William Jackson III Archives

Bengals Week 6 Preview – Pittsburgh at Cincinnati

October 13, 2018 Caleb Pierson Leave a Comment

Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (4-1)

Its Pittsburgh week, the Bengals survived the trap game and the weekend we wait for twice a year is now upon us. In last Sunday’s game against the Dolphins we saw the Bengals offense struggle for the first time this year. On the flip side we saw the defense step up and win us the game, coming away with two defensive scores and three takeaways. While there is much to improve on with special teams, the Bengals defense was dominate. They held the Dolphins offense to just 10 points. It was a very promising showing heading into this week.

This week will be my first time not attending a home game for the Bengals this year (I was also at Indianapolis which is basically a home game). I debated long and hard about it and decided to save some money and stay home and watch. The Steelers games can get rough with the opposing fans. It seemed like it would be more comfortable to watch in the safety of my own home.

Matchups to watch for…

William Jackson III vs. Antonio Brown – Last year Jackson was able to shut Brown down, dominating him through two games. This year Jackson has taken a small step back in terms of how “shutdown” he has been. However, last week both Jackson and Dre Kirkpatrick did not allow the Dolphins to complete anything down field. The Bengals corners may have found their groove at the perfect time. William Jackson will once again look to shut down Brown and frustrate this offense.

The Bengals Defensive Line vs. Big Ben – Earlier in the week, Carlos Dunlap was on record calling Big Ben a “300 pound quarterback”. Ben was also in the news this week talking about how dirty this matchup can be. It will be very interesting to see how the Bengals defensive line handles taking down a big quarterback like Ben with the new NFL rules. Ben is very good at avoiding sacks, and the new rules may make this ever harder to do.

Vontaze Burfict vs. JuJu Smith-Schuster – I am sure I do not need to remind anyone why this is a matchup to watch. JuJu laid a hit on Burfict last year that ended his season. It will be very interesting to see what happens when these two meet on the field and what it sparks between teammates on the field as well. This matchup and how both players handle it, could affect the outcome of this game.

My Prediction: All games are must wins, but this one is particularly important. The Bengals will have a tough time winning the North if they cannot beat Pittsburgh at least once. They will be at home with the crowd behind them, making this the easier of the two Steelers games. The Steelers have been full of drama this year off the field while the Bengals have kept quiet and gone to work. I think this is a different Bengals team than in years passed. I believe they have the talent and mindset to go into this game and play smart and escape with a win. My prediction is a late field goal by Bullock to put the Bengals up for the win.

My Prediction: Bengals 27 Steelers 24

My Bengals Predictions on the year: 3-2

Be sure to follow me on twitter @Pierson242FF, and be sure to tweet at me with any Bengals related questions or comments!

Game: Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (4-1)

Date/Time: October 14, 2018 at 1:00 p.m. EST

Location: Paul Brown Stadium

Uniforms: Black Jersey with Black Pants

Last Matchup: 12/04/17 – Bengals 20 Steelers 23

Odds: Bengals, -2

Who Stays and Who Goes for Who Dey? – Part II

January 23, 2017 Chris Russell 2 Comments

Last week, the Bengal Boys gave their first thoughts on which Cincinnati players would still be on the roster next fall and which ones would become free agents. Now we examine the next two on our list. Do they have enough – or have they done enough – to suit up for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2017?

Will the Cincinnati Bengals Keep These Free Agents?

4. Dre Kirkpatrick (defensive back) – Dre K had arguably his best season as a pro in 2016. He notched 46 tackles and 3 interceptions. The Cincinnati Bengals gave him the fifth-year extension before last season and Dre showed enough improvement that, we think, he should receive a long-term deal. Furthering our case is the fact that, with Adam Jones staring at a possible suspension because of his January 3 arrest and William Jackson III being an unknown commodity, the Bengals will want all the secondary stability they can get. Re-sign (yep or nope): Yep

5. Kevin Zeitler (offensive guard) – Zeitler, like Kirkpatrick, was a first-round pick in 2012 and is probably the best guard to enter free agency this season. Also like Dre, we think the Bengals will want to keep him around for the sake of unit continuity. The Bengals averaged 110.6 rushing yards per game this season – not bad, but it won’t wow anybody. Zeitler is only in his sixth year as a pro and is worth the $9 million or $10 million it may take to keep him. Our guess is that the Bengal bigwigs will. Re-sign (yep or nope): Yep

Bengals Place William Jackson & Cedric Peerman on IR; Sign Trey Hopkins & Chykie Brown

September 4, 2016 Nate Mallon 2 Comments

The Bengals placed cornerback William Jackson III and running back Cedric Peerman on IR today with the possibility that one of them can return and contribute later this season. To fill their roster spots they signed guard Trey Hopkins and corner Chykie Brown back to the roster. The team will only carry 3 running backs to start the season. Check our updated team depth chart.

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Jacksonville Jaguars – 5 Things to Watch

August 27, 2016 Chris Russell 3 Comments

Cincinnati put up a solid effort in last Thursday’s 30-14 win over Detroit. With a trip to Jacksonville to take on the 0-2 Jaguars looming, here are 5 things to watch in the third game of the Bengals’ preseason.

1. Wide receiver battle, part I. News flash: 5-time Pro Bowler A.J. Green commands the top WR position. But there are question marks for the second spot. Brandon LaFell, fresh off a stint with the Patriots, is experienced but has yet to crack the 1,000-yard mark in a season and is battling a hand injury. Rookie Tyler Boyd is versatile … and just now cutting his teeth in the pros.

2. WR battle, part II. There are several candidates trying to fill out the back end of the receiver rotation before the roster is cut to 53 men on September 3rd. Brandon Tate, Alex Erickson, James Wright, Mario Alford, and Jake Kumerow are all battling for spots. You may be wondering “Who Dey?”, but it’s more a question of “Who Make It?” and “Who Don’t?”

3. A banged-up secondary. Darqueze Dennard won’t play because of a sprained ankle, First-round pick William Jackson III has a torn pectoral muscle and will spend most of the season (if not all of it) on Injured Reserve. That’s less-than-good news when facing a pair of 1,000-yard receivers in Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns, as well as tight ends Julius Thomas (5 catches of 20+ yards last year) and Mercedes Lewis (14.1 yards per reception).

4. How long will the starters stay in? Getting reps for the No. 1 guys is crucial so they can hit the ground running (or passing) when the regular season kicks off September 11 against the Jets, who won 10 games in 2015. Andy Dalton looked smooth against Detroit, going 7 of 9 and posting a 102.8 QB rating. Does he stay in until the third quarter before coach Marvin Lewis slaps third-year man A.J. McCarron on the shoulder and says ‘Go get ’em.”? And with tight end Tyler Eifert most likely out 4-6 weeks to start the season it will be interesting to see how much playing time other key weapons like Green, Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard get.

5. Can the Bengals avoid the bug? The injury bug, that is. We already mentioned the losses of Dennard and WJIII, which can be enough to put the passing defense behind the proverbial 8-ball. A big goal for the team is to get through the game with the starting lineup intact and keep the team doctors from having a busy night.