The Cincinnati Bengals' roar is loud and clear.
After a feeble 1-3 start that drew heavy criticism, the Bengals made it four wins on the bounce after beating the Buffalo Bills 24-18 on Sunday Night Football.
A high-octane first quarter kicked things off as each Joe Burrow and Josh Allen led their respective teams to opening-drive touchdowns.
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But Allen and Co. tailed off as Cincinnati took a 21-7 lead at the break, dominating possession and prohibiting the Bills to gain momentum.
Buffalo eventually showed signs of life late in the fourth quarter after the Bengals failed to put the game out of reach with a touchdown, suddenly reigniting a slow-cooking contest after a scorching first.
But after the Bills cut the deficit to 24-18, the Bengals never gave the ball back and moved to 5-3 on the season. Buffalo, meanwhile, regressed to 5-4.
NFL
Let's analyze the game further with five takeaways:
Joe Burrow vs. Josh Allen
Burrow once again got the better of Allen, just like he did in their playoff matchup last season. Burrow completed 31 of 44 passes for 348 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers while Allen completed 26 of 38 passes for 258 yards, one touchdown and one pick. He did add a rushing score.
Allen threw a pick for the fifth straight game, the longest stretch of his career. It's been a worrying trend for the 27-year-old, who not often is able to outduel other elite quarterbacks because of his turnover-prone habits.
Burrow, though, is back to his best after his calf injury clearly hindered him during the first few weeks. He diced up the San Francisco 49ers last week and had relatively zero issues doing the same in this one.
Tee Higgins and Tanner Hudson step up for Cincy
On a night where Ja'Marr Chase was held to four catches for 41 yards -- which was three catches for nine yards in the fourth -- the Bengals saw Tee Higgins and Tanner Hudson deliver and ease the burden.
Higgins had a season-high outing, catching eight passes on nine targets for 110 yards. Hudson came into the game with four catches all season. He ended with four catches for 45 yards, each with substance. Tyler Boyd came through with a big catch in Cincinnati's final drive to see out the game, too.
Bills have a clear lack of skill players
It was an issue coming into the season and it just keeps sticking out like a sore thumb. Beyond Stefon Diggs, no one on Buffalo is elite enough for this team to go the distance. Allen led in the rushing department with 44 yards on eight carries for a touchdown, while James Cook recorded 20 yards on six carries and Latavius Murray four yards on two carries.
Diggs was held in check up until his fourth-quarter score, finishing with 89 yards on six catches. Tight end Dalton Kincaid proved a reliable weapon after hauling in 10 catches for 81 yards, but his outing will most be remembered by a costly fumble late in the game.
Gabe Davis' previous playoff performances just don't make up for his inconsistencies in the regular season. He had zero catches on two targets.
Germaine Pratt forces another stellar forced turnover
A week after Germaine Pratt came up with a one-handed pick near the end zone vs. San Francisco, the 27-year-old linebacker amazed with another stellar forced turnover.
The aforementioned Kincaid fumble was a result of Pratt somehow punching the ball out as Kincaid flipped over from Nick Scott's tackle.
Moments like that win you the big games. That's now consecutive games Pratt came up with the goods.
Buffalo's upcoming schedule is...eerie
The 5-4 Bills may have hoped for things to get a tad easier the rest of the way, but they have one of the toughest schedules in the second half of the season.
Their next eight games include the New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Chargers and Miami Dolphins.
The other two are the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots, the latter of whom have already beat Buffalo two weeks ago. Head coach Sean McDermott has quite the task at hand.
