The Cincinnati Bengals (3-1) host the Aaron Rodgers led Green Bay Packers (3-1) Sunday at 1:00 EST. This could be the most formidable opponent the Bengals face this season outside of the AFC North, and if the Bengals can find a way to win this game, what will it prove?
The task at hand will not be easy by any means, but the Packers are a beatable team. Is the Bengals’ play through the first four weeks good enough to get the job done? Probably not.
Now they have played team-driven football which you want to see, but against Green Bay, you can’t have slow starts. The Bengals have managed to not score at all so far in the first quarter through four games. They can’t happen against the Packers.
Green Bay is too dynamic of an offense with Davante Adams, Aaron Jones, Randall Cobb, Robert Tonyan, and so forth that points will need to be scored, and they will have to be consistent. If Cincinnati can keep the offense in rhythm all four quarters, there’s no reason why the Bengals can’t be a 4-1 team by Sunday night.
A win against Green Bay would also force the NFL world to recognize the Queen City.
The Cincinnati Bengals are 3-1 and have played good football sitting atop the AFC North but remain undervalued and underappreciated by most media outlets.
Of course, the team probably couldn’t care less about getting media recognition either, but the fact of the matter is with a win this week, the Bengals would have to be taken seriously week in and week out.
A win against a Packers team who have won three straight and have looked very stout on both sides of the ball would easily be the biggest win so far this season and could be a game that we look back on late in the season that could define the outcome of the Bengals record. A game most will predict the Bengals to lose is a key reason why this is a vital game.
The offense will have to put up points but looking at the defensive side of it — The defense will have to be aggressive in attacking Rodgers in the pocket with different blitzing schemes and disguises. The defense will also need to realize that he will make tough throws, complete passes, and convert first downs when it seems plays are broken. That’s what great players do, and Aaron Rodgers will do those things.
If Cincinnati can find ways to hold the Packers to field goals over touchdowns, that could be an essential piece to the recipe for a Bengals win. Is the Cincinnati defense going to shut out the Packers? I doubt it.
Limiting chunk plays is very important though. Living with 10-15 yard passes is okay. Giving up those 30-40 yard plays that can break a defense will not be acceptable if Cincinnati wants to win this one.
This game will prove to a whole lot of people what type of a team the Cincinnati Bengals are. Are they a threat in the AFC North? Can they hang with some of the top teams in the NFL?
Those are questions that will be answered after the game Sunday evening.