Game 10 – Eagles at Bengals – 6 more games till it’s over.
By Staff
Game 10 – 2008 Bengals Season
Eagles at Bengals, November 16th, 2008 – 1pm EST
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How will the Bengals Offense Look?
Quarterback:
Fitzgerald gets his 6th start, and with it another chance to show he is not to be remembered as Fitzseasonkiller.
The Eagles are ranked 10th in points allowed, 9th in yards and 6th in pass yards. Mate that with 28 sacks and a +6 turn-over ratio and you have a recipe for an embarrassing loss. Fitzscramble and his ensemble will be pressed to find first downs with this opponent.
RB:
With Ced-Ben nursing a sore back, there could be more C-Perry in the near future. Given the ablsolute failure of Mr. Perry as the savior of the Bengals running game, I hope this coaching staff will blend in some Watson to offset the little chance of success Perry might offer.
Should Benson find significant time on the field, it is our sincere hope that he can fight through the pain and carry on if only to keep Perry on the sidelines.
O-Line:
Slowly finding their way, this would be the blind squirrel that might have a chance to stumble into finding its second nut. Without sounding overly dramatic, there MAY be a reason to hope against the Eagles D-line.
The Eagles got punished for 36 points by the Giants, with substantial ground yards courtesy Brandon Jacobs and 2 TD’s from the lesser Manning.
WR/TE:
Ocho Bunko caught 2 TD’s 2 weeks ago. Almost like a mirage of what “could” have been… As the second slight chance that there is a possible Bengals win in the cards, Chad has begun to find some spark to get his game going. Either as a “try-out” for wherever he lands next year, or as a frustrating glimpse of what could have been this year, his performance from now till the end of the year will leave us all wondering.
TJ continues to be near the top of the NFL in receptions, Cheech Henry is showing he can make a handful of catches and is “really” <heavy sarcasm intended> a the great humanitarian cause Mike Brown believed him to be.
How will the Bengals Defense Look?
D-Line:
Odom = out. Sims = who knows. Absent these two players, I expect a serious problem in dealing with Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook, two players not to be taken lightly.
9 games. 9 sacks. All you really need to know.
McNabb has resurged to prove he is an elite NFL QB and Westbrook, nursing a sore knee, is a two-dimensional threat that makes teams pay who over-commit to either the pass or run.
LB:
Dhani Jones is interesting. Wow. I wish he was interesting in the kind of way that speaks to something more than saying he is not hurt and people like him. Being among the leaders in the NFL in tackling is little to brag about at 1-8.
D-backs:
Overrated. Can we all agree in this? Even with two r1 picks starting at CB, this unit has yet to prove they are more than an overrated band of guys pulling in a paycheck. Yielding 13 TD’s to 5 INT’s, there is not much to cheer.
How will the Special Teams Look?
Kyle Larson is on by doo-doo list. He is about the most inconsistent kicker in recent memory. 33 yrd net per punt, 31st in the league, causes much concern.
Intangibles/Other:
Injuries – No Palmer. Really all that matters. For the Eagles, Westbrook has a sore knee, so we’ve got that going for us.
Stadium/Fans – The game is at home and the locals are a bit football starved. As long as te expectations are properly set, this could be a good game to attend.
Weather – Overcast, 35 degrees. Slight wind. Good football day.
Historically – 7-3 edge to the striped bunch. 3-0 at home.
Relevant Stat – Bengals WR Chad Ocho Cinco is four catches away from 600 career grabs in his 118th game, tying him with his cousin Keyshawn Johnson for second quickest to 600. Whoopdy-doo.
Prognosis – Eagles 31 – Bengals 20. Leading 24-3 at the half, Eagles rest some folks in the second half with confidence.