NFL Predictions Week 4: Upstart Bills on Upset Alert Against Bengals

At long last, the Buffalo Bills managed to beat the New England Patriots on Sunday. When they did, it was time to party like it was 2003.

But the Bills can't take their foot off the gas quite yet. We're only three weeks into the regular season, and the Bills have a pretty tough road game at the Cincinnati Bengals up next.

I admit, it doesn't look like that tough of a game for the 3-0 Bills. The Bengals are 1-2, and have lost two straight games to less-than-spectacular opponents in the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers. There are many formidable teams in the NFL, and the Bengals do not appear to be one of them.

This is true, but the Bengals are not exactly a pushover either. Thanks in large part to the teams they've played so far, the Bengals have played some pretty good defense in the early goings, allowing just 18.0 points and 276.3 total yards per game. The Bills have beaten up on three very poor defenses in their first three games, but it looks like they may be in for a challenge on Sunday in Cincinnati.

The good news is that the Bengals are not going to blow the Bills away offensively. They are probably not going to have Cedric Benson at this disposal, as he is due to start serving a three-game suspension on Sunday. His absence will cripple the running game, and that will put extra pressure on rookie quarterback Andy Dalton.

However, that's not necessarily a death sentence. Dalton looked pretty mediocre against the 49ers in Week 3 and against the Cleveland Browns in Week 1, but it's certainly worth noting that he mixed in a 332-yard, two-touchdown performance against the Denver Broncos in Week 2. The indication there is that Dalton knows what to do against a poor pass defense.

That's something that should concern the Bills. They handled Matt Cassel pretty well, but both Jason Campbell and Tom Brady torched the Bills for more than 300 yards. Yes, the Bills did pick Brady off four times, but how many of those were pure luck?

Don't get me wrong, I like the Bills to beat the Bengals to move to 4-0 on the young season. I just don't think it's going to be a rout. Neither of Buffalo's last two games have been routs, and they could have lost both games had they not gotten a few lucky breaks.

So as much as I think we all want to anoint the Bills, we need to keep in mind that they are hardly invincible. Though the Bills may win the game, I think we are going to be reminded of that when they take on the Bengals.