Bills' 2022 postseason run came to an end with their 27-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Divisional Round.

The Bengals' defense and the pressure they brought made it difficult for QB Josh Allen and the Bills offense to find consistency throughout the entirety of the game. The Bills were playing from behind from the opening drive, and the Bengals found a way to limit the Bills to just one touchdown and one field goal.

Burrow was 9-9 for 105 yards with two touchdowns on Cincy's first two drives of the game. As for the Allen and the Bills, they went 3-and-out on their first two drives for the first time this season.

Allen ended the game 24-42 for 265 yards, one rushing TD, one interception, and led the run game with 26 rushing yards. TE Dawson Knox led the offense with 65 receiving yards on five receptions. LB Tremaine Edmunds tallied 12 combined tackles and LB Matt Milano had 10.

Buffalo Bills vs Cincinnati Bengals, Divisional playoff game, January 22, 2023 at Highmark Stadium.

Burrow smoothly moved the ball down the snow-covered field on their opening drive, which he capped off with a 28-yard TD throw to WR Ja'Marr Chase to open up the scoring.

After the Bills went 3-and-out on their opening drive, the Bengals responded and doubled their lead to 14-0 when Burrow connected with a wide-open TE Hayden Hurst in the end zone on a 15-yard TD reception.

Aside from a sack from Milano that forced the loss of two yards, the Bengals gained yards on every other offensive play of the first quarter.

Allen was sacked on first down on the final play of the first quarter. But a big first-down conversion from WR Khalil Shakir at the start of the second quarter set the Bills up for their first score of the day. With a one-yard TD run, Allen got the Bills on the board to cut the Bengals' lead in half with 7:25 remaining in the first half.

The Bengals responded with what was originally ruled another Chase TD. But after review, it was later overturned as the receiver did not have control of the ball. The ruling of an incomplete pass forced the Bengals to kick a 28-yard FG to bring the score to 17-7, which stuck through the end of the half.

The Bills brought their eight total yards after the first quarter to 135 yards at the conclusion of the first half. But the Bengals also lead in that category with 275 yards.

After another big first down catch for Shakir moved the chains in favor of the Bills to start their first possession of the third quarter, but they were forced to settle for a 25-yard Tyler Bass FG. The 3-points cut brought it to a one-score game about halfway through the third quarter. But the Bills' 7-point deficit only lasted until the final 1:17 of the quarter when RB Joe Mixon's 1-yard TD extended the Bengals' lead to 24-10.

The final score of the game came on a Bengals 20-yard FG with 3:40 left in the game. The Bengals took this one 27-10.

More stats and highlights to know:

· QB Josh Allen tallied his second career postseason rushing touchdown, making him the first quarterback in team history to record multiple scores via the ground.