Cincinnati Bengals: 4 bold predictions versus Rams in London

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CINCINNATI, OHIO – OCTOBER 20: Head coach Zac Taylor of the Cincinnati Bengals stands on the field during the NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Paul Brown Stadium on October 20, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Bryan Woolston/Getty Images) /

There is a part of the equation that says the Cincinnati Bengals play a close game in Week 8, as the Los Angeles Rams aren’t the juggernaut they appeared to be last season. They have a questionable offensive line, a star running back on the wane, and a head coach the league as a whole might have caught up to.

Still, it’s 11 on 11. If you compare each roster against the other, you can’t find a single matchup that gives you hope the Bengals can win. Then again, the law of averages says that at some point, Cincinnati is going to get a win.

The London games take away home-field advantage for the team designated as the “home” team. Perhaps in this true neutral venue, the Bengals have a shot at what would be a huge upset.

Taylor also has some institutional memory with the Rams. He knows the best way to beat LA is to stop the run game, play tough coverage with their passing game, and win time of possession. Can I get a show of hands of those who think the Bengals can check all those boxes?

That’s a tall order for Cincinnati. Still, on any given Sunday, you have the bizarre situation where the sun will rise in the West and set in the East.
Just not this Sunday.

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I don’t think it’s a blowout. Sean McVay would call off the dogs long before he’d let a former assistant get run out of the stadium. But make no bones about it, the Bengals leave London with a record of 0-8, with a lot of work to do during the bye week.

Bengals-19
Rams-31