ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Joe Mixon and the Cincinnati Bengals feel disrespected. Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills have plenty to motivate them -- starting with safety Damar Hamlin's remarkable recovery -- in a season of overcoming adversity.
Two teams that bonded three weeks ago in Cincinnati in deciding their since-canceled game could not proceed after Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and needed to be resuscitated on the field have much to prove in an AFC divisional-round playoff showdown in Buffalo on Sunday.
For the Bills, the mere sight of Hamlin making regular visits to their facility this week was uplifting. What's more, the Bills believe they're battle-tested and capable of surmounting any remaining obstacles to achieve their preseason Super Bowl aspirations.
"I think it gives you a more sturdy foundation. The more struggle, the more adversity that you can see over the course of the year, it just makes you stronger," Allen said. "We've been in some really weird situations this year that not a lot of teams maybe have ever gone through. Being able to have that under our belts, understand those emotions in those situations, and just try to use it to our advantage."
The Bills have weathered two winter storms that disrupted their schedule, mourned the death of tight end Dawson Knox's younger brother Luke in August, and rallied to their community's aid in the aftermath of a racist shooting that left 10 Black people dead at a Buffalo supermarket in May.
Hamlin's collapse and recovery is but the latest -- and most personal.
In Cincinnati, Mixon might speak for all the Bengals in expressing his unhappiness over his team getting the short end of the stick from the NFL.
Already annoyed over the Bengals being placed at a disadvantage to finish higher than the AFC's third seed, Mixon added another chip to his broad shoulders this week once the NFL began selling tickets for a potential Bills-Kansas City Chiefs matchup in the AFC Championship Game, which would be played in Atlanta.
"To be honest, it's disrespectful," Mixon said, after the NFL's ruling to go to a neutral site kicked in once the Bills finished the season a half-game behind Kansas City. The Bengals were left out of the picture even though they defeated the Chiefs this season, and missed out on their opportunity to pass the Bills in the standings once their game was called off.
An AFC championship between the Bengals and Chiefs will instead be played at Kansas City.
No matter, said Mixon.
"We got a game to play, right? So you can't count us out," he said. "We're going to go out there and do what the hell we gotta do to get that dub. Then we're going to see what they're talking about."
As if the Bengals need more to drive them, the Bills are favored.
"We know that we're defending AFC champions, and so there's an edge to this team. We're not an underdog to anybody," Bengals Coach Zac Taylor said. "I just think that's the feeling we've had all season. We don't really care what anybody else says about us.
"We know we belong on the field with every team in this league."
Bengals at Bills
2 p.m. (CBS)
LINE Bills by 5 1/2
SERIES Bills lead 17-15; Bills beat Bengals 21-17 on Sept. 22, 2019, in Buffalo. (Game on Jan. 2 was canceled by the NFL with the Bengals leading 7-3 in the first quarter after Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and needed to be resuscitated on the field.)
LAST WEEK Bengals beat Ravens 24-17; Bills beat Dolphins 34-31
ON OFFENSE
(RK) BENGALS;VS.;BILLS (RK)
(29) 95.5;RUSH;139.5 (7)
(5) 265.0;PASS;258.1 (7)
(8) 360.5;YARDS;397.6 (2)
(7) 26.1;POINTS;28.4 (2)
ON DEFENSE
(RK) BENGALS;VS.;BILLS (RK)
(7) 106.6;RUSH;104.6 (5)
(23) 229.1;PASS;214.6 (15)
(16) 335.7;YARDS;319.1 (6)
(T5) 20.1;POINTS;17.9 (2)
WHAT TO WATCH Bills TE Dawson Knox has scored in five straight games going back to the regular season. It's the third-longest streak among TEs behind Travis Kelce and Rob Gronkowski, who each had six-game runs. ... Cincinnati has won nine straight and not lost since Halloween. The Bengals have reached the divisional round in consecutive seasons for the first time in team history.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) warms up before an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Cincinnati, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)
Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon celebrates following an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Cincinnati, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. The Bengals won 24-17. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)
A mural by artist Adam Zyglis of Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin, who is recovering after going into cardiac arrest during a game Jan. 2, covers the outside of a building in Buffalo, N.Y., on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Carolyn Thompson)
Fans show their support for Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin prior to an NFL wild-card playoff football game between the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)