Bengals-Bears: All Eyes on Cedric Benson in an Intense Matchup

For any die-hard NFL follower, there are certain matchups that stand out in the schedule each week during the regular season—matchups that will make any fan want to watch if their team isn't playing at the same time.

Last week, fans around the league tuned in to watch the New Orleans Saints square off against the New York Giants since it was a matchup between two undefeated teams. A few weeks before, the matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings stood out from the rest considering Brett Favre would be facing the team he spent 16 years taking snaps with.

As Week Seven approaches, there are a handful of games—Vikings-Steelers, Cardinals-Giants, and Falcons-Cowboys—that should display intense matchups between playoff- caliber type teams looking to come up victorious.

As fascinating as these matchups appear, Sunday's game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Chicago Bears is beginning to draw interests from around the league thanks to running back Cedric Benson.

On Sunday, this matchup has gained interest since Benson will be dressed as a Bengal and square off against his former team who drafted him with the fourth overall pick in 2005.

The Bears and the city of Chicago would love nothing more than to see Benson struggle against his former team considering how his three-year tenure has been considered a "bust" by some.

Benson would love nothing more than to run all over the Bears defense after the way he feels he was "treated" when he was with the team. According to a recent report from CBSSports.com , he claims the organization did everything in their might to prevent him from signing with another team.

With all of the emotions flowing  between Benson and his former team, why wouldn't Sunday's matchup between the Bengals and Bears be one of Week Seven's best?

The Bears and their fans have to be frustrated with the way Benson acted—both on and off the field—during his short tenure with the team. After such high expectations coming out of Texas, he was nothing short of a major disappointment for the Bears.

In three years with the Bears, Benson played in just 35 games, rushing for 1,593 yards (45.5 yards per game) and 10 touchdowns. In the 18 games he's played with the Bengals the last two seasons, he has already rushed for 1,278 yards (71 yards per game) and six touchdowns.

Through the first six weeks of the season, Benson ranks third with among all running backs with 531 yards, averaging 4.2 yards per carry. He has played a major role in the Bengals' success this season at running back and appears to be a different type of player we saw in the past.

He may be a changed man and learned from his past, but that doesn't mean the Bears and their fans have forgiven Benson for the type of player he was from 2005 to 2008.

If you're a fan from the Cincinnati or Chicago area, expect an intense matchup between the Bengals and Bears on Sunday as all eyes will be on Benson. Even if you're just a football fan in general, this should be one of those hyped-up games to tune into if you're looking for a fun game to watch.

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