Get the inside track on this weekends match-up between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Carolina Panthers
This week I spoke with Patrick Judis of Cincy Jungle, SB Nation’s Cincinnati Bengals blog. He had a lot of scary things to say about this week’s match-up for the Panthers. Read on to find out if the Bengals have a probably competent offense (yes) and a scary defensive line (also yes). Don’t worry, there is some good news for the Panthers mixed in.
The Panthers got torched last week by a back-up running back. Who is next up for the Bengals after Joe Mixon and why should we be afraid of them?
Giovani Bernard is next up. He is a veteran running back who has been around for awhile, but the Bengals have always viewed him as a change-of-pace running back rather than a starter. He has shown that he can carry the load when the starter is out though.
Last season against Detroit, when Mixon left the game early, Bernard ran for 116 yards and added another 52 receiving. Him just being a different style of back than Mixon could be a huge benefit as well. The Bengals haven’t used Bernard that much this season, and they completely uprooted their offense from last season. That means there is an air of mystery to how Cincinnati will use him.
Does Andy Dalton know how to throw the ball to more than just A.J. Green?
Yes, although if I were in his shoes every pass would go to Green. Last week Tyler Boyd actually broke out against the Ravens with 91 receiving yards and a touchdown. He was targeted nine times, which was tied for the lead with Green. The next highest in targets was actually Bernard. This offense clearly tries to get the running backs more involved in the passing game, even when Mixon is healthy. Tyler Eifert also saw a pretty decent increase in snaps after Week 1. The Bengals are trying to limit how often they use him, but it would be wrong to exclude him. Pretty simply, Dalton knows Green is his best bet, but he doesn’t really go out of his way to force it to him.
What is the strength of the Bengals defense and what is the key to beating them?
The defensive line is the probably the best positional group on the team. The team just gave extensions to defensive tackle Geno Atkins and defensive end Carlos Dunlap. Those two easily headline the group, but after them there is a ton of young talent already budding. Defensive Carl Lawson exploded onto the scene last season with 8.5 sacks during his rookie year. He hasn’t gotten a sack this season yet, but he has already created more quarterback pressures through the first two games than he did at this same point last year. Defensive ends Jordan Willis and rookie Sam Hubbard have also shown the ability to get pressure when they are rotated in. Hubbard even recorded his first career sack last week against the Ravens.
The key to beating the Bengals is to take advantage of their linebackers in coverage. They haven’t been able to cover tight ends or even running backs coming out of the backfield in a long time. Christian McCaffery could be in for a huge game.
What is the state of the Bengals’ offensive line? The Panthers struggled to put any pressure on Matt Ryan last week and are looking for a rebound game.
A lot will depend on the availability of rookie center Billy Price. He left Thurdsay’s game with a foot injury. It seems like he will end up being available, but he hasn’t returned to practice yet at the time of writing this, so there is a chance he may out be out there.
If Price can’t go that knocks the Bengals offensive line down from average to below average. The left side is set. Left tackle Cordy Glenn has been a huge upgrade over Cedric Ogbuehi, and Clint Boling is still manning the left guard position, which he has been solid at. The right side has been a pretty big disaster. Alex Redmond at right guard and right tackle Bobby Hart have been bad. They were better in Week 2, but it is basically like installing regular doors after having revolving ones. Also Trey Hopkins did not look great in relief of Price.
What is your prediction for the game?
I think people outside of Carolina may be lower on the Panthers than they should be. They played Atlanta pretty closely, and really had a decent shot of taking the game to overtime.
The key to this game is whether the Bengals can get Bernard going. If he can run the ball for a decent efficiency then it will open up so much of the Bengals offense, and I really think it is hard to stop them once they get going.
Overall though, it should be a fairly close game (hopefully not as close as last time), but in the fashion of the last two games, the Bengals get the turnover near the end that helps decide it.
Bengals 34 Panthers 30
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