Bengals vs Broncos: What You Need To Know
By Emile Pierce
The Cincinnati Bengals will be battling the Denver Broncos, in a rematch of last year’s Week 16 matchup. Here’s all you need to know.
The Cincinnati Bengals will be hosting the Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos at Paul Brown Stadium. Sunday’s 1 pm matchup will be a grudge match. The last time the two teams met, Denver was able to walk away with an overtime win. Played on Monday Night Football, the game was a prime time hit. But, what are the key factors you need to know?
When the Bengals traveled to Mile High, they were without the services of a red-headed guy named Andy Dalton. Dalton was the main spark in the Bengals phenomenal 8-0 start last season. When the Red Rifle is under center, things tend to go smoother for the Men in Black.
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Cincinnati was also burdened with the loss of Tyler Eifert. Things may have been different if Dalton and Eifert were able to hook up on the field.
This time around, the Bengals will also be without the services of Eifert again. But, they’ll have a couple of capable fill-ins that are up to the task. The problem? C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Kroft will have to become the big-play tight ends that Bengals coaches need. In fact, they’ll need to play above and beyond the levels that Eifert has established.
The Orange and Black will need to step it up the run defense. Two games into the season, the numbers don’t look good. Against Gang Green, Matt Forte, and his buddies racked up 137 yards on the ground. In Week 2, Cincinnati allowed DeAngelo Williams to sprint for 96 yards. If the Bengals expect to move forward in the playoffs, the current trend will need to be fixed.
What’s The Key To A Successful Home Opener?
Denver is hanging their hat on Trevor Siemian. If Cincinnati can effectively shut down CJ Anderson, they’ll have a better than decent chance. Siemian is having a Brock Osweiler type season. He isn’t burning up the stat books but the W’s are coming.
The offensive line will need to gel much faster. Cedric Ogbuehi is still learning the position. There were a lot of fans and analysts that didn’t like Andre Smith’s approach to the game. But, since his departure, the ground game has suffered. Was he more important than everyone thought?
With all that said, Cincinnati should find the home-field advantage satisfying. After two weeks on the road, there’s nothing like home cooking.