Bills vs. Bengals: Time, odds, TV, live stream, key matchups, prediction for 'Sunday Night Football' in Week 9

Everything you need to know about this big AFC showdown

The NFL's ninth weekend of the 2023 regular season could very well be a preview of what's to come when the AFC playoffs begin in two months. Four of the conference's top teams will face off on Sunday; roughly 11 hours after the Dolphins and Chiefs kick things off in Germany, the Bengals will play host to the Bills in a rematch of Cincinnati's 27-10 win over Buffalo in last year's divisional round playoff showdown. 

Both teams are in similar spots through eight weeks. Buffalo (5-3) is a game behind the Dolphins in the AFC East standings, while Cincinnati (4-3) is 1.5 games back of Baltimore in the race to capture the AFC North. 

The Bengals have won three straight games after a 1-3 start. Cincinnati's most recent win was an impressive 31-17 victory over the 49ers that included three touchdown passes from Joe Burrow. The Bills started 3-1 before rotating wins and losses over the past month. Buffalo was able to edge the Buccaneers last Thursday night behind a big game from Josh Allen, who threw for 324 yards and two touchdowns. 

Here's a full breakdown of Sunday night's matchup. 

How to watch

• When: Sunday, Nov. 5 | 8:20 p.m. ET
• Location: Paycor Stadium (Cincinnati) 
• TV: NBC | Live stream: fubo (try for free) 
• Odds: CIN -2; O/U 50.5 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
  

When the Bengals have the ball

Cincinnati's offense was firing on all cylinders in San Francisco. Led by Burrow, the Bengals offense tallied 400 total yards and 29 first downs against the stingy 49ers defense. Burrow no longer looked impacted by the calf injury that limited him during the season's first month. He has also reestablished his rapport with Ja'Marr Chase, who caught 10 of 12 targets for 100 yards and a score against the 49ers. 

Along with Burrow, Tee Higgins also appears to be closer to full strength after suffering a serious rib injury back in Week 4. Higgins, Chase and Tyler Boyd represent the league's top receiving trio. Making the Bengals offense even tougher to defend has been the emergence of rookie wideout Andrei Iosivas, the steady running of Joe Mixon and an offensive line that has continued to improve over the past month. 

Per usual, the Bills defense is one of the league's best. The unit is currently third in the NFL in points and touchdown passes allowed, sixth in red zone efficiency and 10th in passing yards allowed. Buffalo is also second in the NFL with 28 sacks, with most of that damage coming from Leonard Floyd and the rest of Buffalo's starting defensive line. 

If there's a weakness, it's been the Bills' run defense, which has allowed an average of 5.1 yards per carry this season, the second-highest total in the NFL. 

When the Bills have the ball

Like the defense, Buffalo also continues to boast one of the NFL's top offenses. Led by Allen, the Bills offense is currently fourth in the NFL in scoring and passing yards and second in both third-down and red zone efficiency. 

Since the start of the 2019 season, no quarterback has scored more total touchdowns than Allen. He's already tallied 22 total touchdowns through eight games this season. Allen has thrown a combined 11 touchdown passes to wideouts Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, who have become one of the league's top receiving duos. Rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid has also started to become more of a factor. The first-round pick has 13 receptions over the past two games and scored his first career touchdown against the Buccaneers. 

Like past seasons, the Bills continue to use the running game to complement Allen and the passing game. James Cook is averaging a very solid 4.8 yards per carry, while Allen leads the way with five touchdown runs. 

Turnovers continues to be Buffalo's Achilles' heel on offense. Allen committed four turnovers in Buffalo's season-opening loss to the Jets and has turned the ball over six times since that game. 

"Bend but don't break" has been the unofficial motto for the Bengals defense. Lou Anarumo's unit leads the NFL in interceptions, which has helped them overcome being in the back half in the league in several categories that include points allowed, yards allowed and third-down efficiency. Being 11th in the red zone efficiency has also aided the unit. 

Cincinnati is getting career years from defensive end Trey Hendrickson (eight sacks, two forced fumbles), linebacker Logan Wilson (three interceptions) and cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt, who has become one of the key members of a rebuilt secondary. The unit appears to be finding its way with first-time starters Daxton Hill and Nick Scott. 

Key matchup

Taylor-Britt has taken advantage of his elevated status on the Bengals defense following Chidobe Awuzie's season-ending knee injury last season. Taylor-Britt played a key role in the defense limiting Diggs to just four catches during last year's playoff win. 

Another matchup to watch is Hendrickson against Dion Dawkins. Simply put, Dawkins needs to hold his own in this matchup while preventing Hendrickson from being a constant presence in Buffalo's backfield. 

Prediction 

When they're at their best, the Bills have looked nearly unbeatable. But more often than not, the Bills have been so unpredictable this season that it makes way more sense to pick the Bengals, who seem to have found their stride after another slow start. Expect a low-scoring game that may come down to turnovers. If that's the case, the Bengals have the upper hand. Pick: Bengals 20, Bills 16