Bengals: 3 sneaky threats to worry about vs. Bears in Week 2

3. Bears wide receiver Darnell Mooney has game-breaking ability with his speed

Against the Rams, Dalton mustered up only 206 passing yards. It is well-known that the Bears’ offense has been what’s holding them back from winning over the last handful of seasons.

The Bengals’ defense looked good against Minnesota but still gave up 351 yards through the air. Part of this is due to Waynes’ injury and his replacement Eli Apple struggled at times last week.

For the Bears, Dalton did not look good against the Rams with a QBR of 34.9 but it still looks like Dalton will start over Justin Fields this week. Chicago is going to have a rough offensive day if they can’t throw against the Bengals. This would make them one-dimensional, and Cincinnati pretty much shutdown Dalvin Cook in the run last week, which was impressive, to say the least.

Just like most of the league, Chicago is going to pick on Apple. He has shown the tendency to give up a lot of big plays, and the Bears have the receivers who can beat him. The last thing Cincinnati wants to do on defense is give up big game-changing plays to a mediocre offense.

Darnell Mooney, Chicago’s starting receiver opposite of Robinson, is one sneaky threat that needs to be limited. Mooney has some elite speed with a 40 time of 4.38.

Last season, Mooney showed he has a ton of big-play ability in him. The Bengals cannot afford to give up game-changing big plays to an offense like the Bears, Mooney could be the main culprit if big plays are given up. Explosive plays usually conquer the day and lead to wins, this simply cannot happen.

Mooney is not just all speed either, look at his impressive release against perhaps the best cornerback in football.

We know how good the Bears’ number one receiver Robinson is, but don’t sleep on Mooney. If Apple is lined up one-on-one with the speedster Mooney, this plays right into Chicago’s hands. If Mooney is breaking big plays on the Bengals’ defense, the Bears will likely come out on top with a good offensive day.

Thankfully, the Bears do not have the best quarterback play right now. Cincinnati could catch some breaks with inaccurate balls, but Mooney still must be kept under wraps.

The Bengals will look to make more noise with another impressive win against the Bears on the road.