Bengals Week 3: Preparing For The Denver Broncos
By Emile Pierce
The Bengals will face an even tougher challenge for the home opener. Von Miller and the Super Bowl Champion Broncos gallop into PBS for Week 3 action.
The season is moving into Week 3 and the Bengals are having a few problems. Granted, the ship isn’t sinking. But, there are questions that need to be answered about the identity of the offense. The Denver Broncos (2-0) will be rolling into Paul Brown Stadium for another early test. If the Bengals want to control their destiny, this game is a wake-up call.
Against the New York Jets, there were a few warnings that things could be out of whack. Jets defenders shredded the O-line and treated Andy Dalton like…a raggedy Andy doll. What was the problem? The continuity of the line is still forming. The chemistry that has been seen the past few years has to develop. Yet, that doesn’t give them a pass.
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In the second half, the O-line didn’t allow as much penetration from New York. But, that was mainly due to the quick release passing plays. Defenders barely had time to make a good read before the ball was in play.
Once again the Bengals will be faced with a stout defense. Going into Sunday’s contest, the Denver defense is currently ranked at No. 6 in the league. Looking deeper into the numbers, the Broncos are ranked 2nd and 23rd respectively, against the pass and run.
How will this play out for the Bengals? The keys seem to be in the rankings. But, when it comes to Denver, there’s always the chance that adjustments make those stats irrelevant.
Thankfully, the Bengals have survived the first two games of the season. Pittsburgh and New York have two of the stingiest run defenses in the league. Moving into Week 3, the Bengals stand at 1-1. Most analysts predicted the Bengals to be sitting at 0-2. But, that’s still not a save.
Things Will Change
First-year offensive coordinator Ken Zampese has vowed to get the running game on track. Jeremy Hill showed flashes of his rookie form, during the preseason. But, in the first two games, he’s pounded the rock 20 times for 53 yards. That’s even lower than his season-ending average of 3.6 yards per carry.
Zampese isn’t happy and neither are Bengals fans. He’s determined to get the ship righted before facing the Super Bowl champions. He stresses things haven’t gone they way they’ve wanted for the first two weeks. But, it’ll get better. The sack and drag total dropped. Now, it’s time to overhaul the ground attack.
"“One of those things got handled and this coming week we’ll get the other one handled. I think anytime there’s something that hasn’t gone right that gets put up in front – you haven’t done this or you haven’t done that. The best golfer to never win a major. That’s just part of the deal and that’s what the challenge is. It’s nothing new to the guys; it’s just here’s what’s on the forefront now.”"
The Denver game isn’t a do-or-die scenario for the Bengals. But, it is a chance for Zampese to get his message across.
With DeMarcus Ware missing from the rotation, this could be Cincinnati’s time to get things right.