Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - The Buffalo Bills continue to run down their checklist of goals for the 2022 season. First it was a playoff berth, which was accomplished with a Week 15 win over their division rival Miami Dolphins in Orchard Park.
This past week, it was capturing another AFC East title.
While this past Saturday's game against the Chicago Bears may not have been a typical Bills win with an offensive explosion through the air, it was a solid defensive performance against one of the better dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL, as well as a strong showing from the running game.
Starting offensively, quarterback Josh Allen started strong with a touchdown pass to Gabe Davis on the opening drive of the game, but was then shaky for much of the rest of the afternoon in Chicago. On the day, Allen finished 15-of-26 in the air for 172 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Where the Buffalo offense flourished in this game was with the play of Devin Singletary - finishing the game with 106 rushing yards and a touchdown - and James Cook - rushing for 99 yards and a score - on the ground. Allen also added a score with his feet in the fourth quarter, adding 41 yards on the ground for the day.
As for the defense, the Bills totally shut down a Chicago offense led by second-year quarterback Justin Fields. Not only did the unit limit Fields to just 119 yards on 15-of-23 passing, but it also held the NFL's leading rushing quarterback to just 11 yards on seven carries.
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All Buffalo needed was the victory on Saturday to capture the team's third-straight AFC East title. Along the way, the Bills were able to win a sixth-straight contest, helping boost their overall record this season to 12-3.
With their 12-3 record in the AFC standings, the Bills still maintain the No. 1 seed in the AFC standings, holding the current tie-breaker over the 12-3 Kansas City Chiefs because of their head-to-head matchup in Week 6.
With some help this upcoming weekend, the Bills will have a chance to put a bow on their run for the No. 1 seed in the conference.
It starts on Sunday with the Bills needing the 4-11 Denver Broncos to find a way to upset the Chiefs in Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium. The Broncos are fresh off firing first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett, who also served as the offensive coordinator with the Bills from 2013-14.
If, and only if that situation is able to take place, the Bills would only need a victory in their "Monday Night Football" showdown with the Bengals at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati.
While the Bills enter the contest winners of six-straight games and playing, arguably, some of their best overall football of the season, there may be no other hotter team than the Bengals heading into Monday's matchup. Cincinnati has won seven-straight games to help improve to 11-4 overall and vault into the top spot in the AFC North standings.
In his third season under center with the Bengals, quarterback Joe Burrow is having an MVP-caliber year, completing 69% of his pass attempts for 4,260 yards and 34 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. He's put himself right in the discussion for the MVP race this season along with Allen, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and, perhaps, Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterback Jalen Hurts.
While both offenses enter Monday night's matchup pretty evenly matched, the defenses will also both be well matched up for the game. In terms of overall offense, the Bills currently rank seventh in the league with 317.7 yards per-game, while the Bengals are 13th in the NFL with 332.3 yards per-game.
Where Monday's game in Cincinnati may be determined is the battle in the trenches, as well as which quarterback between Allen and Burrow can out-duel the other.
While the Bengals enter this week with the hotter streak, that fact does not alter Howard Simon's thinking heading into the final two weeks of the regular season. Not only does Howard foresee the Bills picking up a win over the Bengals in prime-time on Monday night over the Bengals, he also sees the team earning a win in Week 18 over the New England Patriots to maintain the No. 1 seed heading into the postseason.
Once to the playoffs, Howard has it easy in the Wild Card Round with the Bills holding on to the opening round bye week. From there, he sees the Bills being able to defeat a red-hot Jacksonville Jaguars squad in the AFC Divisional Round, and then the Bengals once again in the AFC Championship Game at Highmark Stadium.
Then in Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona, Howard has Buffalo set to take on the Eagles, who currently hold on to the No. 1 seed in the NFC. While it may be a battle of the No. 1 seeds for the right to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy, Howard sees the Bills finally coming out on top to be crowned as NFL champions for the first time in franchise history!
Be sure to follow along on Twitter for the latest picks from Howard by using the hashtag #HowardPicksTheBills. You can also track all of Howard's picks throughout the season with Brayton Wilson's picks tracker on Twitter: @BraytonJWilson.
You can listen to the latest edition of "Howard Picks the Bills" in the player, or watch the Week 17 edition below:
