CINCINNATI BENGALS One Paul Brown Stadium Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 (513) 621-3550 administrative offices (513) 621-3570 administrative fax (513) 621-TDTD (8383) ticket office www.bengals.com WEEKLY NEWS RELEASE SEPT. 17, 2019 WEEK 3, GAME 3 CINCINNATI BENGALS (0-2) SUNDAY, SEPT. 22 AT NEW ERA FIELD AT NEXT WEEK: WEEK 4, GAME 4 BUFFALO BILLS (2-0) MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL, SEPT. 30 AT PITTSBURGH GAME NOTES Kickoff: 1 p.m. Eastern. “Throw the record out the window. We need to prepare like we know we can prepare, and play with the sound technique that we played with in Week 1, other Television: The game will air on CBS-TV. In the Bengals’ home region, than a few plays. It’s Week 3, so it’s not time to panic, and it’s not time to change it will be carried by WKRC-TV (Ch. 12) in Cincinnati, WHIO-TV (Ch. 7) in Dayton anything we’re doing.” and on WKYT-TV (Ch. 27) in Lexington. Broadcasters are Tom McCarthy (play- History shows that a win this week at Buffalo would significantly boost by-play) and Jay Feely (analyst). Cincinnati’s hopes of securing a playoff spot later this season. A loss, though, would severely hurt those chances. Over the last 10 years (2009-18), teams who Radio: The game will air on the Bengals Radio Network, led by Cincinnati start 0-2 have gone on to make the playoffs 10.3 percent of the time. That rate flagship stations WCKY-AM (ESPN 1530; all sports) and WEBN-FM (102.7). jumps to 24.8 percent for teams who start 1-2, but falls to a mere 2.3 percent for Broadcasters are Dan Hoard (play-by-play) and Dave Lapham (analyst). teams who start 0-3. “We’re all in this thing together,” Taylor said. “We’re not here to point fingers Setting the scene: The Bengals this week travel to Buffalo for a at each other, we’re just here to get it right. Buffalo is our next opportunity to get road matchup against the Bills, looking to bounce back from a 41-17 loss to the it right.” San Francisco 49ers in last week’s regular-season home opener. The Bills enter this week’s matchup 2-0, after wins over the N.Y. Jets and “This loss is not something we’re going to run from,” said Bengals head N.Y. Giants to start the season. coach Zac Taylor after the 49ers game. “It is what it is. We got blown out at home. We could say it was frustrating, but we will not allow our guys to hang their heads. BENGALS-BILLS NFL RANKINGS “This is one game. We have 14 more to go. We have a tough one next week BENGALS BILLS at Buffalo, so we can’t waste one second feeling sorry for ourselves because no SCORING (AVERAGE POINTS): one else is going to do that. These guys will rebound. We have great heart Points scored............................................. T-21st (18.5) 11th (22.5) in this locker room, and we all know that this is not us and this is not what Points allowed .............................................. 29th (31.0) 5th (15.0) we’re about.” NET OFFENSE (AVERAGE YARDS): Cincinnati’s defense, which put together a strong Week 1 showing at Seattle, Total ........................................................... 11th (372.5) 9th (379.0) struggled to find its footing last week against San Francisco. After holding the Rushing ....................................................... 32nd (29.5) 9th (139.5) Seahawks to 232 total yards and 72 rushing yards in the opener, the defense Passing ........................................................ 2nd (343.0) 18th (239.5) allowed 572 total yards and 259 rushing yards to San Francisco last week. The NET DEFENSE (AVERAGE YARDS): Bengals were also held without a sack against the 49ers, after racking up four Total ........................................................... 25th (402.0) 6th (296.5) sacks and applying consistent pressure to Seahawks QB Russell Wilson a week Rushing ...................................................... 30th (165.5) 10th (98.5) earlier. Passing ....................................................... 16th (236.5) 6th (198.0) “We got punched in the mouth today at home,” said DE Carlos Dunlap. TURNOVERS: “We’re not discouraged. We know who we are. We have more heart than that. Differential ........................................... T-25th (minus-2) T-20th (minus-1) They just out-executed us today. It’s an isolated incident; it’s not a snowball effect.” The series: Buffalo has been a fairly consistent non-division opponent Despite the lopsided Week 2 result, there have been plenty of bright spots for Cincinnati recently. This weekend’s game will mark the seventh time in 10 for the Bengals so far this season. Bengals QB Andy Dalton enters Week 3 seasons that the two teams have met for a regular-season matchup. ranked second in the NFL in passing yards (729) and first in completions (61). The Bills lead the series 16-15 overall, but the Bengals have won four of the WR Tyler Boyd’s 18 receptions rank tied for second in the NFL and count as the last five meetings, including the last two matchups played at Buffalo. Overall, the most in Bengals history through the first two games of a season. And WR John Bengals are 5-9 in games at Buffalo. Ross III, who has enjoyed a fast start in 2019 after battling injuries and struggling The Bengals won the last meeting, a 20-16 victory in 2017 at Paul Brown to find the field in his first two seasons, leads the NFL in receiving yards (270). Stadium. Since 2011, when he was drafted, Bengals QB Andy Dalton is 4-1 Ross is also tied for the league lead in receiving TDs (three) and receptions of at against the Bills. least 20 yards (six). Prior to 2011, the Bills had won 10 straight against the Bengals, the longest “We’ve done some good things, and we’ve had some big plays,” Dalton said. winning streak on record by any team against Cincinnati. The Bills amassed that “At the end of the (San Francisco) game, we had two receivers (Boyd and Ross) long winning streak after suffering a loss in the biggest game to date, the 1988 with 100 yards. There’s obviously some guys making some plays in there.” AFC Championship at Riverfront Stadium. The Bengals won that one 21-10, But while the Bengals have flashed their fair share of potential in the first two advancing to Super Bowl XXIII. The AFC Championship win left Cincinnati with a games, the primary challenge now is putting it all together and getting into the five-game winning streak over Buffalo. win column quickly. Despite its streaky nature, the series balances out to be a competitive affair. “I always feel great urgency every day (laughs),” Taylor told the media on The Bills’ 16-15 overall lead includes two playoff losses to the Bengals. The Monday. “I feel urgency to get done with this press conference, and urgency to Bengals’ other playoff victory over Buffalo was in a 1981 season Divisional round get to the next staff meeting. It’s important that our players don’t feel like this contest at Riverfront Stadium. The 28-21 win advanced Cincinnati into its (Buffalo) game is any different. “Freezer Bowl” AFC title win against San Diego. — 1 — (The series, continued) Dalton’s best passer rating against the Bills — 118.6 — came in the Bengals’ 34-21 win in 2015 at Buffalo. Dalton completed 22 of 33 for 248 yards, with three A complete recap of the series appears on page 206 of the 2019 Bengals TDs and no INTs in that game. Media Guide. The 2011 Bengals-Bills game in Cincinnati was one of the pivotal victories in the young career of Dalton. The 2011 Bengals team was considered to be Team bests from the series: undergoing a rebuilding effort and was widely forecast to finish last in the AFC Bengals — MOST POINTS: 52, in a 52-21 victory at Riverfront Stadium North Division. It entered the Buffalo game at 1-2 against a 3-0 Bills club. The in 1984. LARGEST VICTORY MARGIN: 31, from the 1984 victory at Riverfront. Bills seemed to validate the bleak Bengals forecast by mounting a 17-3 halftime FEWEST POINTS ALLOWED: 5, in a 5-0 loss to the Bills at Buffalo in 1978. lead. But rookie Dalton and the Bengals stormed back to win, 23-20, and it Bills — MOST POINTS: 51, in a 51-24 victory at Buffalo in 1979. became the starting point for a five-game win streak. K Mike Nugent kicked a 43- LARGEST VICTORY MARGIN: 27, in the 1979 game at Buffalo. FEWEST yard FG as time expired to win that ’11 game against the Bills, and Dalton had a POINTS ALLOWED: 0 (twice), most recently in a 14-0 win at Cincinnati in 1980. TD pass and a rushing TD in the second half. Cincinnati went on to finish 9-7 and earn a Wild Card playoff berth. The last meetings: Summaries of the last two Bengals-Bills Other current Bengals skill position performers who have played against meetings — in 2016 and ’17, both at Cincinnati — are on page 15 of this news Buffalo include: release. ● WR A.J. Green: Five games; 21-for-446 receiving (21.2 yards per catch) with two TDs. Bengals career records watch: Here is a look at potential ● HB Giovani Bernard: Four games; 32-for-101 rushing (3.2) with one TD; upcoming movement in the Bengals’ career records book (regular season): 14-for-165 receiving (11.8) and one TD. ● QB Andy Dalton has 4014 career pass attempts, 461 behind QB Ken ● TE Tyler Eifert: Three games; Nine receptions for 80 yards (8.9) and Anderson (4475) for the Bengals’ all-time lead.