Baltimore was a tough match for the Bengals’ offense. Than can’t win against the Bills

The Cincinnati Bengals Due to some strange late-game management decisions by the NFL, they are heading to Buffalo to face the Bills in divisional round. Baltimore Ravens The win was 24-17. The Bengals managed to win a victory over their long-time divisional rival. 98-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard.

The name of the game in the playoffs is survive and advance, so the Bengals don’t really have to be upset about the way they won. But in order to get past Buffalo, they’re going to need some more help from their offense.

Joe Burrow The Bengals offense and the rest had their moments Sunday night when they were moving the ball well, but overall performed below their standards against a physical, tough Ravens defense, which improved significantly over the course of the season. Cincinnati managed a mere 4.3 yards per play and survived thanks to third-down conversions. Converting 53.8% of your third downs is a great way to offset other struggles on offense, but it’s tough to win against better teams while also burning through first and second downs. According to Ben Baldwin of The Athletic, the Bengals got a first down on just 24% of their first- and second-down plays — comparatively, the Ravens achieved a first down on 31% of their first- and second-down plays.

The Bengals require more than that. It was obvious from watching the game. Hubbard needed to recover a crucial fumble for a touchdown. Burrow was limited to 6.5 yards per attempt, and was sacked four more times. Joe Mixon averaged 3.5 yards per attempt, struggling to find running lanes behind the Bengals’ beleaguered offensive line.

The most difficult thing about the playoffs are the quick turnarounds required before you play an opponent who was better than the one you played. Josh Allen, Bills quarterback, is in a higher level of NFL existence than he was previously. Tyler Huntley. It will take some more effort to get past Buffalo than what the Bengals did against the Ravens. But they can rest easy knowing that their defense was strong.

The Bengals’ offense struggling doesn’t mean they’re doomed as they get ready for the Bills, though. They match up well against the Bengals, and they still have the ability to be a firebrand in any game. Burrow was shackled for much of the game against Ravens. However, he did have a few third-and long conversions that helped Bengals keep drives alive.

There’s just too much talent on the Bengals’ offensive roster to keep them in check for an entire game. They have one week to learn how to manage their weaknesses along the offensive line before they take on the Bills. It won’t be easy, but Burrow, Mixon, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins And Tyler Boyd You are strong enough to overcome it.

This team was able to win a game with a poor offensive showing, that’s a good thing. The Bills could not repeat it with the same results.