The Cincinnati Bengals and the Arizona Cardinals will face off this Sunday. Here’s what you need to know about the Bengals, plus more news around the league.
Rummaging through the internet to bring you latest news about the Cincinnati Bengals and the NFL so that you don’t have to do it – this is your Who Dey Dish for Saturday, November 21.
Cincinnati Bengals: 3 Keys to Victory vs. Arizona Cardinals (Stripe Hype)
"Key to the Game #1: Win the turnover battle.The Cincinnati Bengals have been one of the most consistent teams in the NFL throughout the 2015 season, winning the turnover battle on an almost weekly basis. Cincinnati has a plus-three turnover differential through nine games after losing the turnover battle in Houston, two-to-one. Cincinnati cannot afford to turn the ball over; the Cardinals’ offense is explosive and will pick the Bengals’ defense apart with a short field.Winning the turnover battle is a winning formula against the Cardinals. The St. Louis Rams won the turnover battle, winning three-to-zero, in their victory over the Cardinals, and the Steelers won the turnover battle by the same differential in their victory over Arizona. Reggie Nelson and the rest of the Bengals’ secondary must solve Palmer early to get good jumps on routes and break up plays.The Bengals will need to do a better job of holding on the ball on offense, as well. A.J. Green’s fumble in Houston sealed the deal for the Texans; the Bengals aren’t equipped to deal with critical turnovers on offense. It’s easier said than done, but if the Bengals can hold onto the ball, force turnovers and win the battle of field position, Cincinnati should be able to come out on top."
Bengals vs. Cardinals: Week 11 Fantasy Preview (Stripe Hype)
"QuarterbacksCarson Palmer: Palmer has been a fantasy monster this entire season. Averaging around 19-21 fantasy points per game, Palmer has been a must-start in all fantasy league formats–and that wont change on Sunday against the Bengals. Even though the Bengals are giving up the seventh-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks, Cincinnati will most likely be without defensive players Michael Johnson, Adam Jones, and Pat Sims. Without those valuable assets for the Bengals, Cincinnati’s coverage could be dealing with issues and its pass-rush could fall off in a huge way."
Cincinnati Bengals: Is Cardinals Matchup a Must-Win? (Stripe Hype)
"Is Cincinnati’s upcoming showdown in Arizona really a must-win game?Cincinnati had a perfect chance to emphatically win back-to-back prime time games against beatable teams but split the two matchups, demolishing the Cleveland Browns and dropping a winnable home matchup against the Houston Texans.In retrospective, winning back-to-back prime time matchups against bad teams wouldn’t have done that much for the Bengals. Skeptics would point to a weak schedule, the fact that both prime time games were played in Paul Brown Stadium and that for the Bengals, regular season games don’t matter anymore.And while most of the blame from Cincinnati’s first loss will fall on Andy Dalton, he was far from the Bengals’ biggest liability on offense."
Stakes high for Bengals-Cards (Cincinnati Bengals)
"In a game with more storylines than binge viewing, the 8-1 Bengals look to the script that has made them one of the NFL’s most feared teams when they meet one of the best the NFC has to offer in Sunday’s premier game of the day (8:30 p.m.-Cincinnati’s Channel 5) at 7-2 Arizona.The Bengals.com Media Roundtable projects a tight, one-score game where former Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer survives the passion play with his signature long ball and 152 NFL starts of experience that nearly double the 73 authored by fellow MVP candidate Andy Dalton.Veteran league observer Dan Pompei, NFL features reporter for Bleacher Report and a Pro Football Hall of Fame voter, gives the nod to Arizona largely because of that experience and the home field.Darren Urban, who has covered the Cardinals for 16 years, the last nine with the club’s web site, AZCardinals.com, says it is the best team he’s covered and one of the reasons is because they’ve proven with the 39 points in Seattle last Sunday night they can score on anybody anywhere.Jim Owczarski, one of the Bengals beat men for The Cincinnati Enquirer, deals the Cards because of the home-field and he’s not sure if this is the game the Bengals can get their running attack off the ground.Coley Harvey, who covers the Bengals for ESPN.com, is the only member of the board picking the visitors. He’s cites the storylines and the Bengals ability to use the motivation of past losses to their advantage earlier in the season."
LOOK: Bengals players get stuck on elevator in Arizona hotel (CBS Sports)
"The Bengals trip to Arizona on got off to a rough start on Friday for Adam Jones and two of his teammates.After the team plane landed in Arizona, Jones, Giovani Bernard and Margus Hunt decided to do something that most normal people do: They got in the elevator at the team hotel.At some point, the elevator started working about as well as the Bengals offense did on Monday night. According to Pacman, the elevator stopped working.Because it’s not often that you get stuck in an elevator, Pacman decided to document the entire hallowing experience on Instagram."
NFL
Cardale Jones, Ezekiel Elliot appear headed to the NFL (Pro Football Talk)
"After Ohio State’s loss to Michigan State today, quarterback Cardale Jones and running back Ezekiel Elliott both suggested that they’re heading to the NFL.Jones wrote on Twitter that it was his last game at Ohio Stadium. Elliott also tweeted after the game that it was his last game at Ohio Stadium as well.By returning for this season at Ohio State, Jones likely cost himself millions of dollars. Ten months ago, Jones was riding high after leading Ohio State to the national championship, and he was widely regarded as a first-round draft pick. This year Jones struggled and was benched, and in the process put a lot of flaws on tape for NFL scouts to scrutinize. Jones still has the large stature and the big arm that NFL teams love, but he no longer looks like a first-round pick.Elliott is generally regarded as the best running back in the 2016 draft class, though not as good a prospect as LSU’s Leonard Fournette, a sophomore who still has to wait another year before he’s draft eligible. Elliott has a good chance of being a first-round pick."
49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick goes on season-ending IR (Yahoo! Sports)
"Quarterback Colin Kaepernick was placed on season-ending injured reserve by San Francisco on Saturday with a left shoulder injury, possibly signaling an end to his time with the 49ers just three seasons after he led them to a Super Bowl.Kaepernick began the week coming off the team’s bye with soreness in his non-throwing shoulder and he brought it to the attention of the medical staff Monday. He received treatment throughout the week, but was listed as a full participant in practice.He was listed as probable Friday to be available if needed for Sunday’s game at Seattle as the backup to promoted starter Blaine Gabbert.But after the team submitted the injury report, Kaepernick returned to the training staff Friday following practice and said the shoulder wasn’t making any progress and then asked about his options. Surgery was considered a real possibility.The 28-year-old Kaepernick’s $11.9 million 2016 contract would become fully guaranteed for injury if he’s still on the roster on April 1.Because of that, many already figured Kaepernick’s time with the Niners (3-6) might be done in what so far has been a forgettable season."
Falcons tell fans to show up 45 minutes early for “enhanced security measures” (Pro Football Talk)
"On Sunday, the Falcons will host their first game since terror attacks in Paris created concerns of similar incidents at large public gatherings in the U.S. As a result, fans have been asked to show up to their Georgia Dome gates at least 45 minutes early for Sunday’s contest against the Colts.“In response to recent world events, the Georgia World Congress Center Authority is implementing enhanced security measures, including increased law enforcement, for our game on Sunday,” the Falcons said in a release. “You may notice these changes as you arrive or depart from the game. The enhanced security measures are not the result of any targeted threats; rather, they are prudent measures under the circumstances and were made in coordination with NFL security recommendations. Your safety is extremely important to us, and we appreciate your understanding.”The development comes at a time when the FBI reportedly is taking seriously an ISIS threat against the Philips Arena in Atlanta, where a WWE event will be held on Sunday. There are no reports of any threats against the Colts-Falcons game or any other NFL games to be played on Sunday."