Story byPat Brennan, Cincinnati EnquirerSun, December 7, 2025 at 11:33 PM UTC·4 min readORCHARD PARK, New York − For all the flaws of the 2025 Cincinnati Bengals, the meaningful portion of the season effectively ended in one of the most unlikely ways: With the ball in quarterback Joe Burrow's hands. The Bengals (4-9) came to play the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium with faint hope for a playoff push still flickering. They played the Bills on Dec. 7 in a manner befitting of a team desperate to right a season plagued by ineffective defense and a rotating cast of quarterbacks following Burrow's Week 2 injury.