ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The bonding and goodwill between the Bills and Bengals that resulted from the Damar Hamlin scare three weeks ago has been replaced by a familiar edge that comes with big NFL playoff games as the two teams play Sunday in the AFC divisional playoff at Highmark Stadium.
The Bengals, for starters, are ticked off this game isn’t being played in Cincinnati.
Part of the fallout from the game in Cincinnati on Jan. 2, when Bills safety Hamlin nearly died after he went into cardiac arrest on the field, was the NFL canceling that game.
The Bengals were leading the Bills, 7-3, and driving near midfield with about six minutes left in the first quarter when Hamlin went down and the game — and the sports world — stopped.
Not resuming that game cost the Bengals a chance at gaining the No. 2 seed, which would have put the game Sunday in Cincinnati. Instead, the Bengals (13-4) are the No. 3 seed and the Bills (14-3) are the No. 2.
Cincinnati center Ted Karras this week conceded that the Bengals losing out on the chance to gain the No. 2 seed still sits wrong in the minds of him and his teammates.
Josh Allen and the Bills will look to capitalize against the Bengals on Sunday. AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes“How the situation with the canceled Bills game was handled provided some motivation,’’ he said.
Bengals safety Jesse Bates said the way the situation unfolded has added to the “juice’’ of this game.
“We wish that it was in ‘The Jungle,’ playing in front of our incredible fans, but we’ll go [all]-out in Buffalo,’’ he said. “We’ll be prepared, have a great week of preparation and be ready to take them on and go to the AFC Championship.”
Hamlin’s collapse sparked a bonding moment between the Bills and Bengals. Bryan Bennett/Getty ImagesThe Bengals, too, felt slighted this week by the NFL placing tickets on sale for a potential neutral-site AFC title game between the Bills and Chiefs in Atlanta should both advance this weekend.
The NFL’s ruling to go to a neutral site was put into play once the Bills didn’t get to play a 17th game and finished the season a half-game behind Kansas City. The Bengals were left out of the picture even though they defeated the Chiefs this season, and missed out on their opportunity to pass the Bills in the standings once their game was called off.
“To be honest, it’s disrespectful,” Bengals running back Joe Mixon said of the league already selling tickets for a Bills AFC title game. “We got a game to play on Sunday, right? So you can’t count us out. We’re going to go out there on Sunday and do what the hell we gotta do to get that dub [win]. Then we’re going to see what they’re talking about.”
Burrow said he doesn’t feel like an underdog going into the divisional playoff bout. Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesThe Bills are favored by 5.5 points, another bone of contention for the Bengals.
“We know that we’re defending AFC champions, and so there’s an edge to this team,’’ Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said. “We’re not an underdog to anybody. We don’t really care what anybody else says about us. We know we belong on the field with every team in this league.”
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow echoed his head coach’s sentiment, saying, “I never feel like an underdog.”
According to ESPN, the Bengals have been underdogs just twice this season — in Week 5 against the Ravens (a 19-17 loss) and Week 13 against the Chiefs (a 27-24 win). The Bills are the only team in the league this season to have not been an underdog.
“I always enjoy going on the road,” Burrow said. “It’s just you and your guys. Feels like it’s you against the world. And that’s where we like to be.’’
