CINCINNATI - It’s not too often that the Buffalo Bills can say that the Kansas City Chiefs did them a favor, but they did Sunday morning in Frankfurt, Germany.

The Chiefs - who ended Buffalo’s 2020 and 2021 seasons in playoff games at Arrowhead Stadium - jumped out to a 21-0 lead on the Miami Dolphins, then held on for dear life for a 21-14 victory.

The AFC East-leading Dolphins are now 6-3 and if the Bills can defeat the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday night at Paycor Stadium, they would improve to 6-3 and would take over the division’s top spot based on their tiebreaker victory over Miami in Week 4.

Of course, beating the red-hot Bengals will not be an easy task for the Bills, who suffered a humbling 27-10 beatdown at the hands of Joe Burrow and Cincinnati in the AFC divisional playoffs last January at Highmark Stadium.

This story will be updated throughout the afternoon and evening.

Final score: Cincinnati Bengals 24, Buffalo Bills 18

It was too little, too late for the Bills. Buffalo (5-4) outscored Cincinnati 11-3 in the second half but the Bengals (5-3) picked up two first downs on the final possession the Bills never got a chance at a game-winning drive. Cincinnati won the battles of total yards (397 to 317), time of possession (36:38 to 23:22) and forced turnovers (2 to 0).

Josh Allen completed 26 of 38 passes for 258 yards with a touchdown and interception. Stefon Diggs had six catches for 86 yards and a touchdown and Dalton Kincaid made a career-high 10 catches for 81 yards.

Joe Burrow went 31 of 44 for 348 yards and two touchdowns and Tee Higgins made eight receptions for 110 yards for the Bengals. Cincinnati has won four games ina row.

The Bills have more losses than all of last year.

Bengals run out the clock

Cincinnati started the possession by airing it out. Joe Burrow hit Tyler Boyd for 32 yards to the Bills' 43. Joe Mixon got 2 yards on a carry and Buffalo called its third timeout with 2:37 left. Mixon rushed for 5 yards before the two-minute warning. On third-and-3, Mixon got away from Von Miller and ran 5 yards for a first down. Mixon ran out of bounds to stop the block but the Bills were out of timeouts so Cincinnati could run out the clock.

Bills vs. Bengals score: Cincinnati 24, Buffalo 18 on Josh Allen touchdown to Stefon Diggs

Buffalo is only one score. Josh Allen completed to Dalton Kincaid for 9 yards, scrambled for 7 yards and threw to Khalil Shakir for 9 yards to reach midfield. Latavius Murray rushed up the middle for 2 yards a first down. Allen took a scramble 11 yards to the Bengals' 37. A pass along the left sideline for Trent Sherfield was initially ruled incomplete but the Bills challenged the call. The ruling was upheld but on the next play Allen went back to Sherfield for a 9-yard completion. On third-and-1, Murray gained another first down. Allen fired to Shakir for 3 yards and Murray took a short reception 6 yards to put the Bills in the red zone. On third-and-1, Allen tossed a 17-yard touchdown to Stefon Diggs. Allen and Diggs hooked up for the successful two-point conversion.

Bills vs. Bengals score: Cincinnati 24, Buffalo 10 on Evan McPherson field goal

Cincinnati couldn't deliver the knockout punch. Joe Burrow opened with an incompletion but connected with Tee Higgins for 9 yards and lofted a 17-yard completion to Tanner Hudson for 17 yards. Two plays later, Burrow found Ja'Marr Chase along the right sideline for 32 yards. On third-and-6, Burrow hit Tee Higgins on a slant for 18 yards to the Bills' 6. Tyrel Dodson dropped Joe Mixon for a 3-yard loss on first-and-goal. On second down, Burrow completed to Irv Smith for 8 yards before he was knocked out of bounds at the Bills' 2. Burrow threw incomplete on third down and Cincinnati settled for a 20-yard field goal by Evan McPherson.

Dalton Kincaid loses fumble - 13:18 4th quarter

Josh Allen opened with 10 yards on a designed run and then completed to Dalton Kincaid for 11 yards. Allen ran for another first down with 3 yards on third-and-1 on the last play of the third quarter. Allen gained 10 yards over two more runs for another first down. Then the Bills turned the ball over. Kincaid made a catch over the middle and was flipped by safety Nick Scott. As Kincaid was airborne, linebacker Germaine Pratt punched the ball out and Scott pounced on it at the Bengals' 13.

Cincinnati turns it over on downs - 2:13 2nd quarter

Joe Burrow began the drive with a 5-yard completion to Joe Mixon and 11-yard pass to Tee Higgins. Jordan Poyer dropped Joe Mixon on a run for a 4-yard loss and Higgins made a 9-yard grab. On third-and-5, Burrow threw incomplete intended for Tyler Boyd. Head coach Zac Taylor went for it on fourth down and Burrow's 2-yard pass to Drew Sample came up short. Buffalo takes over at its 35-yard line. The Bills' defense has four stops on the last five drives.

Bills go three-and-out - 5:06 3rd quarter

James Cook made a 4-yard catch, Josh Allen threw incomplete and Allen was forced to scramble on third down and defensive end Trey Hendrickson chased him down for a 1-yard gain. Sam Martin punted 44 yards to the Bengals' 42.

Cincinnati punts on its first possession of second half - 6:24 3rd quarter

Buffalo's defense got a stop. Joe Burrow scrambled for 7 yards to convert a third down and Tee Higgins made a move on the right sideline and picked up 21 yards on a reception but the Bills got off the field. Burrow underthrew Ja'Marr Chase on a deep ball, cornerback Taron Johnson took down Joe Mixon for a 1-yard loss with an open field tackle after a catch, and Burrow's third-down pass was knocked down at the line of scrimmage. Brad Robbins punted 49 yards to the Bills' 9-yard line.

Bills vs. Bengals score: Cincinnati 21, Buffalo 7 after Tyler Bass makes field goal

Buffalo moved the ball to open the second half. Josh Allen completed six straight passes on the drive. Allen converted a third-and-4 with a 9-yard completion to Dalton Kincaid. Allen hit Kincaid for 11 more yards, completed to Stefon Diggs for 15 yards and James Cook took a short pass 8 yards to the Bengals' 25. Cook got into the red zone with an 8-yard run. Allen threw three consecutive incompletions as the drive stalled at the Bengals' 16. Tyler Bass made a 34-yard field goal.

Halftime score: Cincinnati Bengals 21, Buffalo Bills 7

That didn't go well for the Bills. Cincinnati outgained Buffalo 214 to 122 and won time of possession 21:06 to 8:54. Josh Allen completed 9 of 15 passes for 120 yards with an interception and the Bills have 11 rushing yards. Joe Burrow is 18 of 24 for 181 yards and two touchdown passes for the Bengals.

Bills unable to score before halftime

Josh Allen started the drive with a 23-yard strike over the middle to Khalil Shakir. Tight end Dalton Kincaid made three straight receptions for 10 yards and 4 yards and no gain. On third-and-6, Allen threw incomplete and Allen was called for intentional grounding. That took the Bills out of field goal range to end the half.

Bills vs. Bengals score: Bengals 21, Buffalo 7 as Drew Sample scores first touchdown of season

The Bills have been stuck in terrible field position all night and the Bengals took full advantage on that last possession to grab a 21-7 lead.

Starting from the Buffalo 45, Joe Burrow needed only seven plays to cover the distance, hitting wide open Drew Sample for a 22-yard touchdown. On the play, safety Taylor Rapp whiffed on an open field tackle.

Micah Hyde injured, Terrel Bernard evaluated for head injury

Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard and safety Micah Hyde were injured in the second quarter. Hyde was shaken up after breaking up a pass intended for Ja'Marr Chase. Hyde fell backward and his head snapped back against the turf as he hit the ground. He was able to get up and walk off the field under his own power. Hyde only missed one play before returning.

Bernard is being evaluated for a head injury and walked to the locker room with athletic trainers.

Bills go three-and-out - 3:29 2nd quarter

The offenses have slowed. James Cook took carries for 6 yards and 2 yards and on third-and-2, Josh Allen was sacked by defensive tackle B.J. Hill for a 9-yard loss. Sam Martin punted 46 yards and Trenton Irwin returned it 9 yards to the Bills' 45.

Bengals punt after penalties push them out of field goal range - 5:38 2nd quarter

Josh Allen's interception didn't hurt the Bills. Cincinnati moved backward in a penalty-ridden possession. The Bengals were flagged for delay of game on third-and-1 and offensive guard Alex Cappa was called for holding. The Bills jumped offsides but Joe Burrow was sacked on third-and-10 from the Bills' 32. Cincinnati lined up for a field goal but offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. jumped for a false start, which pushed the Bengals to the Bills' 42. Cincinnati decided to punt. Brad Robbins' punted 33 yards to the Bills' 9.

Josh Allen throws interception to Cam Taylor-Britt - 8:54 2nd quarter

Josh Allen has thrown an interception in five straight games. Allen was looking for Gabe Davis on the left sideline, Cincinnati dropped eight and cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt picked it off at the Bills' 32.

Cincinnati punts for the first time - 9:07 2nd quarter

Cincinnati's third possession started promising with a 12-yard completion from Joe Burrow to Tee Higgins. Joe Mixon sprinted off right tackle for 12 yards to the Bengals' 44. The Bengals faced third-and-8 after a false start penalty and Burrow checked down to tight end Drew Sample for 6 yards. Cincinnati was in Bills territory but decided not to go for it, and Brad Robbins' punt went 36 yards to the Bills' 12.

A defense finally gets a stop - 13:55 2nd quarter

The Bills couldn't answer the Bengals' second touchdown. Buffalo got a first down on a 17-yard pass interference penalty on cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt, but then the Bills went backward. James Cook lost a yard on a carry, and Josh Allen threw two incompletions. Sam Martin punted 38 yards and Trenton Irwin returned it 3 yards to the Bengals' 22.

Bills vs. Bengals score: Cincinnati 14, Buffalo 7 as Joe Mixon punches in another touchdown drive

The Bills’ defense is off to a horrendous start. The Bengals took their second possession of the game and drove 69 yards in 11 plays to Joe Mixon’s two-yard TD run.

On the first play of the drive, Buffalo;s Tim Settle was flagged for a terrible roughing the passer penalty, just a completely bad call by the referee, and from there, the Bengals methodically moved downfield with little resistance.

Burrow is 11 of 14 for 114 yards so far, and the Bengals have 11 first downs already.

Bills vs. Bengals score: Cincinnati 7, Buffalo 7 after Josh Allen touchdown run

Well, the Bills certainly didn’t shrivel up after that opening TD drive by the bengals. Allen was fantastic on his answering 85-yard drive that took only seven plays before Allen rolled out, faked a defender out of his shoes and jogged into the end zone.

Allen completed a critical nine-yard pass to Stefon Diggs to convert a third down right at the start, a huge play. And then on the next play Diggs broke a couple tackles after catching a short pass and turned it into a 34-yard gain to get the Bills rolling.

So we’re 7-7 with 6:03 left in the first quarter.

Bills vs. Bengals score: Cincinnati 7, Buffalo 0 on Joe Burrow TD pass to Irv Smith on opening drive

The Bengals won the opening coin toss, bucked conventional wisdom and decided to receive, and 5:42 into the game they have a 7-0 lead.

They did whatever they wanted against a Bills defense that already looks incapable of putting up a fight. Joe Burrow hit tight end Irv Smith, who is probably the worst skill position player they have, with a TD pass as he was wide open in the back left corner.

As expected, Damar Hamlin is inactive

As he has been for all but one game this season, the safety will not play against the Bengals. Hamlin, who collapsed in this stadium 10 months ago and nearly died, was on the field going through the usual workout that inactive players go through, and he also spent some time with some of the Bengals who were also out there including wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.

The new additions to the roster, cornerback Rasul Douglas and defensive tackle Linval Joseph are both active for the game, and we’ll have to see how much of a contribution they can make.

Joseph joined the Eagles midway through the 2022 season and played three days after signing his contract.

With Joseph dressing, defensive tackle Poona Ford is one of the inactives. Ford played pretty well against the Buccaneers, but his first season with the Bills has been underwhelming and this is the fourth time he hasn’t dressed.

The other inactives are offensive linemen Alec Anderson and Germain Infedi, and linebackers Baylon Spector and A.J. Klein.

Will the newcomers play for the Bills?

We know running back Leonard Fournette will not be making his debut because he was not elevated to the practice squad on Saturday.

But cornerback Rasul Douglas and defensive tackle Linval Joseph were signed to the 53-man roster as soon as they were acquired, so they have a chance to get on the field.

Of course, we won’t know for sure until the inactives are announced at 6:50 p.m. but the expectation is that both will be dressed and used in certain defensive packages.

The Bills did elevate cornerback Josh Norman from the practice squad, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be getting snaps on defense. They did this last week against Tampa Bay and Norman played only on special teams as starting corners Christian Benford and Dane Jackson played every defensive snap.

Getting both Douglas and Joseph on the field in some capacity would be helpful against a Bengals offense that has begun to hit its stride in the last three games.

What are the odds for the Bills vs. Bengals game?

The betting line is Bengals -2.5. The over-under is 50.5 points. The money line is Bengals -131, Bills +111.

How to watch, stream, listen to Bills vs. Bengals

∎ Cable/Network TV: NBC. The game will be available locally via the following stations: WHEC (Channel 10, Rochester), WGRZ (Buffalo area), WSTM (Syracuse area), WKTV (Utica area), WETM (Elmira area), WNYT (Albany area), and WBGH (Binghamton area).

∎ Online streaming services: You can watch games on NFL.com and the NFL mobile app, and you can subscribe to NFL+, the league’s own streaming service, though you can’t cast the games to your TV - you must watch on your phone or tablet.

∎ TV streaming: You can also stream if you have subscriptions to Spectrum, DirecTV, fuboTV, Sling, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, and Peacock.

∎ Radio: You can listen on SiriusXM satellite radio on Sirius channel 83 and XM channel 226 (Bills feed) and Sirius channel 85 and XM channel 225 (Bengals feed). On traditional radio, the Bills Radio Network has stations all across the state. Chris Brown has the play-by-play, Eric Wood is the analyst and Sal Capaccio is the sideline reporter. The network includes:

• Rochester (WCMF 96.5 and WROC 950 AM)

• Buffalo (WGR550, 550 AM)

• Syracuse (WTKW 99.5/WTKV 105.5)

• Binghamton (WDRE 100.5FM)

• Ithaca (WIII 99.9/100.3 FM)

• Bath (WVIN 98.3 FM)

• Newark (WACK 1420 AM)

• Dansville (WDNY 93.9 FM)

• Elmira (WNGZ 1490 AM)

• Auburn (WAUB 98.1 FM/1590 AM)

• Geneva (WGVA 95.9 FM, 1240 AM)

What time is the Bills vs. Bengals game on Sunday?

∎ Date: Sunday, Nov. 5

∎ Time: 8:20 p.m.

∎ Place: Paycor Stadium

Who is announcing the Bills vs. Bengals game

∎ Play-by-play: Mike Tirico

∎ Analyst: Cris Collinsworth

∎ Sideline reporter: Melissa Stark

What is the 'Sunday Night Football' theme song?

Carrie Underwood is back for her 11th season with an updated version of "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night." If the tune sounds familiar it's based off Joan Jett's "I Hate Myself For Loving You."

Bills vs. Bengals prediction

Sal Maiorana: Bengals 27, Bills 20

My streak of picking the Bills to win ends at eight. I just don’t like this matchup for Buffalo, especially going into Paycor Stadium with a defense that is missing three of its best players and an offense that is still searching for its former explosive nature. This is the first game where the injuries may really be noticeable because the Bengals offense is among the best in the NFL.

Obviously, Allen and the Bills’ offense is capable of not only keeping pace but even outscoring Cincinnati and pulling the upset, but the Bengals are playing better all around football than Buffalo is at this moment and it’s tough to see that trend reversing in this game.

2023 Buffalo Bills schedule

• Mon. Sept . 11: Jets 22, Bills 16, OT

• Sun., Sept. 17: Bills 38, Raiders 10

• Sun. Sept. 24: Bills 37, Commanders 3

• Sun. Oct. 1: Bills 48, Dolphins 20

• Sun. Oct. 8: Jaguars 25, Bills 20

• Sun. Oct. 15: Bills 14, Giants 9

• Sun. Oct. 22: Patriots 29, Bills 25

• Thur. Oct. 26: Bills 24, Buccaneers 18

• Sun. Nov. 5, at Bengals, 8:20 p.m.

• Mon. Nov. 13, vs. Broncos, 8:15 p.m.

• Sun. Nov. 19, vs. Jets, 4:25 p.m.

• Sun. Nov. 26, at Eagles, 4:25 p.m.

• Sun. Dec. 3, Bye week

• Sun. Dec. 10, at Chiefs, 4:25 p.m.

• Sun. Dec. 17, vs. Cowboys, 4:25 p.m.

• Sat. Dec. 23, at Chargers, 8 p.m.

• Sun. Dec. 31, vs. Patriots, 1 p.m.

• Sun. Jan. 7, at Dolphins, TBD

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Cincinnati Bengals 24, Buffalo Bills 18: Final score, recap, highlights