Atlanta Falcons vs. Cincinnati Bengals: Breaking Down Cincinnati's Game Plan

For the first time in four tries, Andy Dalton led the Cincinnati Bengals to a road victory against the Baltimore Ravens last week.  It was a refreshing change of pace for a team that has had plenty of trouble over the years winning on the road against perennial division powerhouses in Baltimore and Pittsburgh.

Now, Cincinnati must look forward to facing an Atlanta team that stunned quite a few people last week by upending the New Orleans Saints, 37-34.  Matt "Matty Ice" Ryan took to the air for over 440 yards.  

So, with both teams entering the Week 2 game at 1-0, how do the Bengals prepare for what could be a Falcons team back on the rise?

Offense

For the most part, the offense clicked very well throughout a lot of the game against the Ravens.  However, there were concerns that stuck out.

First and foremost, the running game was not all that impressive.  And that's not a knock at Giovani Bernard—he was essential to Hue Jackson's offensive game plan, catching six balls for 62 yards on 10 targets.  However, his running game was quite a different story.

Bernard only gathered 48 yards on 14 carries, while rookie Jeremy Hill took the rock four times for a meager 19 yards.  That may have had a lot to do with the offense's inability to score more than one touchdown in the game.

Yes, Andy Dalton played a good game and the argument can be made that he should have been able to put the ball in the end zone himself.  Unfortunately, football isn't generally reliant on one form of offense. Bernard, Hill, or even Dalton on the option should have been able to put the ball in the endzone.

It was quite the disappointing result for Hue Jackson, who is a huge proponent of the running game.  Yes, the offense worked overall, but his specialty was the letdown.  

As for the passing game, Dalton did a good job of spreading the ball around to different guys, even Brandon Tate who caught one ball all of last season.  The big adjustment they need to make is with Jermaine Gresham now that Tyler Eifert will be out for an extended period of time.

Gresham only caught two passes in Week 1 for 16 yards.  He's no Jimmy Graham, but Graham was able to reel in eight catches against the Falcons on Sunday, so Gresham should be able to find some openings.

Atlanta's defense allowed 34 points last week—and I fully understand that Cincinnati's offense is not the high-octane wonder that the Saints have, but there are clearly still defensive issues for the Falcons.  Let's hope A.J. Green and Gio Bernard can expose those.

Defense

The linebackers shone bright against the Ravens.  Emmanuel Lamur intercepted the first pass of his career and Vontaze Burfict stripped Bernard Pierce of the ball in the second quarter.  They were a big part of keeping Baltimore off the scoreboard for the first half of the game.

Atlanta is going to be an entirely new demon. Matt Ryan, as I stated before, had a career game against the Saints, though it's worth considering that their defense is not nearly as potent as Cincinnati's.  Ryan will be facing a much tougher defense—hopefully.  

Per Jason Marcum's article on Cincy Jungle, Bengals star linebacker Vontaze Burfict did not practice on Wednesday, a fact that fans should be keeping their eyes on.  Burfict led the league in tackles last season, and started off the season right with a forced fumble against Baltimore.  Whether or not he played will be huge against this Falcons' seemingly ferocious offensive attack.

Ryan spread the ball around very well against the Saints, with the leading receiver of course being Julio Jones.  I'm not entirely confident the Bengals' secondary will entirely be able to contain him.  

He is going to have to be double-teamed, but that leaves very talented receivers in Devin Hester and Roddy White wide open, or single-covered.  With Darqueze Dennard possibly on the field, he could assist in coverage.

Steven Jackson is still a powerful runner, but he's not what he used to be.  Even against a questionable Saints' defense, Jackson collected only 52 yards.  I trust Emmanuel Lamur, Vincent Rey, and the top-notch defensive line to keep him at bay. 

Bottom Line

Shutting Matt Ryan down is the key to the game for the Bengals.  Not many teams are going to be able to allow 448 passing yards and win a ball game.  With such a talented receiving corps, containing the passing attack won't be easy.

Additionally, keep an eye on the rushing attack for Cincinnati.  Atlanta has had defensive struggles dating back to the injury-riddled 2013 season, and those struggles are going to continue with a questionable rush defense.  Watch for Bernard and Hill to make more of an impact.

Dunn's Prediction: CIN wins 31-27