Bills at Bengals
THE STORY: You don't need a Harvard diploma to figure out who the most surprising teams in the NFL are through the first three weeks of the season. But as fans of the Buffalo Bills will tell you, being a graduate of that storied institution doesn't hurt. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (Harvard Class of 2005) and the Bills are one of only three teams to start the season 3-0 – a perfect record built on back-to-back stunning comebacks. Buffalo, which leads the league in scoring and is the only unbeaten team in the AFC, goes for its first 4-0 start since the 2008 season on Sunday at Cincinnati. The Bengals have dropped 10 straight to the Bills.
TV: CBS, 1 p.m. ET. LINE: Bills -3, O/U 44
ABOUT THE BILLS (3-0): Buffalo remained perfect by rallying from a 21-0 deficit to shock New England 34-31, a victory that snapped a 15-game losing streak to the Patriots. The Bills are the NFL’s highest-scoring team with 113 points – an average of 37.7. Buffalo had four interceptions against Tom Brady, who threw that many picks in the entire 2010 season. Fitzpatrick is second to Brady with nine TD passes. RB Fred Jackson had a combined 161 yards and is averaging 6.4 yards per rush. WR Stevie Johnson has 20 receptions, including a TD catch in each game.
ABOUT THE BENGALS (1-2): Cincinnati’s offense mirrored the team’s fans last week – there were a lot of no-shows in a 13-8 home-opening loss to San Francisco. More than 21,000 seats were empty as the Bengals managed only a pair of field goals. Rookie QB Andy Dalton threw his first two interceptions of the season and threw for only 157 yards in the air. RB Cedric Benson had his appeal of a three-game suspension heard Tuesday, but coach Marvin Lewis said he will be in the lineup this week. Cincinnati’s defense ranks third in the league (276.3 yards) and is tied for sixth with 9.0 sacks, including five last week.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. The Bills became the only team in NFL history to win back-to-back games after trailing by at least 18 points. They erased a 21-3 deficit to beat the Oakland Raiders in Week 2.
2. Bengals WR A.J. Green, the No. 4 overall draft pick, has two touchdowns and leads all rookies with 15 receptions.
3. Buffalo scored 35 unanswered points in the second half to jolt the Bengals 49-31 last season. Cincinnati has not beaten the Bills since winning the AFC title game following the 1988 season.