The Cincinnati Bengals come to town for only the third time – that’s the fewest trips to any franchise the Bengals have taken – and are playing the Panthers for only the sixth time in franchise history. The Bengals have won two of the last three games against the Panthers, with the last game resulting in a 37-37 tie in 2014; you may remember it as the game where Mike Nugent missed a 36-yarder as time expired. The Panthers would make the playoffs because of that tie – a 7-8-1 record gave them a higher winning percentage than the 7-9 New Orleans Saints.
Like the Panthers, the Bengals have continuity at key positions, with Andy Dalton and AJ Green being the focal points of the offense since they came to the ‘Queen City’ – yes, that’s Cincy’s nickname, too – in 2011; Head Coach Marvin Lewis has been with the team since 2003 and just recently signed a two-year contract extension. They have begun the 2018 season 2-0 by scoring 34 points in both games against AFC opponents and defeating the Colts and Ravens – they’ve also had some extended rest after playing their Thursday night game on September 13th.
Check out three keys to the team from the Fake QC:
Strong Defensive Line
Photo Credit: Scott Halloran
The Panthers’ run game will have a stiff test this week against a defensive line that features Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap; with the shuffling up front, look for Atkins – who has three sacks in two games thus far – and Dunlap – who has the most pass deflections in 2018 by a non-defensive back – to wreak havoc against an offensive line that is still finding it’s footing after losing both starting tackles to injury before the season began. While Chris Clark, who signed last Wednesday and started at left tackle four days later, played admirably against the Falcons, he’ll need to adjust quickly to be successful against second-year end Carl Lawson, who had the most sacks of all rookies in 2017 with 8.5 – he also added 21 QB pressures last season.
“We want to lead the league in sacks, whatever number it takes,” said Dunlap. “We definitely have the depth. This is one of the few times we’ve had this many guys that can get after it. I remember back in 2012, the young guys were coming in as the pass rushers. Now they’re the starters and we have young guys again coming in to rush — guys like Carl Lawson and Jordan Willis, plus Sam Hubbard is going to be a really good addition to the rotation. This is one of the best D-lines I’ve been a part of, pass rushing wise.”
The Panthers allowed two sacks to the Falcons last week and rushed for 121 yards on 18 carries, while the Bengals held the Colts and Ravens to only 141 yards, the third-fewest in the league through two weeks; the Bengals have a renewed focus on creating turnovers with new defensive coordinator Teryl Austin – they’ve already created five turnovers in two games after only nabbing 14 in all of 2017.
Monster on The Outside
Photo Credit: Andy Lyons/Getty Images
AJ Green is the kind of player that gets overlooked when people list the best wide receivers in the NFL because of his overwhelmingly long standard of excellence he’s upheld over the course of his entire career – he’s the only receiver since the merger to start his career with seven consecutive Pro Bowl nominations and can make an impact from anywhere on the field. Green has the fifth-most touchdowns among receivers since he came into the league in 2011, including four already this season – three came in the first 17 minutes of last week’s 34-23 win over the Baltimore Ravens.
“If he’s not in there, he’s watching the other guys, and if he sees something he thinks he can give them help with, he’ll do it,” said Dalton about his #1 receiver. “It’s his personality. He’s not going to be outspoken or looking to get noticed doing it. He has the guys’ respect; not only is he the best player on this team, but he’s also one of the best players in the NFL.”
Since 2011, Dalton and Green have combined for the most passes of 50 yards or longer (21) of any QB-WR tandem in the league – to put that in perspective, Cam Newton has 29 passes of that ilk with all of his receivers, including a 51-yarder to DJ Moore last week against the Falcons.
25 Or Less
Photo Credit: Aaron Doster/USA Today Sports
Since the rookie season of Andy Dalton and AJ Green, the Bengals own a 42-1-2 record when scoring more than 25 points in a game – that’s the second-highest percentage in the league. During that same stretch, the Panthers are 9-30-1 when allowing more than 25.
“The offense can be very dynamic,” said running back Joe Mixon, who will miss this week’s game after arthroscopic knee surgery on Saturday. “It can be one of the best in the NFL. Everybody’s got to come show up to work each and every day. No matter how good the team is, if the chemistry is there, everything is going to fall into (place). I really feel like we can be one of the very best (offenses) in the NFL because the talent we have is unbelievable.”
The Bengals have gotten off to a fast start this season under offensive coordinator Bill Lazor – he inherited this offense during last season and has had an entire offseason to install his scheme; it’s worked – to the tune of 68 points in two games. Joe Mixon also had 171 yards, the second-most in the league through two games, before having the surgery which will likely hold him out for at least a couple of weeks – Mixon will be replaced by former Tar Heel Giovanni Bernard, who ranks second in Bengals history in both receptions and receiving yards by a running back.
One of the keys to the game will be rushing the ball, as the Bengals signed former Seahawks rusher Thomas Rawls to help Bernard in the backfield on Wednesday.
“It’s not always the rushing yardage total that’s most important,” Head Coach Marvin Lewis has said. “When you’re running the ball a lot, it’s a sign that even though the yardage will vary, you’re controlling the ball, controlling the clock, and keeping your defense off the field. As it shows for us, that is going to be a winning combo.”
“We love seeing a guy get 100 yards, but sometimes he can break one big gain and then get to 100 even though you may not be running as consistently well and controlling the game like you do when you get high-carry numbers.”
The Panthers allowed a 100-yard rusher for the first time since December of 2016 last week when Tevin Coleman broke the century mark in the Panthers 31-24 loss to the Falcons – the last rusher to do it?
New Bengal Thomas Rawls.
