Bengals vs. Broncos: Full Cincinnati Game Preview
The Cincinnati Bengals head to Denver for a Monday Night Football encounter with the Broncos hoping to better position themselves in the playoffs.
Cincinnati secured a postseason berth last week by dismissing the San Francisco 49ers on the road behind a good showing from backup quarterback AJ McCarron in his debut, not to mention an elite day from the defense.
Denver, though, will enter Monday hungry after a two-game losing skid and still features elite weapons on the outside of the offense and littered throughout the defense.
Within, let's take a look at what might be one of the AFC's biggest games of the year, even if it does get led by backup quarterbacks.
Week 15 Results and Recap
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AFC North Standings
1. Cincinnati Bengals (11-3)
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-5)
3. Baltimore Ravens (4-10)
4. Cleveland Browns (3-11)
As expected, Cincinnati went to San Francisco last week and picked up a 24-14 win without Andy Dalton under center.
McCarron did what the coaching staff wanted, which was take care of the football with no interceptions while tossing one score. The players around him looked concerning, though, as he suffered four sacks and the offensive line couldn't gain leverage on the ground, helping the team to rush for just 1.9 yards per carry.
Luckily, the defense showed up out west, picking off Blaine Gabbert three times and forcing four turnovers. Carlos Dunlap not only returned a fumble for big yardage, but he also blocked a field goal.
While the game was a win, there's plenty of reason to worry and feel encouraged: the former because the line looked lost, the latter because the team did it without safety George Iloka, tight end Tyler Eifert and mostly without A.J. Green.
Regardless, Pittsburgh continues to win, so the arms race in the AFC North continues.
News and Notes
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Hue Jackson Wants More
Among those displeased with how a deep offense failed to carry an inexperienced McCarron last week, offensive coordinator Hue Jackson has to top the list.
Jackson won't say why running back Jeremy Hill didn't play in the first quarter last week, but it didn't turn out to matter with how the line opened up holes. Jackson spoke on the issues at length this week.
"They have to, as a unit, kind of help lead him by doing their jobs as well as they've ever done it to take that pressure off him," Jackson said, according to ESPN.com's Coley Harvey. "Because he's not ready to do all of that."
The task looks much more difficult this week. McCarron will improve as he better adapts to the speed of the game, develops better timing with his weapons and gains confidence, but he's going to need the performance of those around him to rise.
Bengals Go Bowling
After a franchise-best start and aspirations for more than the team has ever accomplished in over a decade, it shouldn't be a surprise to hear the Bengals will send a few names to the Pro Bowl.
According to Harvey, the names are: wideout A.J. Green, defensive tackle Geno Atkins, tight end Tyler Eifert, safety Reggie Nelson and offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth.
Call the honors well deserved for each player as the core pieces making up what has the look of a championship roster when healthy.
As such, though, it's hard to imagine any of them are making travel plans for the bowl just yet.
Postseason Scenarios
Before last weekend, things were wildly difficult to figure out when it came to Cincinnati playoff scenarios.
After securing a berth last week, though, it's not as difficult this time around. According to Jay Morrison of Cox Media Group, the Bengals win the AFC North with a win, tie or Pittsburgh loss or tie.
Even more important, though, is that the Bengals can secure a first-round bye with—it's that simple, folks—a win or a tie.
Folks will recall last year that Cincinnati took down Denver on prime time late in the season. If the Bengals can manage a repeat performance, Dalton will have even more time to heal.
Latest Injury News
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The Bengals won't release an official injury report until Thursday thanks to the team's next game taking place on Monday.
What the team has revealed, though, is the status of tight end Tyler Eifert. According to Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Eifert remains in concussion protocol, meaning he's doubtful for Monday.
Stay tuned for the full report.
Courtesy of Bengals.com.
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Key Matchups
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Cincinnati Offensive Line vs. Broncos Defense
Another week, another spotlight on the Cincinnati offensive line.
The line's regression continued last time out against the 49ers. Now the task gets much more difficult against a Broncos defense allowing just 200 passing yards per game on average and 79.9 rushing yards.
Given that the team needs to run the ball well to protect McCarron against top-level competition, this might be the toughest task of the year for the offensive line.
With Denver boasting 47 sacks, 10 belonging to Von Miller and 6.5 to DeMarcus Ware, the defense won't hesitate to pin its ears back and put McCarron under fire consistently. It's up to Andrew Whitworth and Co. to win the game.
Cincinnati Secondary vs. Denver Wideouts
Top corner Adam Jones returned last week and helped the Cincinnati defense put on a strong performance, but there's a big difference between Gabbert and his cast of weapons and the names the Broncos trot out.
This is especially the case on the outside, where Demaryius Thomas (93 catches, 1,128 yards and five touchdowns) pairs with Emmanuel Sanders (67, 969, five) to form one of the league's best tandems.
The situation places an onus of production on Jones and Dre Kirkpatrick, among others, to play physical on islands and let the Cincinnati rush hit home.
If the Cincinnati cornerbacks cannot uphold their end of the bargain, it might not matter if the offensive line returns to form.
Matchup X-Factors
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Broncos X-Factor of the Week: Von Miller
Miller has to be licking his chops watching film of the struggling Cincinnati line.
While he might be the league's most dangerous rusher, Miller's presence only becomes more explosive with Ware on the field and healthy, something the Broncos figure to have this weekend.
Consistent pressure from Miller might not have phased the new-look Dalton much, but it certainly will an inexperienced quarterback on the road.
For the Bengals, keying on Miller will go a long way toward a win, as keeping McCarron's jersey clean has to be the main goal of the week. What's dangerous about Miller, though, is how attention thrown his way opens things up for others.
Bengals X-Factor of the Week: AJ McCarron
No matter how the line plays, the proverbial gloves have to come off McCarron this week.
The Bengals went conservative against a beatable opponent last week and eased the former Alabama product into things. He responded well, but the same approach doesn't figure to work twice.
McCarron's got a great deep ball and isn't afraid to throw it away if things break down. Monday, though, he'll have to take more risks than he did last week, presuming his defense gives up a few points to what is supposed to be a strong offense.
With the line struggling alongside the backs, McCarron's going to have to make three or four risky throws that might decide the game outright.
Prediction: Broncos 24, Bengals 21
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Cincinnati's not going to coast like it did last week.
This has nothing to do with silly prime-time narratives about the Bengals, either. It has everything to do with the declining play of the offensive line and the missing-in-action running game for most of the season.
Denver's hungry and has plenty to play for, not to mention at home. The offense has a pair of top-tier wideouts to lean on, and if the game plan is right, the running game can also get going against a Bengals defense that is way too susceptible to overpursuit, leaving itself open for huge gains on cutbacks.
If this game had Dalton under center, fine. But barring a few scores by the defense, the McCarron-led offense won't have enough juice against one of the league's best defenses to steal the win.
Prediction: Broncos 24, Bengals 21
Stats courtesy of NFL.com and are accurate as of December 23. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
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