Buffalo Bills vs Cincinnati Bengals
Buffalo Bills
Quarterbacks
- Josh Allen: 23/36, 234 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT | 9 carries, 46 yards
Josh Allen wasn’t able to repeat his Week 2 solid performance against the New York Giants in Week 3 over the Bengals. He held the ball too long in several plays due to great protection by the offensive line and his interception in the third quarter was rookie-nostalgic for the Bills’ fans. Still, there were some good signals, like the chemistry with recent-acquired receivers, the in-motion throws, and the game-winning drive. For the second consecutive game, Allen displayed his athletic ability in an out-of-the-pocket third-down throw to John Brown.
The 21-17 final score didn’t show exact the Bills’ edge over the Bengals in the game, as Buffalo continues struggling to capitalize long, well-orchestrated drives in touchdowns.
Running Backs
- Frank Gore: 14 carries, 76 yards, 1 TD | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 13 yards
- T.J. Yeldon: 8 carries, 30 yards | 3 targets, 2 receptions, 19 yards
The Bills had a solid day running the football, collecting 175 rushing yards after 36 carries. Without injured rookie Devin Singletary, T. J. Yeldon was the No. 2 running back behind Frank Gore. And while Yeldon failed to make the most out of the opportunity, Gore had his most productive day as a Bill thus far. His 5.4 yards per carry were the veteran RB’s best since Week 10 of 2018 (min. 10 carries).
Buffalo’s play-calling, with plenty of jet-sweep and reverse plays, played a factor for non-RB contribution in the running game as well.
Wide Receivers / Tight Ends
- Cole Beasley: 10 targets, 8 receptions, 48 yards
- John Brown: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 51 yards | 1 carry, 4 yards
- Dawson Knox: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 67 yards, 1 TD | 1 carry, 9 yards
- Zay Jones: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 33 yards
- Tommy Sweeney: 3 targets, 1 reception, 3 yards
- Isaiah McKenzie: 1 targets, 1 reception, 9 yards | 3 carries, 10 yards
- Lee Smith: 1 target
- Reuben Foster: 1 target
Brown and Cole Beasley were the most reliable Bills’ wide receivers for another week. Other good news, though, came from the team tight end group, in which rookie Dawson Knox had a career day. Knox scored Buffalo’s first TE touchdown of the season, and also posted a 49-yard catch in the game-winning drive.
Talking about big plays, Zay Jones keeps adding depth to this receiving corps. Jones averaged 16.5 yards per catch against the Bengals and could’ve had posted even more solid numbers if not being wide-open overthrown by Allen down the field late in the second quarter.
Cincinnati Bengals
Quarterbacks
- Andy Dalton: 20/36, 249 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
For most of the game, the Bengals suffered from the lack of consistency in their offense. They didn’t complete a single pass in the first quarter, and Andy Dalton’s chemistry with potential fantasy breakout receivers wasn’t working. The ninth-year quarterback did show some flashes in the fourth quarter leading 17 unanswered points flirting with comeback victory but finished the game with two interceptions and a season-low 6.9 yards per attempt.
Running Backs
- Joe Mixon: 15 carries, 61 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 34 yards, 1 TD
- Giovani Bernard: 3 carries, 5 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 7 yards
Facing one of the best defenses in the league gave the Bengals another disappointing showcase through the ground. Despite another below-average performance by the Bengals throughout all the quarters, the fantasy owners finally saw a piece of good news from Joe Mixon. Mixon was a major factor in Cincinnati’s bounce-back fourth quarter, contributing both rushing and catching the football. The third-year running back scored his first touchdown of the season.
The Bengals, who averaged 3.5 yards per rushing attempt, have yet to top 100 rushing yards in a game in 2019.
Wide Receivers / Tight Ends
- Tyler Boyd: 11 targets, 6 receptions, 67 yards
- Auden Tate: 10 targets, 6 receptions, 88 yards
- John Ross: 6 targets, 2 receptions, 22 yards
- Tyler Eifert: 1 target, 1 reception, 18 yards
- Alex Erickson: 1 target, 1 reception, 13 yards
- C.J. Uzomah: 1 target
Both of the Bengals’ lost fumbles came from wide receivers (John Ross and Auden Tate). Ross also had an easy drop, his fourth of the season, which would probably have resulted in a long first-down gain in the first half.
But the Bengals’ receiving corps heat up as the game progressed, especially in the fourth quarter, with both Tate and Tyler Boyd contributing offensively. They were able to get separation against a tough secondary and played a factor for Dalton and company in third-down conversions. Cincinnati had three different receivers with 25+-yard plays, including two surpassing 30 yards.
— Caio Miari
Will Gordon step right back into his previous role, given Ekeler’s performance? Is it worth holding onto him? when do you think he’ll return and how effective will he be?
Gordon is definitely worth a hold if you still have him, but who knows how he’ll come back. I’d personally not want him back if things are going well (in terms of team chemistry), but who knows where we’ll be at that time…Ekeler could be still killing it or hurt on the bench