The Bills were the snow, the Bengals were the plow.
Cincinnati amassed 30 first downs, 172 rushing yards and 16 gains of at least 10 yards Sunday in a 27-10 victory at snowy Orchard Park, N.Y, to reach the franchise's second consecutive AFC title game. The Bengals never fumbled the wet football, never threw it to the Bills. Cincinnati was flagged just twice, and stuffed Buffalo's explosive offensive. Even the perfectionist Paul Brown, Hall of Fame coach and Bengals founder, would've smiled during this game.
"Anyone who wants to doubt this team needs to have their head examined," Bengals offensive line coach Frank Pollack told the team's broadcasters.
In football chess, Joe Burrow did a fair imitation of Peyton Manning, with whom Bengals coordinator Brian Callahan worked in Denver. Shouting to teammates, Burrow got out of bad plays and called good plays. He threw on time and on target. His passes were easy to catch. Every Bengals pass-catcher became a threat, as eight different receivers accounted for Burrow's first 14 completions.
Callahan found Burrow some candy, such as when No. 4 receiver Trenton Irwin ran free for a third-and-long conversion because Buffalo didn't match the formation.
Manning wishes he could've run as fast as Burrow.
The QB, who's faster and more fluid than last year, when he was returning from reconstructive surgery, ran away from Bills end Greg Rousseau, who was clocked at 4.68 in the 40-yard dash two years ago.
So if the Chiefs or this postseason's NFC champion is to prevent these Bengals from giving Cincinnati its first Super Bowl victory, it'll take a special performance.
We knew the Bengals had improved their aptitude since last year's Super Bowl, in which the Rams came back to beat them. They diversified their offense and upgraded a dreadful offensive line.
Until Sunday, what we didn't know was how much they'd improved their blocking depth. Minus three regulars who went down in recent weeks, the line dominated a Bills unit that, to be fair, lacked its top defender in Von Miller and two of its top-3 safeties.
The Bengals have shown they can beat the Chiefs, their next opponent.
They went 3-0 against them in 2022. The noisy crowd at Arrowhead Stadium shouldn't overly muddle their offense's communications. In the AFC title game at Kansas City last year, Burrow and Co. piled up 431 yards and had no turnovers. Patrick Mahomes was fully mobile in all three defeats, including Cincinnati's 27-24 homefield victory in November. This time, he'll play eight days after sustaining a high ankle sprain.
"Bungles" no more, the Bengals have figured out how to scout and coach players at a high level. Owner Mike Brown found a worthy riser in head coach Zac Taylor, who the prior year coached Rams quarterbacks for Sean McVay. Taylor hired first-time coordinators who've panned out: Lou Anarumo, whose blitzes Sunday confounded the Bills; and Callahan, who worked under Jim Caldwell and Josh McDaniels and whose dad, Bill Callahan, is a much-praised longtime line coach.
Longtime scout Duke Tobin had the good sense to select former LSU stars Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase first and fifth, respectively.
Just a year-plus ago, the Bengals had gone 31 years without a playoff. Now look at them: two more wins, and orange confetti will fall in the Arizona desert next month.
