The Cincinnati Bengals are heading into an extremely important showdown with the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football. Cincinnati's playoff chances hinge largely on the outcome of the contest, so a win is of the utmost importance. Here's a look at three problems that the Bengals need to fix in order to secure a victory.
Third-down defense
The Bengals defense needs to do a better job of getting off of the field on third down than it did against Baltimore in Week 10. Cincinnati allowed Baltimore to convert seven out of its 12 third-down conversions, which allowed the Ravens to continue drives and pile up points. Had Cincinnati been able to do a better job of limiting Baltimore's third-down success, perhaps the ultimate outcome would have been different. Against Los Angeles, the Bengals need to buckle down on third downs and prioritize getting off of the field.
Turnovers
Turnovers haven't necessarily been a major issue for the Bengals this season, as they're dead even in terms of turnover differential, but they had an extremely costly turnover in Week 10 against Baltimore. With the ball and leading 21-7 in the third quarter, Bengals back Chase Brown coughed it up, and the Ravens were able to recover. They quickly converted and it was all downhill for the Bengals from there.
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Baltimore outscored Cincinnati 28-13 the rest of the way to secure the win, and that fumble could be pointed to as the turning point in the game. The Bengals simply can't afford to have a similar situation occur in the game against the Chargers. Ball control must be a priority for Cincinnati. Hopefully this is stressed by the coaching staff.
Lack of ground game
Cincinnati enjoyed its best rushing performance of the season against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 9, as Chase Brown had a career-high 120 yards on 27 carries. But, the Bengals were back to their own ways against the Ravens, as they mustered just 49 total rushing yards as a team. With just 16 total rushing attempts against the Ravens, Cincinnati basically abandoned the ground game.
The Bengals are averaging the fourth-fewest ground yards per game in the entire NFL, and at this point in the season it's fair to wonder if there's any path to improvement in that area. The team brought in Khalil Herbert, but he fumbled on his lone carry against Baltimore, and it remains to be seen exactly what his role will be moving forward. Hopefully he can provide a spark, because the Bengals could certainly use it.