Seeing the Bills in a close one

The numbers don't stack up well for the Bengals Sunday at Buffalo.

The Bills are winners of three of their last four and playing with swagger on defense. The Bengals have lost five of six.

Furthermore, the Bills have won eight in a row in the Bengals series, three consecutive against Marvin Lewis as Cincinnati coach.

Buffalo has a lot to play for. The Bills can win three games in a row for the first time since Weeks 11-16 in 2004 and reach the .500 mark for the first time since 2003.

Oh, and the Bengals are winless in their last five road games.

But more significant than numbers and infinitely more difficult to quantify is the Bengals' collective attitude. High expectations are not being met. A season is slipping away quickly, and the team might have lost some of its self-confidence in the loss to Pittsburgh.

And, yes, to revisit it once more, Lewis’ decision and subsequent flip-flopping on the fourth-and-1 field goal before halftime against the Steelers has only served to create more doubt in the locker room – regardless of the brave face and self-assured words from his players.

Bills 24, Bengals 23.