Michael Hull

Over the course of the next few weeks, we will be taking an in-depth look at the Bengals' 2025 opponents. Cincinnati travels to Buffalo to take on the Bills in Week 14.

2024

The Bills came up just short of a Super Bowl appearance in 2024, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game after winning the AFC East with a 12-4 record.

QB Josh Allen won the Associated Press Most Valuable Player last season, scoring 40 total touchdowns, passing for 3,731 yards and rushing for 531 more. Allen orchestrated a Buffalo attack that finished second in the NFL with 30.9 points per game and ranked top 10 in both passing and rushing yards per game. RB James Cook rushed for 16 touchdowns, tied with Ravens RB Derrick Henry and Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs for the most in the league. WR Khalil Shakir served as Allen's favorite target, hauling in 76 receptions for 821 yards.

Offseason Changes

Buffalo focused its offseason efforts on improving a defense that ranked 11th in points allowed per game (21.6) and 17th in yards allowed per contest (341.5). After finishing 18th in sacks last season, Buffalo brought in reinforcements on the defensive line in free agency: The Bills signed DE Joey Bosa and DT Larry Ogunjobi to one-year deals. The Bills allowed the ninth-most passing yards per game in 2024, so they drafted Kentucky CB Maxwell Hairston in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

On offense, they added WR Josh Palmer, inking the former Charger to a three-year contract.

Coaching Staff

Head coach Sean McDermott enters his ninth season leading the Bills after taking over in January of 2017. Buffalo has seven playoff appearances in McDermott's eight years and five AFC East division titles. He ranks first in Bills history in winning percentage and is second in wins. Before arriving in Buffalo, McDermott spent six seasons as the Panthers defensive coordinator and 12 years on the Eagles coaching staff.

Joe Brady was promoted from quarterbacks coach to interim offensive coordinator during the 2023 season and was named full-time OC entering the 2024 campaign. Brady previously served as the offensive coordinator for the Panthers in 2020 and 2021 after spending one season at LSU as its passing game coordinator in 2019. He helped Bengals QB Joe Burrow and WR Ja'Marr Chase lead the Tigers to an undefeated season and a National Championship and was awarded the Broyles Award as college football's top assistant coach.

Defensive coordinator Bobby Babich took over the Buffalo defense at the start of 2024. Prior to leading the whole defense, Babich spent two seasons as the Bills' linebackers coach and four seasons coaching the safeties after starting as the assistant defensive backs coach in 2017. He also had previous professional stints with the Browns and Panthers and collegiate stints with Florida International and Eastern Illinois.

Series History

The Bills and Bengals have played 34 times and have split the series 17-17. Cincinnati has won back-to-back games against Buffalo, including a 27-10 victory in the Divisional Round of the 2022 NFL Playoffs.

What To Watch For

Burrow and Allen were both finalists for the Associated Press Most Valuable Player award last season, with Allen winning and Burrow finishing fourth. Burrow is 2-0 against Allen in their careers.

Shakir primarily operates out of the slot and finished with the fifth-most yards after catch per reception in the league,per PFF. It remains to be seen who will be the primary inside corner in new defensive coordinator Al Golden's defense: The defensive back room constantly rotated inside and outside during spring practices