ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Bills fans have not forgotten how last season ended: with a 27-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, at home and in the snow, in an AFC Divisional round game.
What might surprise Bills fans is hearing what Tyler Boyd had to say about that Jan. 22 game, when Damar Hamlin made his return to Highmark Stadium after going into cardiac arrest during a Jan. 2 prime-time game against the Bengals.
"Going back to the playoff game, when we won in the snow, a couple of their players were saying if it wasn’t snowing they would’ve beat us. We’re here now, so we’re going to see what the outcome is," the Bengals wide receiver said earlier this week, ahead of a Sunday Night Football game with the Bills on Channel 2.
Boyd had one catch for 23 yards in Cincinnati's win, on a day where quarterback Joe Burrow completed 23 of 36 passes for 242 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions.
Josh Allen, by contrast, completed 25 of 42 passes for 264 yards and was picked off once.
The Bengals lost the following week 23-20 to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game. Boyd left that game in the second quarter with a thigh bruise after catching two passes for 40 yards.
"When you lose it’s always an excuse. Just like I said, if I’d played in the Chiefs game, we would’ve won. But at the end of the day, you’ve got to prove it. You’ve got to go out there and do it, so we’re here to get this win,” Boyd said.
The Bills and Bengals will meet again on Sunday Night Football. The game begins at 8:20 p.m. Sunday and will be shown on Channel 2.