Bills Notebook: Rushing Woes, Defense Haunt Buffalo in Blowout Loss to Bengals

Three key takeaways from the Bills' season ending loss to the Bengals.

While the highly anticipated AFC Divisional Round showdown between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals was expected to be a shootout, it was anything but early on.

The Bengals took control of this game early, getting whatever they wanted on offense while their defense shut down the Bills' offense. They took a 14-0 lead into the second quarter and were seemingly on cruise control. 

Buffalo did manage to cut it to a 14-7 lead in the second quarter, but the Bengals drove right back down to get a field that resulted in their eventual 17-7 halftime lead.

The second half was all Bengals, though, as the Bills' offense simply could not get anything going. They outscored the Bills 10-3 and cruised to an easy 27-10 victory to end Buffalo's season. 

Now, here are three key takeaways from Buffalo's loss to Cincinnati. 

Bills defense exposed

Losing Von Miller definitely hurt the Bills' defense in the long run, but they were exposed in a bad way against the Bengals. Joe Burrow was his usual self, completing 23-of-36 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns. However, what really hurt the Bills in this one was their inability to stop the run. 

Bengals' running back Joe Mixon rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown while the Bengals as a whole rushed for 172 yards. Teams who can run the ball effectively win in the playoffs, and conversely if you can't stop the run you likely won't go far. For the Bills, they were the latter in what was a disappointing defensive showing. 

Buffalo's no-show run game

Speaking of rushing attacks winning playoff games, the Buffalo run game was pretty much non-existent in their loss. Yes, they were working with a negative game script due to the deficit but the offense became one-dimensional which further hurt Buffalo. 

The Bills were out-rushed 172 yards to 63 and could muster any semblance of a competent ground game. Josh Allen was the leading rusher for the Bills, only rushing for 26 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. Moving forward, if the Bills want to get over the hump and finally win the AFC, they must figure be better at running the ball. 

What next for Buffalo?

Another season, another disappointing ending for the Bills. While it isn't a brutal overtime loss, a blowout loss at home is arguably a worse feeling to deal with over the course of the offseason. Moving forward, though, there is no reason to panic if you're Buffalo.

The Bills still have Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs on offense, and a defense that has shown it can be elite when healthy. How they address the offseason, though, will be important. Their division isn't getting any easier with the emergence of the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets, and now Buffalo must worry about both if they aren't careful.

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You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

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