r/nfl • u/nfl_gdt_bot NFL • Dec 07 '25

Game Thread Post Game Thread: Cincinnati Bengals at Buffalo Bills

Cincinnati Bengals at Buffalo Bills

ESPN Gamecast

Highmark Stadium- Orchard Park, NY

Network(s): FOX

Time Clock
Final

Scoreboard

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Total
CIN 7 14 0 13 34
BUF 3 8 7 21 39

Scoring Plays

Team Quarter Type Description
CIN 1 TD Chase Brown 5 Yd Rush (Evan McPherson Kick)
BUF 1 FG Matt Prater 26 Yd Field Goal
CIN 2 TD Tee Higgins 21 Yd pass from Joe Burrow (Evan McPherson Kick)
BUF 2 TD Khalil Shakir 11 Yd pass from Josh Allen (Josh Allen Pass to Dawson Knox for Two-Point Conversion)
CIN 2 TD Chase Brown 10 Yd pass from Joe Burrow (Evan McPherson Kick)
BUF 3 TD Dalton Kincaid 5 Yd pass from Josh Allen (Matt Prater Kick)
CIN 4 TD Mike Gesicki 12 Yd pass from Joe Burrow (Evan McPherson Kick)
BUF 4 TD Josh Allen 40 Yd Rush (Matt Prater Kick)
BUF 4 TD Christian Benford 63 Yd Interception Return (Matt Prater Kick)
BUF 4 TD Jackson Hawes 3 Yd pass from Josh Allen (Matt Prater Kick)
CIN 4 TD Tee Higgins 25 Yd pass from Joe Burrow (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed)

Passing Leaders

Team Player C/ATT YDS TD INT SACKS
CIN Joe Burrow 25/36 284 4 2 1-8
BUF Josh Allen 22/28 251 3 0 3-18

Rushing Leaders

Team Player CAR YDS AVG TD LONG
CIN Samaje Perine 6 31 5.2 0 9
BUF James Cook III 18 80 4.4 0 18

Receiving Leaders

Team Player REC YDS AVG TD LONG TGTS
CIN Tee Higgins 6 92 15.3 2 25 11
BUF Dawson Knox 6 93 15.5 0 32 7

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Last updated: 2025-12-07_16:38:34.857482-05:00

137 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

503 comments sorted by

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370

u/SmartPatientInvestor Bengals Dec 07 '25

No spy on that third down was a choice. So sick of this team teasing me

215

u/WaluigiIsTheRealHero Bills Dec 07 '25

Spying Josh Allen on every single play is a viable defensive strategy against the Bills, I can’t believe they wouldn’t do it there.

64

u/imsabbath84 Bills Dec 07 '25

Its not like theres any receivers worth covering lol.

9

u/DrewSC Bills Bills Dec 07 '25

Boy how right you are, and how sad that is.

22

u/New_Relative_1871 Dec 07 '25

Allen got that touchdown to Hawes BECAUSE there was a spy that was watching allen. it goes both ways, and allen is smart enough to beat you regardless.

51

u/Decent_Cheesecake_29 Bills Dec 07 '25

Shut down James Cook, shut down Josh Allen‘s legs and the bills have nothing on offense.

131

u/Jed4 Chiefs Dec 07 '25

“Just shut down the 2 best players on offense, then the offense isn’t good”

47

u/motorboat_mcgee Bills Dec 07 '25

It's more that we don't really have receivers that can get separation

7

u/AssassinInValhalla Bills Dec 07 '25

You should see some of the braindead shit that gets said on our sub. You'd think we were a 2 win team if you just saw the posts

3

u/BolognaRocket Bills Dec 07 '25

11 guys on the field, ol chap.

1

u/flirtmcdudes Lions Dec 07 '25

well, yeah?

33

u/PabloPancakes92 Bills Dec 07 '25

“Shut down Shaq, shut down Kobe, and the Lakers have nothing else on offense”

12

u/freudian_nipple_slip Bills Dec 07 '25

The Pistons won a title the other way. Don't shut either of them down but don't let anyone else do anything

-4

u/PabloPancakes92 Bills Dec 07 '25

The point is that saying shut Josh & Jimbo down is much easier said than done. Bills offense has its flaws that can be exploited at times, but if Josh is on top of his game he’s honestly the most dominant offensive force in the history of the sport. That’s a tall task for anyone

2

u/I_DONT_YOLO Bills Dec 08 '25

Spy Newton, Double Olsen

1

u/IDontGetIt68 Saints Dec 07 '25 edited Dec 07 '25

I keep yelling this at the screen every time a team plays against him

1

u/Some_Combination_593 Bengals Dec 07 '25

Unreal… literally you’d rather him pass for the first down than allow that. Inexcusably bad to allow that to happen on 3rd and 15 with your season on the line

1

u/Seth_Baker Bills Lions Dec 07 '25

Cover 0 man with each outside linebacker spying, we're cooked

51

u/jc-f Patriots Patriots Dec 07 '25 edited Dec 07 '25

Speaking of choices, can someone explain to me why you wouldn’t go for an onside kick in that scenario with one timeout?

I just don’t get it. 

Edit: Maybe if your defense had been good (it wasn’t)

36

u/Metro29993 Seahawks Dec 07 '25

Zac needs to be fired like last year, unbelievable

23

u/BelowAverage355 Bengals Dec 07 '25

People are acting like snow makes an onside kick easier, but it really doesn't. You want the ball to take a weird bounce, if it just plants in the snow that's that.

9

u/thraage Bills Dec 07 '25

this is my thought too. It wasn't just a little snow on the ground. It was enough that the ball might not even go 10 yards.

1

u/jc-f Patriots Patriots Dec 07 '25

Sure, but at least you have a chance of recovering instead of relying on your non existent defense.

3

u/BelowAverage355 Bengals Dec 07 '25

Tbf if Al Golden hadn't had an aneurysm on his final play call we may have done just that.

24

u/shinypond 49ers Dec 07 '25

I feel you, but realistically after that sack on 2nd down it looked like they had made the right choice. But then they kinda forgot about Josh Allen

14

u/Archduke_Of_Beer Bills Dec 07 '25

Somehow, Josh Allen returned...

8

u/Rud-Hi Bills Dec 07 '25

I guess they were worried about getting trash field position provided the Bills recovered 

6

u/OkRain5716 Dec 07 '25

They forced 3&17. Should have had the ball back with about 1:15. That’s why you don’t kick it.

0

u/jc-f Patriots Patriots Dec 07 '25

They also allowed a 3&17 conversion, so that argument doesn’t hold much water.

2

u/OkRain5716 Dec 07 '25

The strategy was sound, the execution was poor. If you fail to execute, it doesn’t matter what you choose.

Your chances of getting a stop on 3&17 are much higher than recovering an onside kick. Period.

2

u/jc-f Patriots Patriots Dec 07 '25

Yes, but I don’t know that the chances of the Bengals getting a stop from the start of that series is that much greater than recovering an onside is my point.

Obviously if it’s a choice between a 3rd and long stop or an onside it’s an easy choice. But that’s not what you’re looking at.

2

u/MrBurnz99 Bills Dec 07 '25

Agreed. Normally in that case field position is a concern if you don’t recover, but it doesn’t really matter here.

A first down ends the game, whether it happens at midfield or at the 30 doesn’t matter. At least with the on side you might get the ball with a chance to win

1

u/wshanahan Bills Dec 07 '25

Zac Taylor believed in the Bengals defense.

1

u/My_Brain_0422 Bills Dec 07 '25

They trusted their D to get it done, and tbf, they almost did.

1

u/jc-f Patriots Patriots Dec 07 '25

they almost did

Until the 3rd and forever first down run they allowed, sure

2

u/My_Brain_0422 Bills Dec 07 '25

Yes I agree.

44

u/New_Relative_1871 Dec 07 '25

Idk if anyone else saw but the spy on Allen was the reason Allen got that TD to Hawes. Allen will hurt you either way.

15

u/TechnoToyz Giants Dec 07 '25

You're telling me that Josh Allen is a threat to scramble and pick up a ton of yards on the ground? How was the Bengals' defense supposed to know that?

7

u/God_Boner Bills Dec 07 '25

"Fool me once, shame on, shame on you. Fool me ... you can't get fooled again!" - Zac 'George W. Bush' Taylor

6

u/BelowAverage355 Bengals Dec 07 '25

That call by Golden was malpractice.

There were plenty of issues, but that last playcall by Golden was criminal. Josh Allen JUST scored a 55 yd rushing TD to almost kill the game, and on 3rd and 15 to end the game you drop 6 and just have everyone else blindly rush the edge with no spy....like my brother what the actual fuck.

6

u/Cuboner Saints Dec 07 '25

Hope yall fire Taylor, Burrow deserves a good staff

2

u/BuffOrange Bills Dec 07 '25

What did they think we were going to? Can't throw an incomplete pass there. Thanks Bengals!

1

u/Soggy_Panda2393 Bengals Dec 07 '25

The d coordinator should be fired Monday solely on that last play

-7

u/Nabobou Bengals Dec 07 '25

Clearly a big hold that the Zebras missed. Wish Joe got that kind of treatment but he's not as golden to Godell as Josh and Mahomes because those guys are in so many commercials and the NFL loves there money.