Buffalo Rumblings
The Buffalo Bills trailed the Cincinnati Bengals by a field goal on Sunday, at that moment losing 21-18 in a game that hadn’t gone their way for much of the afternoon. When Buffalo looked as if they were about to take the lead, they instead committed a costly turnover at the Cincinnati one-yard line.
After the Bengals quickly drove downfield to score, extending their lead to 28-18, it seemed as if the Bills were going to suffer another one of those “woulda, coulda, shoulda” games that have become far too common in the 2025 season. Instead, over the course of three possessions, the entire contest swung. A 40-yard touchdown run by quarterback Josh Allen was followed by interceptions on two straight plays from scrimmage by quarterback Joe Burrow — and, suddenly, the Bills were in business.
For us old heads, the momentum swing was eerily reminiscent of another three-possession swing against a team that wears orange. All the way back in 1990, the Bills trailed the Denver Broncos 21-9. With just over 10 minutes left in the game, David Treadwell set up to kick a short field goal that would have extended Denver’s lead to 15 points. Instead, the field goal was blocked and returned 80 yards for a touchdown by linebacker Cornelius Bennett, and suddenly, the Bills had life. Two plays later, Leonard Smith returned a John Elway interception 39 yards for a touchdown to give the Bills the lead. One play after that, Elway fumbled, Bennett recovered, and it led to a quick Kenneth Davis touchdown run. Suddenly, the Bills had a lead in a game they’d ultimately win 29-28.
The scores might not have come as quickly on Sunday as they did on that September afternoon, but the momentum swing was swift. Buffalo showed real grit in pulling out a 39-34 win against a desperate Bengals team. There were plenty of heroes in this one, and some of them were even among our players to watch entering the contest.
Here’s how our five players to watch performed in Buffalo’s victory over Cincinnati.
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RB James Cook III
Once again, the Bills used their run game to pick up chunks of yardage while also keeping the opposing offense off the field. For much of the afternoon, Cook was excellent, and while he wasn’t ripping off huge gains like he has at points this season, he was consistently putting the Bills in manageable situations on second and third down.
Cook’s longest run was 18 yards, although he had a 23-yard run called back on a holding penalty. That particular run was the subject of some craziness, as it was initially ruled a 24-yard touchdown run, but replay showed that Cook fumbled at the one-yard line. It was no harm, no foul since the fumble went out of bounds and not through the end zone, but it was a harbinger of things to come on that drive.
Just six plays later, Cook had a carry from the two-yard line, and...
