The Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals meet Sunday in NFL action from Paycor Stadium. Buffalo sits at 5-3 on the year so far. The Bills took out the Buccaneers last Thursday in their most recent game. As for Cincinnati, they improved to 4-3 overall with a win over the 49ers on Sunday. Check back all season long for free NFL picks at Sports Chat Place.

Buffalo Bills 

The Bills have been a bit more uneven than they’d like so far this year but they’re still chugging along fairly well. Buffalo has 27 total touchdowns this year (with an extra game), doing most of the damage through the air with 17 receiving scores. Defensively the Bills have given up 14 TDs on the other side: five rushing and eight passing (with one return score). 

Last Thursday in their most recent game versus the Buccaneers, Buffalo entered the fourth quarter with a 24-10 advantage and held on for the win 24-18. QB Josh Allen managed 324 yards with two scores and a pick (and a rush TD). James Cook ran for 67 yards on 14 carries and Khalil Shakir added 92 yards off six receptions. 

Buffalo Bills Team Facts

• The Bills have won seven of their last eight games against teams that held a winning record.
• The home team has covered the spread in seven of the Bills’ last eight Week 9 games.
• The Bills have won the first half in nine of their last 10 games against teams that held a winning record.
• The Bills have scored the first touchdown in seven of their last eight Sunday games as underdogs.
• The underdogs have won the first quarter in three of the Bills’ last four games.

Cincinnati Bengals 

Over on the Bengals’ side, they got off to a shaky 1-3 start before rattling off wins in their most recent three outings. Cincinnati has scored a total of 14 TDs along the way, including 10 passing to just two rushing. On the other side the Bengals have given up six rush scores and nine passing TDs with an average of 5.9 yards per play. 

Cincinnati kept it rolling in their last game versus the 49ers on Sunday. The Bengals scored 14 points in both the first and fourth quarters during a 31-17 result. QB Joe Burrow finished with 283 yards and three scores. One TD went to Ja’Marr Chase, who caught 10 balls for 100 yards. Joe Mixon added 87 yards rushing with a TD off 16 carries. 

Cincinnati Bengals Team Facts

• The Bengals have won each of their last nine games at Paycor Stadium following a win.
• The Bengals have covered the spread in each of their last five games in November.
• The Bengals have won the first half in each of their last seven games at Paycor Stadium following a road win.
• The Bengals have scored the first touchdown in each of their last four games against AFC East opponents.
• The Bengals have won the first quarter in five of their last seven games at Paycor Stadium against teams that held a winning record.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Bengals rank 1st in the NFL in punt return yards per game this season (32.7).
• The Bengals rank 3rd in the NFL in interceptions this season (10).
• The Bills rank 1st in the NFL in Q4 points per game this season (10.4).
• The Bills rank 1st in the NFL in Q3 opponent points per game this season (1.5).

ANDREW’S FREE PICK 

I’ll probably take a stab on Buffalo here. This will be an interesting one: the Bengals are playing a comfortable home game, and the Bills get a little extra time to rest and prepare. Buffalo may be just 2-2 in their last four games, but they’ve been scoring pretty well lately with 20 or more points in six of their last seven outings. It’s been a while since the Bills have put up a big total, though; they’ve been at 25 points or below in each of the last four. 

As for Cincinnati, they’re on a pretty nice roll right now and should be competitive here. The Bengals have hit 34 or more points in two of their last three outings, which is a nice turnaround after starting the season with fewer than 20 points in three of four. Ultimately I think this will be a reasonably high total, with Buffalo powering out a road cover. It’ll be a good game to watch regardless.