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49ers vs Bengals – Week 2 Preview

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  • Cincinnati Bengals running back Giovani Bernard (25) runs against San Francisco 49ers nose tackle Ian Williams (93) during the second half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 20, 2015. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

The Cincinnati Bengals will be playing the San Francisco 49ers in their first home game of the year this Sunday, September 15th at 1:00pm EST on FOX.

For the 49ers, the story of their Week 1 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was their defense. The 49ers D forced 4 turnovers while sacking Jameis Winston 3 times. Three of the four turnovers were interceptions thrown by Winston and 2 of those interceptions were returned for touchdowns. 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo on the other hand went 18 of 27 for 166 yards passing with 1 touchdown and 1 interception.

The 49ers running game was not very strong with Raheem Mostert rushing for 40 yards on 9 attempts and Matt Breida added 37 yards on the ground on 15 attempts. The 49ers are going to have to be more efficient if they want to win Sunday.

Even though the Bengals lost their first game in Week 1 they should be very confident given how they played the Seahawks this past Sunday. The Bengals offense looked good, even great at times but just could not get that score they needed in the second half despite being in Seattle territory 3 times in the 3rd quarter. The Bengals defense looked even better only allowing 233 total yards and getting 4 sacks of Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson. Andy Dalton was 35 of 51 for 418 yards and 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. The Bengals offense ranks 10th in the league after 1 week and their defense ranks 5th in the NFL heading into Week 2.

Just like the 49ers, the Bengals running game was not strong. Joe Mixon had 6 carries for only 10 yards before hurting his ankle last Sunday and Giovani Bernard had 7 carries for only 21 yards. The Bengals run game has to better and they must get their running backs more involved if they want to win on Sunday.

Steelers Week | Monday Night Football | Steelers – Bengals Preview

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Yes, it’s Steelers week and one of the fiercest rivalries in sports will be displayed on Monday Night Football this week between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers. This game always produces more hype amongst Bengals fans as there is a common ingrained disdain for the black & yellow team from Pennsylvania. About 5 years ago I wrote a short article titled “What To Do About MY LEAST FAVORITE NFL TEAM” in which I mentioned a few reasons why the Steelers have become a team that Bengals fans love to hate. My feelings have not changed a whole lot since I wrote that short piece 5 years ago and like most Bengals fans I am hyped for this weeks game because of the potential this Bengals team has to take over the division and remain at the top of the AFC North throughout the season. If you ask me that takeover should start on Monday Night.

Last season the teams split their 2 game series and each team won a game, Pittsburgh came from behind and beat the Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium 24-17 on Monday Night Football last year and then the Bengals were able to win a slugfest on the road in late December 13-10 to clinch a playoff spot while knocking Pittsburgh out of the playoff hunt.

This year both teams look much different than they did when they faced each other last year. On offense the Steelers no longer have WR Mike Wallace (now with the Dolphins) and they will also be without pro bowl C Maurkice Pouncey, TE Heath Miller and rookie RB Le’Veon Bell due to injuries. On defense they no longer have longtime NT Casey Hampton (not re-signed) and LB James Harrison (now with the Bengals) and they will also be without LB Larry Foote and CB Cortez Allen who are both injured. Cincinnati have added a few new dynamic offensive weapons with the addition of rookie TE Tyler Eifert and RB Giovani Bernard, they will also have a healthy number two wide receiver in Mohamed Sanu this time around. With the addition of these players and adding a veteran like James Harrison to Cincinnati’s top 10 defense from last year most of the national media consider the Bengals to be the favorite in this Week 2 matchup.

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My point of view is that it does not matter how much better the Bengals may look on paper or even how much better the Bengals have played over the 2nd half of last season up until now, this game will be a tough physical contest. We all know what Ben Roethlisberger can do when he gets time to throw or when he scrambles and gets out of the pocket. In addition, playing a Dick Lebeau led defense will mean lots of pressure and different looks and it will not be a walk in the park for Cincinnati’s young offense. With that said I think Marvin Lewis and the coaching staff will have the team ready.

My prediction: Bengals 30, Steelers 20