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Game 3 Recap: Cincinnati Bengals @ Green Bay Packers

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For the first 56 minutes of the game, we saw the Cincinnati Bengals we expected to see in 2017.

For the last 4 minutes and OT, we saw the Cincinnati Bengals we’ve seen in many of the previous years.

It was a bitter pill to swallow as the striped ones fell 27-24 in overtime against the defending NFC North champion Green Bay Packers. The Bengals were in the lead for much of the game and, even better, looked in control. The offense found its rhythm, the D made the numbers on Aaron Rodgers’ back as green as the rest of his jersey, and victory seemed likely.

And then …

How Things Went

For a while, it looked like Cincinnati would run the Packers out of their own stadium. Andy Dalton finished the game 21 of 27 and delivered two touchdown passes. William Jackson III had a 75-yard pick six. The defense collected six sacks. AJ Green finally had a Green-type day (10 catches for 111 yards and a touchdown). Cincy looked strong in taking a 21-7 halftime lead.

But then they fell victim to the magic of Rodgers at the end of regulation.

Rodgers threw a .44 magnum round disguised as a football to Jordy Nelson with 17 seconds left to tie the score at 24. In overtime, the Bengals won the toss … and nothing else. Three and out. The Pack took over, Rodgers sailed a 72-yard bomb to Geronimo Allison, and Mason Crosby kicked the game-winning field goal from Cincinnati’s 10-yard line.


The way those last eight minutes of game time went, you’d think the Bengals would be the ones shouting Geronimo!, as their fall resembled jumping out of an airplane. Instead, it was the Lambeau Field crowd screaming the G-word – and enjoying every minute of it.

Cincinnati Bengals Player of the Game

A few players had impressive stats, but we’ll go with Carl Lawson, who spent almost as much time in Green Bay’s backfield as Rodgers. Lawson tallied 2.5 sacks, two tackles for loss, and three QB hits to go along with his four tackles.

What This Means Going Forward

Cincy is in a 0-3 hole and must regroup. They go on the road to Cleveland next week, and whoever wins will give the state of Ohio its first pro football win of 2017. If the Cincinnati O shows out like it did today, the team can finally get into the win column.

3 Keys to the Game: Cincinnati Bengals @ Green Bay Packers

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On paper, this Sunday’s match-up between the Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers has some things that fall in Cincy’s favor.

Pro Bowl QB Aaron Rodgers is going against the top passing defense in the NFL (allowing 104.5 yards per game). The Packers’ offensive line has surrendered seven sacks in two games and the Bengals found some edge rushers in the preseason. Green Bay is averaging just 20 points a game.

If only the game were played on a piece of paper.

The truth is, the Cincinnati Bengals haven’t looked too hot in losses to Baltimore and Houston. But given the above numbers, it’s reasonable to think they could pull off an upset against the Packers, who are favored by 7.5 points. It’s all about finding and exploiting the other team’s weaknesses. The Packers certainly have some. If the Bengals want to avoid an 0-3 start, they better do the smart thing – read this blog and plan their entire game strategy around it.

</sarcasm>

Let’s take a look at three areas where the Bengals can tip the game in their favor.

 

3 Keys to a Cincinnati Bengals Win

  1. Make Aaron Rodgers beat you. This one is probably a no-brainer. Really, name a team with Rodgers at QB who wouldn’t use him to try and beat you. But here’s the thing: Green Bay has no rushing attack. Their 71.5-yards-per-game average puts them at 27th in the league. Even the best offenses have limited effectiveness if they are one-dimensional. To boot, two of Green Bay’s wide receivers are listed as questionable (Jordy Nelson) and doubtful (Randall Cobb). Left tackle David Bakhtiari is also doubtful. Rodgers can certainly carry the load. But will he have no other option?
  2. Solid offensive line play. The Cincinnati Bengals O-line has been ungood so far in 2017. Their rushing totals are only marginally better than Green Bay (79.5 yards per game), and quarterback Andy Dalton took such a beating in Week 1 against Baltimore that he’s still seeing shades of purple every time he wipes. If the line can firm up and give Dalton time to throw, it will boost his confidence and keep Cincinnati in the game.
  3. Shake off the last two weeks. The most surefire way the Cincinnati players can lose this game is to go into it with their two losses in the backs of their minds. If they are thinking about the numbers 0 and 3, they’ll be beaten before they get a chance to call the opening coin toss. Snap and clear. Pull a Taylor Swift and shake it off. Catch a weak offensive team at a bad moment and put them in the hole.

Another Big Test @ PBS | Packers – Bengals Preview

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packers-home

The Bengals will have another big test tomorrow afternoon when Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers take the field at Paul Brown Stadium against Cincinnati. Both teams come in with a record of 1-1, the Bengals got their first win of the season this past Monday night at home with a 20-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Packers took care of business defeating the Washington Redskins at home 38-20 and racking up over 500 yards of total offense.

Cincinnati will be a bit shorthanded in the defensive backfield as CB Brandon Ghee is still out (concussion), CB Dre Kirkpatrick is doubtful (doubtful) and nickle CB Adam Jones is questionable (abdomen). The team signed free agent corner Curtis Marsh who was most recently with the Philadelphia Eagles and promoted corner Chris Lewis-Harris from the practice squad. It’s not the most ideal situation considering the Packers are averaging over 480 yards of offense per game so far and Aaron Rodgers threw for 480 yards through the air alone last week again the Redskins. The Packers will be without starting free safety Morgan Burnett and backup corners Casey Hayward and Jarrett Bush, also RB Eddie Lacy is not expected to play although he is listed as questionable for the game.

Aaron Rodgers, Roddrick Muckelroy

The Bengals will need to have a productive yet balanced attack on offense while winning the turnover battle and avoiding mistakes and stupid penalties which have plagued them during the first two games. The Packers will score points but the way to beat them is not by getting into a shootout but rather by controlling the clock, not making mistakes, and winning the time of possession battle. I think this will be a close game in the end.

My prediction: Packers 30, Bengals 28