5 Bengals strengths the Patriots have to contend with
The Bengals sit at 2-3 this season, but based on their records the past few years there is reason to believe they could spell trouble for future opponents, even as soon as this week in Foxborough. Here are five areas they have done well in so far:
1. Moving down the field through the air
Andy Dalton is second in the NFL in passing yards this year with 1503, putting him on pace for about 4,800 for the season. There’s also the matter of his low touchdown total so far – he has just 5 on the year. No quarterback has ever thrown for 4,800 yards and failed to throw for at least 20 touchdowns, meaning Dalton should start finding his weapons in the end zone soon.
2. Targeting A.J. Green
The strength of Cincy’s offense is their passing, and their passing game revolves almost entirely around A.J. Green. He’s been up and down this season despite getting targeted at least 8 times in each game, but there’s a strong correlation between Green having big games and the Bengals winning: he’s averaging 4.7 catches for 55 yards in their three losses, and 11 catches for 176.5 yards in their wins.
3. Limiting opposing quarterbacks
The Bengals fall outside of the top tier of passing defenses this season, and have been vulnerable to big plays, but it has been difficult for QBs to get going against their secondary. Ben Roethlisberger has decimated defenses the past two weeks, but completed just 19 of 37 passes and threw two picks when he played Cincinnati. They rank in the top 10 in opponents’ completion percentage (60.2). Their numbers are hurt by a head-scratching performance against Denver, when Trevor Semien had his first and only huge game of the season, but otherwise the unit has been strong.
4. Utilizing their versatile running game
The Bengals haven’t gotten consistent play from both of their runners, but when Jeremy Hill and Giovanni Bernard are on, they are very dangerous. Bernard caught 9 balls for 100 yards out of the backfield against Pittsburgh, and Hill ran all over the Broncos to the tune of 97 yards and two touchdowns. The Patriots were able to shut down Isaiah Crowell last week, but they might have a harder time with the Bengals backs since the game is less likely to be a blowout.
5. Slowing down Tom Brady
Every Patriots fan remembers the team dominating Cincinnati on the way to a Super Bowl run two seasons ago, but Brady has actually been relatively quiet against the Bengals in his career. Obviously, this year’s team isn’t exactly the same as past years, but it’s worth noting that Brady’s 237.7 yards per game against Cincinnati is lower than his mark against all but four other teams.
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