Bills vs. Bengals final score, results: Joe Burrow outlasts Josh Allen as Cincinnati wins fourth straight

Edward Sutelan

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Bills vs. Bengals final score, results: Joe Burrow outlasts Josh Allen as Cincinnati wins fourth straight image

Folks, the Bengals are back.

When Cincinnati began the season 1-3, including a pair of blowout losses in which they scored just three points in each game against the Browns and Titans, it sure seemed Joe Burrow's calf injury would wind up holding the team back in what appeared to be one of their best chances to finally win that elusive Super Bowl.

Since that loss to Tennessee, it's been the Bengals of old. And that team showed up again on "Sunday Night Football" against the Bills. Cincinnati jumped out to an first-half, 21-7 lead against Buffalo, and the defense did the rest, limiting the Bills to just 11 points the rest of the game as the Bengals won their fourth straight, beating the Bills 24-18.

MORE: Is Damar Hamlin playing vs. Bengals on SNF?

Fans expected this to be an offensive showdown against two premier quarterbacks. And after the first three drives of the game, it sure appeared that's how it would go. The Bengals scored an opening-drive touchdown on just nine plays, matched quickly by a Bills' scoring drive of seven plays and 3:15. The Bengals re-took the lead on a 5:28 scoring drive to wrap up the first.

From there, however, "Mad Scientist" Lou Anarumo's defense kept Josh Allen and the Bills off balance offensively for most of the remainder of the game. The next four drives of the half went punt, interception, punt, end of half. 

Burrow and the Bengals, meanwhile, hit a few bumps in Buffalo territory, but scored a touchdown on their final drive of of the first half to take a two-score lead into the locker room. Buffalo picked up a field goal on the first drive of the second half and held the Bengals to just three points in the second half, but it wasn't until 3:32 left that Allen finally got the Bills back into the end zone, with a 17-yard strike to Diggs and a subsequent 2-point try to make it a six-point game.

MORE: Watch 'Sunday Night Football' live with Fubo (free trial)

The Bengals had the ball back with 3:32 left, but put the trust in No. 9, having him start the put-away drive with a 32-yard deep shot to Tyler Boyd to put the Bengals quickly in Buffalo territory. Joe Mixon ran three times to pick up the final first down needed to allow Burrow to kneel out the contest.

In a highly anticipated rematch between Allen and Burrow, it was the Bengals' signal-caller that once again came out the better in both the win column and the statsheet. Burrow completed 31-of-44 passes for 348 yards with a pair of touchdowns, while Allen went 26-for-38 with 258 passing yards, one passing touchdown and an interception. He also rushed eight times for 44 yards and another score.

With the win, the Bengals move into the final wild-card spot behind the Steelers and Browns, while the Bills are bumped down to the outside-looking-in of the AFC playoff race.

Sporting News tracked live scores and highlights from the "Sunday Night Football" matchup. Follow for updates throughout the Bills-Bengals matchup.

Bills vs. Bengals score

  1 2 3 4 F
Bills 7 0 3 8 18
Bengals 14 7 0 3 24

Bills vs. Bengals live updates, highlights from 'Sunday Night Football'

(All times Eastern)

Fourth quarter

11:21 p.m.: Mixon gets five yards on a run outside to the right, he's pushed out of bounds, but that will do it. The Bengals can kneel the game out and will win 24-18.

11:19 p.m.: Mixon rushes for four yards to bring up a third-and-4 at the Bills' 37, and bring up the two-minute warning. A first down will win the game for the Bengals, since Buffalo cannot stop the clock. A stop on third will bring up an interesting decision for Zac Taylor and Cincinnati.

11:17 p.m.: Mixon rushes for two yards after the big gain, and the Bills use their final timeout with 2:37 left. 

11:17 p.m.: Feels like a time to run the ball, right? Well, not to the Bengals, who trust Burrow to air out a deep pass to Boyd for 32 yards to the Bills 43.

11:16 p.m.: Bengals start the drive at the 25.

11:13 p.m. Bills scoring play: There's the big strike Bills fans have been waiting for. Allen fires a deep shot to Diggs, who beat rookie corner DJ Turner for the 17-yard touchdown. The Bills convert on the two-point conversion, throwing again to Diggs to make it a six-point game. Bengals 24, Bills 18

11:12 p.m.: Bills move quickly into the red zone, as Allen connects with Shakir for three yards then a short pass to Murray for six yards. Third-and-1 at the Bengals' 17 with under four minutes to play.

11:11 p.m.: Another familiar pattern for the Bills: Sherfield catches a pass for nine yards, then Murray powers ahead for two to pick up the first down at the Bengals' 26.

11:11 p.m.: The call on the field stands: incomplete pass. Bills face second-and-10, trailing by 14 with 5:33 left and only one timeout left on the board.

11:08 p.m.: Allen scrambles right again, and gets 11 yards. His next play is rules incomplete on a pass that just skips in too low for Sherfield. The Bills are challenging the play.

11:05 p.m.: Allen hits Shakir for a quick pass, and his speedy receiver takes it up for nine, but Allen is rushed on the next play and fires out an incompletion to avoid the sack from Hubbard. Latavius Murray gets his first carry and picks up two and the first down to the Bengals' 48.

11:04 p.m.: Allen goes right back to his trusted tight end, even after the fumble, with Kincaid catching a nine-yard pass to start the drive. Allen then runs right, dodging a tackle from Sam Hubbard, to pick up seven and the first at the Bills' 41.

11:03 p.m.: Bills will take the touchback, and start the drive from the 25.

11 p.m. Bengals scoring play: Burrow misses Mixon trying to get him on a swing pass. Cincinnati opts for the field goal at the 2-yard line to make it a two-touchdown advantage with 8:08 left to play. Bengals 24, Bills 10

10:59 p.m.: Another toss play outside to Mixon goes for a loss of three, but Burrow finds Smith, who picks up eight yards to the Bills' 2 before he steps out of bounds. Third-and-goal at the 2, with the Bengals knocking on the door.

10:57 p.m.: Burrow to Higgins has been the top combination all night, and it is again on the third down play. They connect for 18 yards, with Higgins catching a slant and races it to the Buffalo 7. First-and-goal with less than 10 minutes to play.

10:56 p.m.: Mixon picks up four yards on a run up the middle, but Burrow throws the ball away on the second-and-6. Bengals use their third and final timeout with 10:19 left before a third-and-6 play.

10:53 p.m.: Burrow finally connects on the big shot to Chase. His star wide receiver finds some open space, and he catches a 32-yard pass up to the Bills' 29.

10:52 p.m.: Why run it on third-and-1, when Burrow can call a play action then connect with Hudson for 17 yards up to the Cincinnati 39.

10:50 p.m.: Irv Smith drops a pass on first down, but who else but Higgins makes a leaping grab for nine yards over the first down marker. Before the third-and-1 play, the Bengals call a timeout, their second of the half.

10:46 p.m.: A crucial turnover this late in the game. Allen hits Kincaid up the middle, but as the tight end is flipped up in the air, he loses his grasp on the ball, and the Bengals recover it at the Cincinnati 13.

10:44 p.m.: The Bills try some trickery on first down with a lateral and flea flicker, but Allen fires it empty down the right side. He then scrambles for nine before he's stopped by Mike Hilton. He sneaks for a yard as the Bills pick up the first at the Cincinnati 22.

Third quarter

10:40 p.m.: Back-to-back plays with Cook, with him rushing for three then catching a pass for six to bring up third-and-1 at the Bengals' 35. Allen then sneaks to the left side to pick up three and the first down to bring the third quarter to an end.

10:39 p.m.: Allen is putting on the superhero cape to start the drive, powering his way for a 10-yard run to start the drive then hitting Kincaid for 11 yards to quickly get the Bills back into Cincinnati territory at the 44.

10:36 p.m.: The Bengals try for it on fourth down, but while Burrow connects with Sample, he's brought down three yards shy of the marker. The Bills take over at their own 35.

10:34 p.m.: Burrow can't connect with Boyd, and it's now fourth-and-5. The Bengals keep the offense out there, but use a timeout with 2:21 left in the third.

10:33 p.m.: Jordan Poyer blows up a pitch to Mixon, bringing him down for a loss of four. But Burrow to Higgins again, this time for nine yards, to set up a third-and-5 from the Bills' 37.

10:33 p.m.: Mixon takes a checkdown for five yards, then Higgins hauls in an 11-yard pass to move up to the Bills' 42.

10:28 p.m.: Irwin fair catches the punt at the Bengals' 42. Could be a pivotal drive for both teams, with the Bengals leading by two scores with 5:06 left in the third.

10:27 p.m.: Allen is flushed out of the pocket and tries to pick up yardage, but he's brought down by Trey Hendrickson for only a yard. Bills will have to punt the ball away.

10:26 p.m.: Allen throws a quick pass out to Cooks for four, then misses a quick strike to Diggs on the left side. Third-and-6 coming up. Bills wind up using their first timeout with 5:54 left in the half and the play clock down to three seconds.

10:22 p.m.: Burrow again looks Chase's way, and again comes up empty. He has just three catches for nine yards on seven targets. Robbins' punt spots the Bills at their own 9.

10:21 p.m.: Burrow goes for the deep shot to Chase, but the throw is just a bit short, and the contact with Dane Jackson breaks up the pass. Mixon then catches a dump-off pass, but is brought down for a loss of a yard. Third-and-11 coming up.

10:20 p.m.: Higgins catches a short pass, but makes a few players miss, moving all the way up to the Cincinnati 43.

10:19 p.m.: A healthy Burrow can be a game-changer for the Bengals, and he shows it on third-and-4, scrambling out of the pocket and picking up seven yards and the first to keep the drive going.

10:18 p.m.: Bengals feeding Mixon to start the drive, with him rushing for three then catching a pass for three to set up a third-and-4.

10:17 p.m.: Williams returns the kickoff to the 16, but a penalty pushes the spot back to the Cincinnati 8.

10:13 p.m. Bills scoring play: Allen, on a third-and-9, tries to connect with Davis in the end zone, but the ball falls incomplete. Tyler Bass drills the 34-yard field goal to at least get the Bills a few points. Bengals 21, Bills 10

10:12 p.m.: Pressure to Allen has limited him on each of the past two passes. He avoided a sack by dumping a quick pass, incomplete, off to Cooks, then tries quickly to throw a pass to Cook, who is tackled for a gain of just a yard.

10:10 p.m.: Allen rifles a pass to Diggs over the head of Nick Scott for a 15-yard pickup to the Bengals' 33. He dumps it off to Cook on the next play for a pickup of eight. Cook rushes for seven to get the first down and move into the red zone for the first time since the Bills' opening drive, setting up Buffalo at the Cincinnati 17 with a first down.

10:08 p.m.: The Allen-to-Kincaid connection keeps working. He scrambles to the right, then finds Kincaid at the 41 for a nine-yard pickup and a first down to the Bills' 41. He then find Kincaid again, who dives ahead for 11 yards to Cincinnati's 48 to keep the drive moving downfield.

10:07 p.m.: Bills flagged for ineligible receiver downfield that brings up a second-and-10, but Allen goes right back to Diggs to bring up a third-and-4.

10:06 p.m.: Sean McDermott talked about avoiding third-and-longs, and the Bills look ready to try and do just that, starting the drive off with a five-yard pass to Diggs to bring up a second-and-5.

10:05 p.m.: Shakir brings the ball out to the 26 to start the drive.

Second quarter

9:51 p.m.: The clock winds, and that will end the first half. Bengals head to the locker room leading 21-7.

9:49 p.m.: Allen airs the ball out deep down the left side, and after some discussion, officials rule the play as intentional grounding. That's a huge penalty as it backs the Bills out of field-goal range back to the Bengals' 48. NBC's Terry McAulay says that Allen threw it well past Davis, which is what made it intentional grounding.

9:47 p.m.: Two more completions to Kincaid, first for four then another for no gain. But Taylor-Britt is injured on the second pass, and the Bengals have to use a timeout to look him over on the field.

9:45 p.m.: Bills start at the 25, and Allen wastes no time getting Buffalo up the field. He finds Shakir for 22 yards to the 47, then hits Kincaid for 11 to get Buffalo in Cincinnati territory at the 42.

9:44 p.m. Bengals scoring play: Sample lines up in the backfield, darts out, catches a short pass and races it to the end zone to add to Cincinnati's lead. Bills will have 1:37 with one timeout left in the half. Bengals 21, Bills 7

9:41 p.m.: Burrow dances out of traffic in the pocket and throws a perfect deep shot to Boyd, but he just loses the handle on it at the 2-yard line. Third-and-7 for Cincinnati.

9:40 p.m.: Bills looking to keep some time on the clock. Mixon picks up three yards to the 21, and the Bills use their second timeout right away.

9:37 p.m.: Bengals decide to go for it, and it works out. Chase sneaks past the defender, catches a pass from Burrow and takes it 11 yards to the Bills' 25. That takes this game to the two-minute warning.

9:36 p.m.: The Bengals get within a yard, with Burrow firing a short pass over the middle to Boyd, who picks up nine yards to set up a fourth-and-1, and another decision for Cincinnati at the Bills' 36.

9:32 p.m.: Back-to-back incompletions from Burrow out to Hudson and Chase to start the drive. Third-and-10 coming up.

9:31 p.m.: Irwin returns the punt nine yards to the Bills' 45 yards. Back-to-back Cincinnati drives starting in Buffalo territory.

9:30 p.m.: Huge sack by the Bengals as BJ Hill gets to Allen at the Bills' 8. Buffalo will have to punt. Huge three-and-out after a disappointing Bengals' offensive possession.

9:28 p.m.: Cook rushes for six to start the drive, then picks up two yards to the 17 to set up a third-and-2.

9:25 p.m.: Brown is called for a false start on the field goal try, which was good from 55. The Bengals will have to punt. Bills will start from their own 9.

9:24 p.m.: Burrow is sacked by Leonard Floyd as he tried to escape at the Bills 37. Offensive holding is declined, and the Bengals will try for a field goal to make it a two-score game.

9:23 p.m.: Bengals get five yards back on an offsides by the Bills, which they'll accept despite an 8-yard grab by the Irwin. Third-and-10 coming up.

9:19 p.m.: Cincinnati keeps heading in the wrong direction. Burrow scrambles for a first down, but it's coming back on offensive holding. Now a third-and-15 from the Bills' 37.

9:18 p.m.: Bengals try for a quarterback sneak, but he's stopped just short. Cincinnati then takes a delay of game, and Cincinnati is now backed up to a third-and-5.

9:16 p.m.: Hudson remains active in the passing game, catching a nine-yard pass from Burrow to start the drive. The Bills use their first timeout with 8:17 left as the Bengals prepare for a second-and-1 from the Bills' 23.

9:15 p.m.: Allen makes his first mistake of the game. Taylor-Britt leaps in front of Gabe Davis and picks up his third interception of the season (Allen's ninth of the year). That will give the Bengals excellent field position at the Bills' 32.

9:14 p.m.: Allen starts the drive trying again to connect with Harty on a deep shot, but it's overthrown.

9:11 p.m.: Burrow clearly wanted to go for it, but the Bengals decide to punt. Brad Robbins boots it up, and Hardy fair catches the ball at the Bills' 12.

9:10 p.m.: Brutal false start penalty by Alex Cappa backs up the Bengals, and while Burrow connects with Drew Sample for six, the Bengals are still two yards shy of the marker. Fourth-and-2 coming up, and a decision for Cincinnati at the Bills' 48.

9:08 p.m.: Bengals keep leaning on the running game with Mixon picking up two, then Williams rushing for five to bring up a third-and-3 at the Bills' 49.

9:07 p.m.: Chase is tackled for a loss of two, but Mixon makes up for it right away, following Orlando Brown up the middle for a pickup of 12 yards for a first down up to the Bengals' 44.

9:05 p.m.: The Bengals' offense picks up right where it left off. Burrow starts the third drive by firing a quick pass to Higgins on a curl route for a pickup of 12 to the 34.

9:03 p.m.: Trenton Irwin returns the kick to the Bengals' 22.

9:02 p.m.: Allen goes for a deep shot, but he can't connect with Deonte Hardy. Offensive holding is declined, and the Bills will be the first to punt tonight.

9:01 p.m.: Bills now facing their longest third-down of the day. Cook lost a yard, then Allen is chased out of the pocket and just gets a throw off to Kincaid before he's sacked. Third-and-11 coming up.

9 p.m.: Allen tries to connect with Trent Sherfield, but Cam Taylor-Britt is called for pass interference. That will move the Bills up 17 yards to the Bills' 44.

First quarter

8:56 p.m.: James Cook gets his first rush of the game, picking up two yards. That will bring this quarter to an end.

8:55 p.m.: Bills will take the ball at the 25 on the fair catch at the 2. Just 0:35 left in a high-scoring first quarter.

8:52 p.m. Bengals scoring play: Hand-off to Mixon, and he bulldozes his way up the middle for the 2-yard touchdown to give Cincinnati the lead again. Bengals 14, Bills 7

8:51 p.m.: Cincinnati tries twice to get it to Chase, first with Chase being tackled at the 2 on a wide receiver screen and then a leaping grab for Chase in the end zone, where he can't quite hold on after the catch.

8:49 p.m.: Bengals just miss out on another touchdown. Burrow escapes the pocket, then gets the ball out to Higgins who dives for the pylon. However, Higgins is ruled out at the 2.

8:48 p.m.: Make it back-to-back firsts for the Bengals, as Hudson gets his second catch of the day, this one for 13 yards to the Bills' 14.

8:47 p.m.: Bengals stay perfect on third downs, with Tyler Boyd catching a pass in front of the sideline for 15 yards up to the Bills' 27.

8:46 p.m.: Bengals have their longest third-down attempt of the day. Mixon rushes for no gain, and Burrow can't connect with Smith after he gets flushed out of the pocket. Third-and-10 coming up.

8:44 p.m.: Andrei Iosivas is getting involved in the passing game after back-to-back weeks with a touchdown. He catches a nine-yard pass after Burrow rolls out to his right. Mixon then picks up the first by rushing for three yards to the Bills' 42.

8:44 p.m.: Burrow tries to connect with Ja'Marr Chase, but the throw is broken up. However, Burrow is roughed on the play, and the Bengals move up 15 yards.

8:43 p.m.: Williams with a solid return, moving up to the Cincinnati 31 to start the drive.

8:39 p.m. Bills scoring play: Allen rushes in for two yards, and is flagged for taunting as he runs in through the right side with 6:03 left in the first quarter. All offense so far. Bengals 7, Bills 7

8:37 p.m.: Allen scrambles out of the pocket, then flips a 15-yard pass out to Khalil Shakir for 22 yards up to the Bengals' 15. He follows that up by connecting with Kincaid for 13 yards out to the Cincinnati 2. These offenses are moving fast.

8:35 p.m.: Stop if you've heard this before: Allen to Stefon Diggs. The dynamic duo connect for nine yards up the middle on a third-and-5, then they connect again for a huge 34-yard strike, with Diggs catching a short pass and carving through the left sideline down to the Bengals' 37.

8:34 p.m.: Allen starts the Bills' drive off by finding Dalton Kincaid for a quick pass of five yards out of an RPO. He tries to hit him again on second down, but can't connect.

8:33 p.m.: Ty Johnson returns the kickoff out to the Bills' 15, where Josh Allen and Co. will start their drive.

8:30 p.m. Bengals scoring play: Smith gets his first touchdown of the year, making a leaping grab over Jordan Poyer for a 7-yard touchdown. Bengals 7, Bills 0

8:28 p.m.: Mixon gets his first rush of the game for three yards up the middle, then Burrow gets Smith involved, throwing a short pass to him. He takes it up to the Bills' 7 for 11 yards, and the Bengals are at a first-and-goal.

8:28 p.m.: Burrow dodges a sack in the backfield, rolls out to his left and flips a pass to Tee Higgins for 18 yards up to the Bills' 21. Bengals are rolling early.

8:27 p.m.: Much ado was made about the tight end position last week when Irv Smith Jr. fumbled in the red zone. Today, the first tight end to get involved in the game is Tanner Hudson, who catches a six-yard pass and gets the first down.

8:26 p.m.: Williams gets the first two carries of the game by a Bengal, and he rushes right up the middle for seven yards on first down and then a pickup of one trying to bounce outside.

8:24 p.m.: Burrow starts the game with a quick checkdown pass to Joe Mixon, who takes it up the field eight yards. He then catches another short pass and takes it up 15 yards to the Bengals' 47.

8:23 p.m.: Trayveon Williams returns the ball out to the 24, where the Bengals will start on offense.

8:20 p.m.: The Bengals won the toss, and decided to take the ball on offense to start the game.

8:13 p.m.: Think the Bengals' fans are ready for this game? They're striping the stadium.

8:12 p.m.: We're just minutes away from the start of this highly anticipated "Sunday Night Football" matchup.

8:09 p.m.: Jason Garrett keeps it from being a clean sweep on the FNIA panel. He's the lone analyst that picks the Bills to beat the Bengals.

7:56 p.m.: Before the game, former punter Kevin Huber and former long-snapper Clark Harris are recognized on the jumbotron. The two are Cincinnati legends, with Huber having played in the most games as a Bengal (216 games) and Harris ranking fourth (202 games). The two are the rulers of the jungle for the game.

7:45 p.m.: Rasul Douglas will be playing, but The Athletic's Joe Buscaglia is reporting Dane Jackson is getting more of the first-team snaps during warmups.

6:50 p.m.: As expected, Hamlin is officially listed as inactive for the game.

6:47 p.m.: Hamlin running out onto the field before the game.

6:29 p.m.: Damar Hamlin won't be playing against the Bengals, but he is working out on the field in Cincinnati.

6:19 p.m.: Joe Burrow arriving to the locker room with diamond headphones ahead of tonight's game.

What channel is Bills vs. Bengals on today?

  • Game: Bills at Bengals
  • Date: Sunday, Nov. 5
  • TV channel: NBC
  • Live stream: Peacock, NBCSports.com, Fubo (U.S.) | DAZN (Canada)

Sunday's game will be carried by NBC, which has carried "Sunday Night Football" since 2006, and will continue to do so through at least 2033.

The game will feature the usual broadcast group of Mike Tirico (play by play) and Cris Collinsworth (color commentary) in the booth, and Melissa Stark reporting from the sidelines.

There will be several options to live stream the game. NBCSports.com will have a broadcast of the game for fans with a cable login. Peacock will have NBC's broadcast, as will Fubo, which offers a free trial. Fans in Canada can stream the game live with DAZN.

Bills vs. Bengals start time

  • Date: Sunday, Nov. 5
  • Start time: 8:20 p.m. ET

The Bills and Bengals will face off on Sunday, Nov. 5, with the game slated to begin at 8:20 p.m. ET. The game will be held at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati.

Edward Sutelan

Edward Sutelan Photo

Edward Sutelan joined The Sporting News in 2021 after covering high school sports for PennLive. Edward graduated from The Ohio State University in 2019, where he gained experience covering the baseball, football and basketball teams. Edward also spent time working for The Columbus Dispatch and Cape Cod Times.