Previewing the Cincinnati Bengals' Week 2 Preseason Game vs. Falcons

The Cincinnati Bengals will be playing their second game of the preseason on Thursday night, taking on the Atlanta Falcons—a team just off of a 31-17 trouncing at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens' second and third teams.

However, the Falcons' first-teamers were strong and will be of the greatest concern to the Bengals this week.

There are just two more preseason games to follow this one—and only one more for the starters to see extended playing time—so this game is certainly not unimportant.

Here are the three biggest things to watch for when the Bengals take the field on Thursday.

The Secondary

With a number of cornerbacks sidelined in one combination or another during training camp, the Bengals haven't had as much time as they'd hoped to scope everyone out and determine who will land the two starting spots and who will remain on the roster as depth and situational players.

This week, four of their 11 corners won't be on the field—Brandon Ghee, Shaun Prater, Jason Allen and Dre Kirkpatrick. Adam Jones did not practice this week and may or may not be active in the game. As such, Nate Clements and Leon Hall will be the team's starting corners, and Terence Newman will also be on the field.

Clements and Hall will be tasked with shutting down Falcons receivers Roddy White and Julio Jones, and that's no small feat. Jones had six receptions on seven targets last week against the Ravens for 109 yards and a score. White was targeted five times, pulling down three passes for 46 yards.

At safety, Taylor Mays looks ready to return to the field after suffering a concussion last week against the New York Jets. He'll be helping cover tight end Tony Gonzalez as he tries to hold onto the starting strong safety job.

The Bengals defense was extremely effective against the Jets' passing game last week, but the Jets also put forth a lot of effort in not throwing the ball well. Things will be quite different against Matt Ryan, White, Jones and Gonzalez and thus should prove a better test for the secondary.

A Closer Look at the Run Game

With BenJarvus Green-Ellis sidelined with a foot injury and Bernard Scott also on the shelf with a hand injury, the run game will belong to Brian Leonard, rookie Dan Herron and Cedric Peerman.

Last week, the Bengals had just 86 yards on the ground in 31 attempts, with Peerman being the most successful. He ran the ball seven times for 30 yards and scored one of his two touchdowns via running the ball. Herron had just eight yards on four carries, and Leonard racked up just 12 yards on six touches.

Now, the Bengals aren't trying to be a run-heavy offensive team this year, but it is an area in which they are seeking improvement. Green-Ellis and Scott may provide that, but we won't be seeing them against the Falcons.

This will be a test of their running back depth and another chance for Herron, who is on the roster bubble, to make an impression. Peerman is a special-teams coverage ace, so Herron will have to prove that, as just a running back, he's more useful than the versatile veteran.

Herron, along with Peerman, will have their chances. The Falcons' second- and third-team defenses folded against the run last week when they faced the Ravens; let's see if Herron or Peerman can bring them to their knees Thursday night.

Pressure on Matt Ryan?

Last week, the vaunted Ravens defense could barely ruffle Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan's feathers. Ryan completed nine of his 13 passes, good for 155 yards, one touchdown, one interception and no sacks. In fact, of the five total hits the Falcons' quarterbacks sustained, only three of them came from the Ravens' starting defensive players.

On the other hand, the Bengals managed to bring the heat to Jets starter Mark Sanchez last week, holding him to just four completions on six attempts and 21 yards, as well as sacking him twice.

Cincinnati's defensive front seven is dealing with injuries right now. Jamaal Anderson will get the start at left defensive end with both Robert Geathers and Carlos Dunlap sidelined. Rodderick Muckelroy and Vontaze Burfict will be at middle linebacker while Rey Maualuga recovers from a knee sprain.

The key to stopping the Falcons offense starts with getting to Ryan. Their starting offensive line looked stout last week, even against a defense like the Ravens. It won't be as easy for the Bengals' pass rush on Thursday as it was against the Jets last week. But if they can get to Ryan like the Ravens did not, we may need to start rethinking our idea of who has the most powerful defense in the AFC North.

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