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Dion Dawkins: “Everything just felt weird” in playoff loss to Bengals

The Bills’ 2022 season ended in disappointing fashion when they lost to the Bengals 27-10 in January’s divisional-round matchup.

Despite playing at home and in the snow, Buffalo got down 14-0 in the first quarter and scored just three points in the second half.

Reviewing that game during an appearance on The Herd this week, Bills veteran left tackle Dion Dawkins said the entire game had an off-kilter vibe that permeated through the team.

“That Cincinnati game was definitely weird,” Dawkins said. “You go through your ups and downs and it’s sad that we go through a down at a time like that. But we just hit a down at the wrong time. And I think with the journey that we’ve been on, we have been through every phase of football that can happen — which would be the recipe for the creation of this season.

“But Cincinnati, it was just a different feel. Everything just felt weird. I don’t want to blame it on anything, but from the first time we met them, we had a tragedy happen. And then the second time that we played them, it was just like, that energy — it was just very, very weird. I don’t even know how to explain it. It was just a very, very rare feeling. And I think it was felt through the entire locker room, through the coaching staff, through everything. It was just a very unique situation.”

Dawkins added that the Bills were just “flat.”

“There was no charge, electricity,” Dawkins said. “There was something, but it wasn’t the Bills. Whatever football gods jumped on our back, they jumped on us.”

The Bills have now lost in the divisional round in back-to-back seasons. Given the expected strength of the AFC East, the path back to the postseason may be that much tougher in 2023.