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Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert face off for the first time in the NFL

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The Cincinnati Bengals host the Los Angeles Chargers Sunday in a critical AFC matchup with many playoff implications riding on the outcome.

This will be the first time former first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft takes on Justin Herbert, who was the 6th pick in that same draft. Last season, When Joe Burrow made his NFL debut in Week 1, it was against the Chargers although, Tyrod Taylor was the starter. Not Herbert yet.

This Sunday will be their first head-to-head matchup in the NFL, and with both teams playing meaningful football in the first week of December, this has the chance to be the biggest game of each team’s season up to this point.

Herbert and Burrow have set themselves apart from all the other quarterbacks. They were each selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft and not only have they had remarkably consistent and astounding play, but they have turned around two franchises who each were bottom ten teams in a year and a half and have led each team into playoff contention with a few more victories this season.

In 11 games this season, Burrow has 22 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 2,835 passing yards, 69.3 competition percentage, and 76.8 quarterback rating. 

Herbert has 24 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 3,230 passing yards, a 66.0 competition percentage, and a 65.8 quarterback rating.

Regardless, if there is a rivalry between these two, they will always be compared to each other, coming out of the same class. With their early success, it is easy to pick these two out of a hat and judge them against each other even though they are both off to incredible starts to their careers.

If the Bengals lose, they could switch places with the Chargers and fall to the 7th seed while Los Angeles moves into the 5th seed. However, if the Bengals can escape with a victory, they could create a sizable lead for the top wild-card spot or sit atop the AFC North if the Ravens lose to the Steelers.

With a Chargers loss, they would fall to 6-6 and could potentially fall out of the top seven if the Denver Broncos can get a Sunday night win over the Chiefs. The fact of the matter is that the importance of who wins is vital.

For each of these young quarterbacks to be playing in important games this late in the season is eye-opening considering where these teams were last season and considering Burrow’s coming off a severe knee injury. But here we are and this has the potential to be an extremely competitive game with a lot of people tuning in.

5 Key Players For The Bengals vs. Jacksonville

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5. Joe Mixon 

This will be a game where I anticipate that Mixon sees a heavy amount of carries and touches against a Jaguars’ front seven that has been struggling so far this season in stopping the run. Expect the Bengals to set the tone early by giving Joe the ball around the edges and through the gaps upfront. 

The Jaguars allowed well over 100 rushing yards against the Texans in Week 1 and have allowed right near 100 yards in each of the last two weeks. It is safe to say, that their run defense is still more competent than their pass defense which could be a reason to attack them more through the air. But Mixon will see his fair share of touches throughout this game.

Joe Mixon is currently 2nd among all running backs in the NFL in rushing yards behind only Derrick Henry. The Bengals will likely increase rookie Chris Evans touches with Higgins out as they have slowly done over the last few games, but I still see Mixon touching the ball 25-30 times on the ground alone.

4. Trey Hendrickson

The Bengals front seven has been one of the best in the entire league so far through three weeks, and Hendrickson has been one of the leading catalysts of that.

He has done a great job securing the edge and goes against Jacksonvilleā€™s struggling offensive line. Expect Hendrickson to have opportunities to get into the backfield and make an impact.

Hendrickson had 13.5 sacks last season, and so far this year, he already has 2.5. Expect the Jags to have a scheme to protecting Lawerence in this one to limit the times he gets pressured and give him more time in the pocket, but if anyone on the defensive line is going to make an impact around that, Hendrickson would be a good bet.

3. Trae Waynes  

Trevor Lawerence currently leads the league in interceptions with seven, and the Jaguars have thrown 51 times in Week 1 and then 30+ times in Week 2 and 3, so don’t expect them to let up too much throwing through the air. Waynes making his debut with the Cincinnati Bengals will be a crucial cornerback for the secondary, especially with injuries to Bates and Philips, even if they do play.

Wayne’s will be key to guarding their best receiver, which will probably be D.J. Chark or Marvin Jones Jr, who both get targeted a lot by Lawerence. Takeaways will be significant in this game, and against Pittsburgh, Cincinnati had two and almost had a 3rd after Bell forced a fumble, but the defense and offense fed off of those turnovers, resulting in a 24-10 win and a stout performance on both sides of the ball.

Creating turnovers sets the tone, and I think this is a game where it being Waynes’ first start, he will see a lot of balls thrown in his direction, which will give him opportunities to make plays for the defense.

2. Ja’Marr Chase

With Tee Higgins out in this game, it’s an opportunity for Tyler Boyd and Ja’Marr Chase to see increased targets and have more of a chance to have big games. Chase hauled in 2 touchdowns against the Steelers and took the top off the defense just like he did against Minneosta and Chicago. Chase was the offensive rookie of the month for September and could be in line for his 2nd rookie of the week award already.

Considering the Jaguars’ secondary is worse than the Steelers, Chase shouldn’t have many struggles finding his spots. He is expected to be covered by Shaquill Griffin which may be a tough task because Griffin is a highly talented corner, but it’s nothing Chase hasn’t seen before after being covered by Joe Haden and at times Minkah Fitzpatrick last week and then Patrick Peterson and Jaylon Johnson in Week’s one and two.

Chase is breaking rookie records each week and is tied for 2nd currently in touchdown receptions and has a chance to surpass Cooper Kupp for 1st on Thursday night if he can find the end zone twice. I’d expect Burrow to look his way a bunch in this game and the same with Tyler Boyd. 

1. Brandon Wilson 

Brandon Wilson may have the most demanding task to fill all night. With Jessie Bates being ruled out, Wilson is the expected starter to step into his safety role alongside Vonn Bell. Trying to make up Bates’s impact on the Bengals is like asking Wilson just to flat out be the best player on that side of the ball.

That is not expected, but if Wilson can keep the coverage in front of him, make open-field tackles, play smart and clean football and know his assignments, he should be just fine back there playing a lot of snaps. Wilson has had success before in the secondary for the Bengals, and I’m not opposed to thinking he can do it again.

It will be interesting to see if the Bengals still have him return kickoffs in this game and the same goes for Darius Phillips on punt returns considering Phillips will more than likely have an expanded role on the defense this Thursday as well with Chidobe Awuzie doubtful.

Seeing how the Jaguars decide to attack the defense after knowing Bates and Awuzie won’t be on the field. The pass rush for Cincinnati is going to have to lead the way in this one. 

3 Ways The Bengals Can Have Success vs Pittsburgh

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3. Take advantage of the Steelers’ depleted defensive front.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the best overall defenses in the entire NFL, but going into Sunday, many of those pieces won’t be on the field. Alex Highsmith, Carl Davis, Stephon Tuitt, and T.J. Watt will all be inactive against the Bengals.

So what can Cincinnati do to exploit those holes? First, get Joe Mixon the ball in between the tackles and be aggressive throwing the ball down the field. As long as the offensive line can hold up and stay stout throughout the game, Joe Burrow should have success finding his receivers down the field.

Keeping the Steelers off-balance and staying unpredictable will be vital. If Pittsburgh can’t determine if we are giving the ball to Mixon or airing it out, it will open more great looks for our offense through the run and the pass.

2. Get Tyler Boyd involved.

Getting Tyler Boyd involved in this one will be very important, especially if Tee Higgins doesn’t play. As of now, Higgins is labeled as doubtful, and we should find out more pre-game. Nonetheless, if he plays or doesn’t, he will be limited and playing through an injury that kept him out multiple days this week in practice.

The Higgins injury will likely make Boyd’s targets increase in this matchup. So far this season, he has yet to find his standard groove; although he did lead the team in receptions last week, it was only 7 receptions for 73 yards. But with a reunion game in Pittsburgh where he played college ball, expect to see a motivated and aggressive version of himself. In addition, Ja’Marr Chase will probably draw the number one corner for Pittsburgh so that Boyd may see a more favorable matchup.

Expect the Bengals not to waste any time attacking the secondary trying to catch the Steelers off guard. Getting Boyd a few catches early on in the game wouldn’t be the worst approach either.

  1. Win in the trenches

This could be the most important aspect for a Bengals win tomorrow on both sides of the ball. Winning the game inside and in the trenches could be the deciding factor of who steals this one. Being a division game with two rival teams, there will be a lot of energy and challenging, hard-hitting plays. Winning the battles up front will lead to success in the run game and the passing game and disrupt the Steelers’ offense.

Najee Harris will be key to stop for the defensive line. Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard will have to secure the edge and not let Harris get to that second level because his speed and agility are nothing to joke about. And with recent rumors of Ben Roethlisberger playing with a hurt pec, they will probably give the ball to Harris plenty. 

Also, taking advantage of Ben being limited should be a key for the defense. Getting after him and trying to force sacks and push them behind the chains will help.

At the end of the day, the offensive line will be the biggest question. Jackson Carman is expected to make his NFL debut tomorrow at right guard, and the Steelers have a depleted front seven, but Devin Bush and Melvin Ingram will still be able to create issues with their ability to blitz and react to the ball. So keying in on those guys, especially Ingram, will be significant for the offensive lines approach in this one.

3 Things To Look For In The Bengals Final Preseason Game

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  1. Who does Zac Taylor start for the first unit offensive line?

This will be something significant to look out for in this game. Especially now that Joe Burrow has been announced active. He is on a snap count, but regardless of the unit Taylor puts out, there will most likely be the same line we see in Week 1 against the Vikings. It just wouldn’t make sense that they would throw an offensive line out there in front of Joe Burrow if it weren’t going to be the first team.

The guard play is what to look out for most, though. Jonah Williams and Riley Reiff have the tackle spots on lock, and it seems that Quinton Spain may be narrowing down one of the guard positions, but Zac Taylor has made it very clear Week 1 starter haven’t been set yet. As of right now, Xavier Su’a-Filo is expected to get the nod alongside Spain in this final week three matchup against Miami. And Trey Hopkins is scheduled to make his debut at center behind Burrow.

The race through training camp and preseason has consisted of Quinton Spain, Michael Jordan, Xavier Su’a-Filo, D’Ante Smith, Jackson Carman, and Billy Price. Jordan and Spain have been taking most of the first-team reps, but it looks like Jordan may be losing that spot to Su’a-Filo as long as he performs well against a starting defense this Sunday.

Rookie D’Ante Smith is a name to monitor. He probably won’t win the starting job, but he wasn’t even expected to be in the conversation after being selected in the 4th round of the NFL Draft. But slowly, as training camp has developed, he has shown himself as a competitor for the starting job. So if Su’a-Filo or Spain don’t live up to the expectations, don’t be shocked if Smith gets his opportunity early in the season.

2. How does Ja’Marr Chase respond after a poor performance in Week 2 of the preseason.

Now I’m not worried about Chase. And other Bengals fans shouldn’t be either. He’s a rookie, there will be bumps in the road, and there will be good days and bad days. That is expected from a young player. I don’t anticipate too many snaps and field time in this game, but expect him to be out there with Joe Burrow returning. Still, being the last preseason game before the season opener against the Vikings, I’d only expect maybe a few possessions.

Even if Chase on sees a few targets, it will still be essential to see how he responds from last week after he had multiple drops. With Burrow throwing the ball, seeing how he does in a game-like situation will be even more critical.

So far, through training camp, he has only gotten better; his route running has never been an issue and has been something that has earned him a lot of praise. His ability to create separation right when he needs to is what makes his game partially so appealing. However, it seemed like his frustration got to him last game, which led to his focus not being all there. Nevertheless, even if Chase catches a few passes or one nice ball, it will ease the mind of many Bengals fans.

Do not be worried about Ja’Marr Chase. He will have a terrific rookie season and make a serious impact on the Bengals’ offense. Panic mode was never necessary. Especially since it is preseason, and he had a backup QB throwing him passes which he rarely took reps with.

3. What role does Noah Spence play after being signed earlier this week?

Noah Spence was signed earlier this week after the news that rookie edge rusher Joseph Ossai was done for the season due to a knee injury. Ossai was expected to have a key role on the defense this season after having an impressive training camp and Week 1 of the preseason. On the very first possession, he sacked Tom Brady after blowing by highly talented offensive lineman Tristian Wirfs.

This game will be vital for Spence to show his worth. Being signed earlier this week, he hasnā€™t had the chance to play in the first two preseason games, so if he doesnā€™t impress, he puts himself at risk of being cut from the 53-man roster. When watching Spence play, what stands out is his athleticism and ability to play all around the defense. He has been shown working out with Darrin Simmons and the special teams unit and as an edge rusher across the front seven.Ā 

Spenceā€™s best season was in 2016 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he managed to have 22 combined tackles, 16 solo tackles, 12 QB hits, 5.5 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles. Although unfortunately, he has yet to get back into form as he has jumped from team to team trying to find that same success.Ā 

Cincinnati hopes to be that team where he finds that fit. But a lot will ride on his play against the Miami Dolphins Sunday evening.

Bengals vs Rams – Week 8 Preview

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The Cincinnati Bengals are headed to London, England to play the Los Angeles Rams in their Week 8 matchup on Sunday, October 27th at Wembley Stadium.

The Bengals are coming into this game 0-7 after a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars by a final score of 27-17. The stories of the game were the four turnovers by the Bengals and the offenseā€™s inability to get the run game going with Joe Mixon. Mixon only had 2 yards on 10 carries and Giovani Bernard had 0 yards on 4 carries. You know your run game is bad when quarterback Andy Dalton leads your team in rushing, he had 33 yards on the ground on 4 rushes. Dalton finished the game with 22 completions on 43 attempts for 276 yards, 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions. The Bengals were leading 10-9 going into the 4th quarter, but three interceptions thrown by Dalton (one being a pick six by Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue) put an end to any comeback for the Bengals.

The Rams are coming into this game with a 4-3 record after a blowout win against the Atlanta Falcons by a final score of 37-10. This was a much-needed win for the Rams. Coming into last week they had lost 3 straight games after starting the season 3-0. Rams Quarterback Jared Goff had 22 completions on 37 attempts for 268 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions and a rushing touchdown. Rams running back Todd Gurley had 41 rushing yards on 18 carries and a receiving touchdown. The Rams defense forced three turnovers and had over fourteen more minutes of time of possession than the Falcons.

You can catch this weekā€™s game at 1:00 pm (EST) on CBS.Ā