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3 ways the Bengals can have success vs. Chicago

September 18, 2021 Cole Sullivan 1 Comment

3. Apply a clean, multidimensional pass rush against Andy Dalton and the Bears.

What I mean by this is that the Bengals are very familiar with Andy Dalton’s tendencies as a QB as he was in Cincinnati for nine seasons. So the Bengals need to use that as a strength in how they attack gaps when blitzing. Dalton struggles when pressure is applied, so giving the Bears offensive line different looks and rushing the passer from different angles and aspects will be vital in the defense’s success.

If Cincinnati lets Dalton sit in the pocket and throw the ball, he will be successful more than not. He is not a bad QB by any means, which means the defense needs to be as aggressive as they were with Kirk Cousins and Dalvin Cook as they are with Andy Dalton and David Montgomery. If Montgomery gets going early and finds his rhythm, this game will be close and will play into the 4th quarter a lot like the Minnesota game. But if we can limit chunk plays on the ground, push the Bears behind the chains and force Dalton to make rugged, uncomfortable passes, then Cincinnati should have a lot of success as a unit.

Also, being ready for Justin Fields when he shows up is essential because he will play at times, and being caught off guard as a defense will let the rookie have his way. Fields is very talented, not only through the air but using his feet as well. Keeping a spy on him when he plays may be the way to limit anything he may try to do scrambling. He doesn’t have Lamar Jackson’s speed or agility, but he is knowledgeable and knows how to hit holes, find gaps and recognize when a defense isn’t picking up on his signals.

2. Get the ball out quickly

This one will be crucial to the Bengals success Sunday. The Bears’ most significant strength is their front seven and their ability to rush the passer from all sorts of schemes and disguises. Khalil Mack is the leader of the defense, and he is also one of the best defensive players in the entire league, so knowing where he is at all times will be essential for the offensive line and the running backs who are blocking in the backfield.

Joe Burrow was sacked 5 times last week. The good news is that of those 5 sacks, 4 of them were against either Trey Hopkins the center, Drew Sample the tight end, and the running back. Jonah Williams and Riley Reiff were one of only three tackle tandems that didn’t allow a single sack, which is something you want to hear as a Bengals fan. But what does this mean?

First off, Trey Hopkins will need to be better, but it also was his first game back coming off a torn ACL like Burrow, so there will be bumps in the road as he progresses. But, the help side blocking will need to improve. Often Giovani Bernard was the key guy in this role. He was great laying down a block once rushers got to the second level with their blitz, but not having him anymore means other guys need to step up. Drew Sample is one of those guys considering the main reason the team drafted him was because of his blocking abilities.

Regardless, the Bengals will need to be stout in both pass blocking and run blocking for them to have the success they want to have as an offense, and an early-season test against the Chicago Bears front will be the perfect match for that challenge.

  1. Get Tyler Boyd involved and be agressive in the passing game.

The Chicago Bears’ biggest weakness is their secondary. They ranked as the 4th worst secondary in the league last week against the LA Rams, whose tandem consists of Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, and Van Jefferson. But, of course, you could easily make the case that the Bengals are even more dynamic than the Rams, so if they had success, the Bengals don’t have much of an excuse not to exploit the struggling cornerbacks and safties.

Jaylon Johnson is probably one of the more talented corners on the team, and his assignment will more than likely be on Ja’Marr Chase or Tee Higgins, which gives Tyler Boyd a favorable matchup as he is one of the best slot corners in the league. Boyd had a slow week in Week 1, only hauling in 3 catches for 32 yards, so this would be a prime matchup for him to have his first breakout game of the season.

Higgins and Chase both could have success as well. A lot will be determined on how much time the offensive line gives Joe Burrow because passes down the field would be the ideal way to beat this secondary. Keeping the linebackers involved in short passes will be a way for the Bears to hang around in this one because of their ability to tackle in the open field and attack the football off the snap and the throw. Keeping them on their toes by mixing in Joe Mixon will be necessary, and if Mixon can get going in this game, that could change the approach for the offense. Being able to complete longer passes down the field of at least 15-20 yards will be vital. I expect Tyler Boyd to lead the team in receptions in this game.

Game predictions:

(Before Week 1 – Bengals: 17 – Bears: 14)

Now – Bengals: 28 – Bears: 17

Weekly Offensive MVP: Tyler Boyd

Weekly Defensive MVP: Trey Hendrickson

Chicago Bears, Opinion, Predictions Andy Dalton, Bears, Bengals, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati, Cincinnati Bengals, Ja'Marr Chase, Joe Burrow, Joe Mixon, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd

A Bengals Legend: Cedric Benson

August 19, 2019 Kaleb Riesenberg Leave a Comment

Cedric Benson, the number 4 pick in the 2005 NFL Draft passed away on the night of Saturday, August 17th from a motorcycle accident. He was only 36 years old. 

Benson was drafted by the Chicago Bears after an incredible senior season at Texas where he rushed for 1,834 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns. But things did not start out as planned in the NFL, in his rookie year he only rushed for 272 yards in 9 games and the next two seasons less than 700 yards per season. Benson came to the Bengals in the 2008 offseason and was considered a head case and a distraction, but in Marvin Lewis fashion he took a chance on Benson and boy did it pay off.

Benson’s 2008 campaign was not very productive, only 747 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns, while the Bengals finished 4-11-1 with starting QB Carson Palmer out for the majority of the season with a right elbow injury. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick said how great of a locker room guy and teammate Benson was.

In 2009 Benson really broke out and displayed what everyone thought he would be when he was drafted. Benson put up 1,251 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns while helping the Bengals get to the playoffs and an AFC North title for the first time since 2005. In that 2009 season Benson had a huge game against his former team the Chicago Bears. He put on a show in a 45-10 Bengals blow out win where he rushed for 189 yards and a touchdown. 

 In 2010 Benson rushed for 1,111 yards and 7 touchdowns and in 2011 1,067 yards and 6 touchdowns while once again helping the Bengals get back to the playoffs with rookie QB Andy Dalton and rookie WR AJ Green. 

The Bengals cut Benson after the 2011 season after he had some fumbling issues and replaced him with Benjarvus Green-Ellis in 2012. Benson last played in the NFL in 2012 for the Green Bay Packers but suffered a Lisfranc injury in his foot and ended up retiring. Rest in peace 32.



Story Bears, Bengals, Cedric Benson, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers, Packers

Winners and Losers: Preseason Week 1

August 13, 2018 Caleb Pierson 3 Comments

While it was only preseason, man was it great to have football back. We saw an encouraging performance from the Bengals starters in their 30-27 victory over the Chicago Bears. Here are a few of the winners and losers from the first game of the year.

John Ross – Wide Receiver
Winner

I am listing Ross as a winner, despite him falling down on a route resulting in a pick six early in the game. Ross did not play a perfect game, however he had flashes that showed why the Bengals picked him 9th overall in 2017. Ross’s one catch for the night was a short route where he caught the ball about four to five yards from the line of scrimmage, right in front of the defender. Most wide receivers would have fought for an extra yard or two and been tackled, but this is where Ross is different. Ross juked out the defender and turned on the jets, accelerating for 20 yards and nearly scoring. It was the type of play that showed just how dangerous he can be in the open field. Ross also remained in the game and got a lot of targets even after his mistake. It was a good sign that Marvin Lewis left him in rather than benching him for the mistake. Ross got a few red zone targets later in the night, one in which he went up in the air to snag the ball and nearly drug both toes in the back of the endzone. Some will say both feet were down, but regardless he showed just enough to flash his monster upside.

Matt Barkley – Quarterback
Loser

Going into Thursday night Barkley was the second quarterback on the Bengals depth chart, but if he continues with performances like he did against the Bears, Barkley could find himself as a free agent. Barkley showed next to nothing in his time against the Bears, completing just five passes for 64 yards. He was able to lead a few drives resulting in field goals, but gave Bengals fans no confidence if something were to happen to Dalton. Barkley will need to seriously step up his game to avoid being passed up by Jeff Driskel, who played very well.

Geno Atkins – Defensive End
Winner

Geno was his usual disruptive self against Chicago, contributing to the first team defense that held Mitchell Trubisky to only four yards passing. Early on in the game versus the Bears first string offense, Geno bulldozed an offensive lineman to the ground getting right to Trubisky for the sack. It was a reminder that Geno is still one of the league’s most elite defensive tackles. A few plays later Geno rushed into the backfield drawing an offensive holding penalty after the Bears line was forced to hold him to keep him from recording his second sack of the night. A five yard penalty is as good as a sack for the defense. Geno showed us that even if you don’t let him get to the quarterback, he can still be a defensive nightmare. Geno should once again be one the key players on this Bengals defense.

Malik Jefferson – Linebacker
Loser

It is not a huge red flag as this was Jefferson’s first NFL game ever, but Jefferson didn’t flash much. Outside of his one tackle we saw Jefferson miss a tackle on a run to the outside that led to the Bears getting a big gain. As if him being a liability on the ground wasn’t enough we also saw him struggle in pass coverage, getting beat several times. It is likely Jefferson was not ready for the speed of the NFL and will be able to better prepare for their week 2 Preseason matchup, but for someone who was taken in the third round Jefferson must improve. With Vontaze Burfict out for the first few games, Malik has a huge opportunity to showcase what he can do with an expected increase of snaps. Jefferson is still raw and developing his instincts, expect him to improve in week 2.

The Cincinnati Bengals Offense
Winner

After an embarrassing 2017 filled with bad line play and no creativity, we saw a new look Bengals offense against the Bears. With a full offseason of Bill Lazor, young wideouts like Ross, Boyd, and Malone, and a new line, this Bengals offense gave fans hope. The Bengals came out firing and moved the ball very effectively. We saw AJ Green lined up in the slot against linebackers, Joe Mixon lined up wide running wide receiver routes, and we also saw Tyler Boyd shine from the slot. Bill Lazor will not be short on weapons this year, and while it was only one game it appears he knows how to utilize them. We saw one blunder by the first team offense, John Ross’s slip, but was otherwise lights out and appeared to be clicking well. Bill and his new offense bring excitement the Bengals have been missing.

Follow me on Twitter @Pierson242FF, be sure to tweet at me for any Bengals related questions or comments. Who Dey!

Recap, Takeaways Bears, Bengals, Bengals Offense, Geno Atkins, John Ross, Malik Jefferson, Matt Barkley, Preseason

Bears Edge Bengals In Opener

September 8, 2013 Nate Mallon Leave a Comment

NFL: Cincinnati Bengals at Chicago Bears

The Bengals opener on the road in Chicago was close as most predicted it would be. The Bears ended up on the winning side 24-21 and they deserved to get the win in this one. Noted below is the good, the bad, and what to hope for in the weeks to come.

The good.

-Dalton made a few mistakes but he played well and appeared to be more in command of the offense. He finished with 26 completions on 33 passing attempts, 282 yards passing and 2 TD’s.
-The rookies looked good. Both TE Tyler Eifert and RB Gio Bernard looked good when they touched the ball and made several positive plays each. Eifert had 5 receptions for 47 yards and Bernard had 4 carries for 22 yards and another catch for 8 yards.
-OT Anthony Collins played extremely well in place of Andrew Whitworth and Julius Peppers was kept in check all game.
-TE Jermaine Gresham played well and had several good physical runs after catching passes to pick up first downs. He finished with 5 receptions for 35 yards.
-LB Vontaze Burfict was noticeably aggressive all game long and had his first career interception.
-DE Carlos Dunlap had several QB pressures and batted down a Jay Cutler pass.

The bad.

-Stupid penalties and too many penalties. The Bengals committed 8 penalties as a team and 2 of them were unsportsmanlike conduct due to scuffles after the play.
-Lack of composure and maturity. Dre Kirkpatrick and Rey Maualuga were flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Maualuga’s penalty prevented the team from getting one more possession at the end of the game.
-Turnovers. Dalton threw 2 interceptions, although 1 was not his fault as A.J. Green couldn’t hold on to a pass that was nicely thrown and then went into the arms of a defender. Both receivers A.J. Green and Mohamed Sanu fumbled and Sanu’s fumble was recovered by the Bears.
-Poor game management. The Bengals had no timeouts over the last 8 minutes of the game. Not good. Not sure exactly who is to blame but this should not happen.
-Benjarvus Green-Ellis is unable to pick up positive yardage when they try to kick it ouside.
-No sacks for a team that had 51 last season.

What to hope for.

-Penalties cleaned up. Stupid penalties cleaned up.
-A more composed team.
-Improved coaching/game management.
-Only run Green-Ellis up the gut, give Gio Bernard more touches.
-Dalton played well, let’s hope he can keep it going and remains consistent.

Uncategorized Bears, Bengals, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals

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