The Cincinnati Bengals are headed back home for a Week 5 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, October 6th at 1:00 pm EST.
The Bengals are 0-4 after getting blown out on the road by the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-3. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton had 21 completions out of 37 attempts for 171 yards and 1 interception while getting sacked a career-high 8 times. Running back Joe Mixon had 62 yards on 15 attempts and the leading receiver was Auden Tate who had 50 yards on 4 receptions. The Bengals defense played relatively well in the first half, only allowing 10 points and even forced a fumble. However, in the second half they looked overwhelmed and tired, giving up 17 points.
The Cardinals are also coming into this game winless at 0-3-1 record after losing at home to the Seattle Seahawks 27-10. Quarterback Kyler Murray had 22 completions on 32 attempts for 241 yards with 1 interception. Running back David Johnson had only 40 yards on 11 attempts but was the Cardinals’ leading receiver with 99 yards on 8 receptions. Seahawks tight end Will Dissly fumbled once and quarterback Russel Wilson twice, yet the Cardinals did not recover any of those fumbles.
If the Bengals want to get head coach Zac Taylor his first win, they have to be able to set the tone upfront. The Bengals offensive line had the worst performance of any team in Pro Football Focus history last week. Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard need to be more involved now that wide receiver John Ross has been placed on injured reserve. Mixon and Bernard should see the ball more in both the passing and running games.
If the Cardinals want to get head coach Kliff Kingsbury his first win, Kyler Murray has to stay clean and not turn the ball over. The Cardinals will have to take advantage of the Bengals slow linebackers, run the ball to the outside with David Johnson or do more read options with Kyler Murray. If utilize their tight ends, it will cause matchup advantages for the Cardinals since the Bengals linebackers continue to struggle in coverage. The defense will need to be opportunistic and force turnovers whenever they can against the struggling Bengals offense.
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