Bengals vs Cowboys : Preview
By Bill Murphy
The Bengals are coming off of a 44-38 loss against division rival Pittsburgh Steelers. The Bengals have lost four out of five games. The offense is not the problem. Joe Burrow and the Offense , as Burrow was 28/38 for 309 yds and three touchdowns, making this his fourth straight game where he has three or more touchdowns. Burrow did have a couple of turnovers against the Steelers as well, but that’s been rare this season. The problem is the Bengals defense that gave up 44 points, 414 receiving yds and 110 rushing yds. The Bengals go down to Jerry’s World for a Monday Night showdown against the struggling Dallas Cowboys who are coming off a Thanksgiving day 27-20 victory against their division rival New York Giants .
Keys to the Game
Bengals
Offense :
Chase Brown :
Brown so far this year has wracked up , 152 carries , 677 yards and six touchdowns . Last week against the Steelers , Brown ran for 12 carries , 70 yards and scored one touchdown . Brown can be used to take advantage of Dallas’s weak rush defense ,Last week they gave up 116 yards , 5.5 yards per carry and two touchdowns against the Giants . So far this year the Cowboys have given up 4.5 yards per carry vs running backs. Brown can also be an effective receiver for Burrow.
Defense: Pass Rush
Last week the Bengals sacked Russel Wilson twice and hit him nine times. Can they do the same to Cooper Rush , but are they going to be able to get through the very strong Dallas O-Line . They do of course have Trey Hendrickson who leads the league with 11.5 sacks.
Cowboys
Offense : Cooper Rush / Offensive Line
Cooper Rush filled in for Dak Prescott after his season ending injury . Though Not a powerhouse by any means , Rush wracked up 195 yds and two touchdowns against the Giants . Rush and the offense can take e advantage of this weak Bengals secondary which last week gave up 414 yards and three touchdowns to the Steelers. The Cowboys O line is very strong and has not given up sacks in the last two games will they be able to fend Off Trey Hendrickson .
Defense : Pass Rush
It is important that the Dallas pass rush comes out to play against Joe Burrow. Last week they sacked Drew Lock six times and 32 pass attempts , Micah Parsons had 1.5 sacks last week. Burrow was sacked three times last week against the Steelers can The Cowboys pressure Burrow this week ?
Prediction
Bengals 27 Cowboys 21
JETS AT DOLPHINS : Miami’s playoff chances took a shot last week when they lost to the Packers. Now they go home and play their division rival for the first time this season. The Jets might be the biggest disappointment in the league this season. Aaron Rodgers looks like a 40 year old coming off a torn Achilles. The Dolphin defense might be getting reinforcements back in the form of Bradley Chubb and Kendall Fuller. A Miami loss ends any hope they had to make the playoffs.
FALCONS AT VIKINGS : Two teams in the playoff hunt in the NFC meet in Minnesota, but there’s another big story here. Kirk Cousins returns to Minnesota, where he had some spectacular seasons, and coming off a tough loss to the Chargers, the Falcons need this win and Kirk needs a better performance. The Vikings decided not to pay Cousins and it has worked out extremely well, Sam Darnold is playing the best football of his career. Two things to watch are how Cousins handles Brian Flores’s defense and Justin Jefferson vs AJ Terrell.
SEAHAWKS AT CARDINALS : First place is on the line in the NFC West when these two teams play again. The Seahawks have won six straight over the Cards including a 16-6 win on November 24th. The difference in that game was a 69 yard interception return for a touchdown by Cobe Bryant, all other stats were pretty even. For the Cards this might be a game where they want to get Marvin Harrison going, he had three catches for 47 yards in the first meeting.
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