NFL
Where are the Bills and Bengals Playing the NFL Divisional Round Playoff Game?
The Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals squared off in Week 17 on Monday Night Football for what should have been one of the best games of the 2022 NFL season between superstar quarterbacks Joe Burrow and Josh Allen. However, just over eight minutes into the game, Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the field, and only the quick action of the teams’ medical staffs saved his life. The league canceled the game, ultimately giving the Kansas City Chiefs the AFC title, making the Bills the No. 2 seed and the Bengals No. 3. The NFL did make some concessions, though, including putting a potential Bills-Chiefs AFC Championship Game at a neutral site in Atlanta. Now, as fans get ready for Bengals-Bills in the Divisional Round, many are asking, where are the Bills and Bengals playing the NFL Divisional Round playoff game?
Where is Bengals-Bills being played?
The Buffalo Bills vs. Cincinnati Bengals Divisional Round playoff game is being played at the home of the Buffalo Bills, Highmark Field, in Orchard Park, NY.
Kickoff is scheduled for 3:00 pm ET on Sunday, December 21, 2023.
Bengals-Bills is being played in Buffalo because the Bills finished the season with a 13-3 record, while the Bengals ended the season at 12-4. The Chiefs received the No. 1 seed and the Wild Card Round bye because, at 14-3, they had a better winning percentage than the Bills, despite Josh Allen and company beating Patrick Mahomes and his crew back in Week 6.
The Bengals also beat the Chiefs 27-24 in Week 13 and held a 7-3 lead over the Bills when the league called the Week 17 matchup.
This isn’t an ideal situation for the Bengals or Bills, and both fan bases have griped a bit about the unfairness of the outcome. However, Roger Goodell and the NFL did the best they could in the wake of a horrible situation and got it mostly right trying to answer the question, where are the Bills and Bengals playing the Divisional Round?
Joe Burrow vs. Josh Allen I
“Where is Bengals-Bills being played?” questions aside, this game will finally give us the elite young quarterback matchup NFL fans have been waiting for.
While Joe Burrow has gone head-to-head with Patrick Mahomes three times (owning an impressive 3-0 record), Josh Allen has produced a 2-3 record against the Chiefs QB. The Bengals and Bills signal-callers haven’t faced each other yet, though.
This season, Burrow and Allen were two of the best passers in the NFL. Here are their 2022 statistics:
- Joe Burrow: 414-of-606 for 4,475 passing yards, 35 passing touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 75 carries, 257 rushing yards, zero rushing TDs.
- Josh Allen: 359-of-567 for 4,283 passing yards, 35 passing touchdowns, 14 interceptions, 124 carries, 762 rushing yards, seven rushing TDs.
These two young QBs can do it through the air or on the ground and will likely have many more playoff matchups after this one. However, whichever QB plays better on Sunday will likely take his team within one step of the Super Bowl, and that’s ultimately what we will remember, as opposed to the answer to the question, where are the Bills and Bengals playing the NFL Divisional Round playoff game?