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Week 11: Bills vs. Bengals
 at 
Sunday, Nov. 20th
1:00pm ET
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The Bills are fresh off the bye and getting healthier as they head to Cincinnati to face the struggling Bengals in the first of many must win games coming up. This will be a tough road matchup for the Bills no matter how disappointing the season has been for Cincinnati so far.
FACTS AND FIGURES
| Matchup: |
Buffalo (4-5) vs. Cincinnati (3-5-1) |
| Place: |
Paul Brown Stadium |
| TV/Radio: |
Network: FOX; DirecTV: 709; Sirius: 133; SiriusXM 381 |
| Announcers: |
Thom Brennaman, Charles Davis, Chris Spielman, & Holly Sonders |
| Spread: |
Bengals by 3 |
| Series: |
Bills lead 15-12 (Bills 0-2 in playoffs) |
| Streak: |
Bengals Won 3 |
| Last Meeting: |
Bengals 34-21 in Buffalo (2015) |
| Bengals Offense: |
Rush (10th); Pass (10th); overall (t-8th) |
| Bengals Defense: |
Rush (24th); Pass (17th); overall (24th) |
| Bills Offense: |
Rush (2nd); Pass (31st); overall (18th) |
| Bills Defense: |
Rush (20th); Pass (11th); overall (14th) |
INJURY UPDATE
The Bills are very healthy coming off the bye week. The only player that has missed practice time is Corbin Bryant who is suffering from a shoulder injury. Marcell Dareus hopes to get back on the field as he is recovering from a groin injury.
The Bengals are pretty healthy as well. TE Tyler Eifert continues to be limited in practice while he recovers from a knee injury but he will play. No Bengal missed practice early in the week.
Check out our  Bills Daily Injury Page throughout the week for the latest updates on the injured players.
KEY MATCHUPS
RT Jordan Mills or Seantrel Henderson vs. DE Carlos Dunlap:
Mills is coming off his worst game of the season and his play has declined tremendously the past month. Henderson may get the start or see some action in his place. Whoever is in there will have their hands full with the Bengals leading sack getter in Dunlap who has five on the season.
C Ryan Groy or Patrick Lewis vs. DT Geno Atkins:
This is the biggest matchup advantage the Bengals have in this game. Atkins is a monster in the middle and must be licking his chops now that Wood is out. Whoever is in the game at center will need to rely on the guards to help them out with Atkins.
CB Kevon Seymour vs. TE Tyler Eifert:
Seymour is taking over the nickel corner spot from Nickell Robey-Coleman as Rex Ryan wants more height from his struggling cornerback corps. Eifert has been a monster since coming back from an early season knee injury and will be a very tough matchup for Seymour and the safeties that help him out.
CB Stephon Gilmore vs. WR A.J. Green:
The disappointing of the secondary play is led by Gilmore who will look to get his contract year back on track against the best receiver he has faced this season in Green.
KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Offensive Communication: With Wood out for the year it will be up to the other members of the OL to help with the offensive calls. Playing in a hostile road environment won't help it to go smoothly. If they struggle with the calls expect the team to struggle offensively.
2. Win the physical battle: The well-rested Bills going up against a team that just played on Monday night should allow the Bills to win the physical matchups up front. If they can control the game physically they can control the line of scrimmage and win the game.
3. Run Effectively: The Bills have a huge advantage on paper with their ground game against a weak run defense of the Bengals. If the Bills are successful on the ground they can eat up the clock and keep a pretty good and balanced Cincinnati offense off the field.
BILLS DAILY PREDICTION
This is a tough matchup despite the struggles the Bengals have had recently. They are due for a win since they haven't tasted victory since September but if the Bills jump out to an early lead the boo birds will come out quickly. I think the Bills will build off of a tough loss before the bye and will win because they are the fresher team:
Bills 27, Bengals 24
Season Prediction Record: (8-1)
Season Record Against The Spread: (7-2)
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