Buffalo Bills vs. Cincinnati Bengals Monday Night Football Betting Preview

A possible AFC Championship Game preview will take place on Monday Night Football to close out Week 17 of the NFL season. The Buffalo Bills will visit the Cincinnati Bengals in a game that could have major implications on the AFC playoff picture. 

With both teams battling for the top seed in the conference, the Bills come into this game as slight favorites as they look for a key road win.

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Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills come into this contest having won six games in a row, with the most recent of those wins coming against the Chicago Bears. 

Buffalo is in control of its own destiny coming into their final two games of the season, as two wins would give them the one seed in the AFC and the first-round bye that comes with it. But, for that to happen, the Bills need to slow down Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ potent passing attack.

Buffalo has the second-best scoring defense in the NFL this season, but their pass defense has not been great. They rank 14th in the NFL in passing yardage allowed per game, despite not giving up many points with that yardage. 

Some of that has to do with the Bills facing a lot of passes by virtue of leading in so many of their games, but the Bills will have to be at their best at stopping the pass to win here.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals come into this game with a longer winning streak than the Buffalo Bills, having won seven consecutive contests. 

They will aim to extend their winning streak to eight in this contest, as they hope their passing attack can get the better of Buffalo in this game. If that were to happen, the Bengals would have a significant advantage in the race for the top seed in the AFC.

Having already beat the Kansas City Chiefs this season, the Bengals would hold the tiebreaker over the Bills and Chiefs with a win tonight. That would put them one more win and one Chiefs loss away from taking the top seed in the conference. 

Of course, the Chiefs will be favorites in Week 18 over a Raiders team operating with backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham in charge, but the Bengals would still have a shot at the top seed.

Keys To The Game

The top key to this game for the Bills is going to be their running game, which will help their pass defense significantly. If the Bills can get things going on the ground, they will keep the ball away from the passing offense of the Bengals. 

Running the football has not been the strength of the Bills this season, but any contribution from that facet of their game would be huge for their chances.

Meanwhile, the top key for the Bengals in this game will be protecting Joe Burrow. That has not been something the Bengals have done well on a consistent basis this season. But, against a Bills team with a fearsome pass rush, the Bengals will have to do that if they want to win and keep themselves in the mix for the one-seed.