3 disheartening stats from Bengals' Week 9 win vs. Bills

There was not much that went wrong for the Cincinnati Bengals in their victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night Football. Nevertheless, some things made the win more arduous than it needed to be. Also, some of the same issues that have manifested themselves throughout the year continue to show up.

Here are three disheartening statistics from Cincinnati's win over the Bills that the Bengals must eventually correct.

3 points off of turnovers

In the second quarter, cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt came up with an interception off Josh Allen. Unfortunately, the Bengals' offense could not do anything with it, but it was worse than that.

Cincinnati had a 3rd-and-1 from Buffalo’s 23-yard line. One holding, one sack, and one false start later, the drive was over.

After backing up, Evan McPherson set up to attempt a field, only to get a false start penalty before the snap. Backed up even farther, the Bengals were forced to bring out Brad Robbins for a punt that netted 33 yards but landed Buffalo’s offense inside their 10-yard line.

That particular sequence did not hurt them in this game. However, as we get later in the season and the games become tighter and more nerve-wracking, Cincinnati’s offense must take advantage of the opportunities given to them by the defense.

The game against the Bills was closer than it should have been and there was some unnecessary stress put on the team. Seven points is always the goal, but even three points would have changed the complexion of the game.

On the flip side, Cincinnati put together a long, sustained 85-yard drive after Germaine Pratt forced a turnover that ended with a McPherson field goal. Not coming away with a touchdown in that scenario was disappointing but not as discouraging as finishing a drive outside of field goal range after getting to the opponent’s 23.