New Orleans Saints (7-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (5-3)
It wasn’t pretty but the Bengals got it done against Tampa Bay. The Bengals were gifted multiple turnovers from Jameis Winston before we almost saw Ryan Fitzpatrick come back and steal the game away. This weeks test will be even harder as the Bengals will likely be without start wide receiver A.J. Green. This Bengals team continues to be hit hard with injuries in the worst way and they will once again need to overcome adversity this weekend in The Jungle.
This week, coming off the bye, the Bengals get arguably their toughest matchup of the year. The New Orleans Saints gained even more momentum last weekend as they took down the undefeated Rams in the Superdome. The Saints boast an explosive offense, their weakness is their defense, which the Bengals will have to exploit if they are to have any shot at taking down this Saints team.
Matchups to watch for…
Tyler Boyd vs. WR1 Coverage – As I mentioned earlier, we likely will not see A.J. Green this week due to an injury he suffered against the Bucs. This means all eyes will be on Tyler Boyd to show what he can do as the team’s number one passing option. The Saints slot corner has struggled this year which is good for Boyd. The problem could be if Boyd lines up outside against the Saints top corner, Marshon Lattimore. Hopefully we see Tyler Boyd stay lined up inside this weekend.
The Bengals Secondary vs. Drew Brees – Drew Brees shows no signs of slowing down as he is now 39 years old. Brees just torched the Rams for 340 yards and four touchdowns, and will now look to do the same against the Bengals secondary. The Bengals back end will have their hands full with Michael Thomas this weekend who is coming off of a 200+ yard performance. As if guarding Thomas wouldn’t be hard enough, the Saints also have one of the league’s best pass catching backs in Alvin Kamara, and recently signed Dez Bryant (though recent reports are he sustained an injury in practice already).
The Bengals Linebackers vs. Alvin Kamara – Alvin Kamara is one of the league’s top backs and is deadly in open space. We have seen the Bengals linebackers struggle all year to stop the run and miss tackles in the open field. The Bengals have to show improvement or Kamara will run for numbers similar to what Kareem Hunt and Christian McCaffrey have done against the Bengals.
My Prediction: The Bengals entered their bye at 5-3, which is good, however they still have a lot of work to do. With a bad defense and missing key offensive pieces, the Bengals could be in for a long day. On the plus side we should see Billy Price, Gio Bernard, and John Ross back in the lineup. The Bengals are also wearing their orange jerseys on Sunday, in which they are undefeated in. It is also supposed to be cold, where we have seen Drew Brees struggle. Despite all of this I still think the Saints will escape with the win.
My Prediction: Bengals 27 Saints 38
My Bengals Predictions on the year: 5-3
Be sure to follow me on twitter @Pierson242FF, and come find me at the game as I will be in attendance this Sunday. Be sure to tweet me anything Bengals related, questions or comments!
Game: New Orleans Saints (7-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (5-3)
Date/Time: November 11, 2018 at 1:00 p.m. EST
Location: Paul Brown Stadium
Uniforms: Orange Jersey with Black Pants
Last Matchup: 11/16/14 – Bengals 27 Buccaneers 10
Odds: Bengals, +5.5
Leave a Reply