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Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) celebrates a touchdown with tight end Drew Sample (89) and other players in the second quarter during Sunday's game between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Three takeaways from Bengals' impressive 'SNF' win over Bills

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 11/6/23

The Cincinnati Bengals knocked off the Buffalo Bills, 24-18, on "Sunday Night Football," to improve to 5-3, while the Bills fell to 5-4. Here are three takeaways from the Bengals' fourth victory in a row.

Joe Burrow's turnaround continues: After a troubling start to the season, Burrow's rebound took another step forward Sunday night against the Bills. Burrow was lethal against the Bills 22nd ranked passing defense, finishing the night 31-of-44 for 348 yards (7.9), with two touchdowns, no interceptions and a 108.9 passer rating.

Through the first four weeks of the 2023 campaign, the Bengals went 1-3, and Burrow struggled, completing 57.6% of his passes with two touchdowns, two interceptions and a 69.1 passer rating. Since then, Burrow has led the Bengals on a four-game winning streak, throwing for 10 TD and only two INTs.

With Burrow seemingly back to his old self, the Bengals are becoming serious contenders in the tough AFC North.

As of Sunday night, all four teams within the Division, the Bengals (5-3), Cleveland Browns (5-3), Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3), and first-place Baltimore Ravens (7-2), occupy playoff spots in the AFC.

Irv Smith Jr. opening drive TD!

: #BUFvsCIN on NBC
: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/T6GLEfxpQv pic.twitter.com/8Irk3KWEOQ
— NFL (@NFL) November 6, 2023

Frustration rising for WR Stefon Diggs? Diggs wasn't heavily involved in the Bills offensive attack on Sunday night, and the cracks may be beginning to show.

Walking to the locker room with the Bills trailing the Bengals 21-7, Diggs shook his head before yelling, "I'm not even sweating." It's unclear what Diggs meant by his boisterous statement, but after receiving only two first-half targets, it's easy to gather what he was upset about.

The Bills star wideout finally got a chance to make an impact, catching a 17-yard touchdown pass with 3:32 remaining in the fourth quarter. However, before that catch, Diggs had been targeted only six times, catching five for 69 yards.

His usage is puzzling considering the Bills went pass-heavy against the Bengals. Buffalo was down early, but they all but abandoned the run game, executing only eight designed rushes the entire game. Meanwhile, QB Josh Allen threw the ball 38 times.

Diggs has received double-digit targets only twice this season (Week 1 and 6). Furthermore, since Week 7, Diggs is averaging only seven targets per game.

Bengals defense steps up against Bills: A week after allowing 460 yards of total offense to the San Francisco 49ers, the Bengals defense dug in its heels against the Bills.

The Bengals unit started the game strong, holding the Buffalo offense to only seven first-half points. While Buffalo rebounded a bit, scoring 11 in the second half, the Bengals defense forced a huge, game-changing turnover in the fourth quarter.

With the Bengals leading 21-10 and the Bills driving, linebacker Germaine Pratt forced tight end Dalton Kincaid to fumble at the Cincinnati 13. The Bengals would kick a field goal on the subsequent drive, upping their lead to 14, 24-10.

All-in-all, the Bengals forced two turnovers on the night and held the Bills fourth-ranked passing offense to only 249 yards while limiting their rushing attack to 68 yards.