Bengals vs Bills NFL Divisional Round: QB matchup | Joe Burrow vs Josh Allen
As the AFC Divisional Round repeats the meeting between two of the most exciting offenses in the NFL, we stack the quarterbacks up head to head
The Cincinnati Bengals will travel to Buffalo to face the Bills in the AFC Divisional Round of the playoffs. This is a rematch of the aborted meeting in Week 17 that pits two of the most exciting offenses in the NFL against one another.
You can follow the clash between Bengals vs Bills here: NFL Divisional Round
In the preamble to this matchup, the Bengals ripped the Ravens a new one, twice, while the Bills stepped over the Pats and Dolphins at home. The two defenses are comparable, and while there are differences in the running and receiving corps, the true battle will be between Joe Burrow and Josh Allen.
Both of these field marshals are top five quarterbacks, and while we have seen the big face offs of Mahomes versus both of these players, they are yet to square off against each other.
How do they stack up?
While both put up similar sorts of numbers in completions and touchdowns, the main difference is in the running ability of the two. While Joe Burrow can definitely scramble, Josh Allen can actually run for yardage.
This could be a significant trait, since neither team has any sort of dominance in the ground game, instead relying on their solid passing game to get them to and through the playoffs.
While Josh Allen is a key driving force to Buffalo’s offense, often running scripted plays that are designed around his dual threat ability, Joe Burrow is more of a traditional quarterback, marshalling his offense around him. His accuracy, reliability, and confidence are in the mold of Joe Montana or Drew Brees, whereas Allen’s feet make him a dangerous element all his own, more in the style of the run-and-gun masters like Michael Vick or Randall Cunningham.
Who has the edge?
The key to the game for both offenses will be turnovers. Both Buffalo and Cincinnati have offenses who can counter strike and make you pay dearly for any mistake, so the quarterback who keeps possession will come away with the win.
It is difficult to say with any sort of certainty who has the edge, with home field advantage favoring the Bills. But the swagger and confidence of the Bengals and Burrow are plain to see. They have been to the puppet show, they have seen the strings. There are no surprises here for them and seem to thrive on adversity.
The smart money may be on the Bills, but as a betting man, I would back Joe Burrow to calmly rally the troops and scrape out the win.