Atlanta Falcons vs. Cincinnati Bengals: Complete Week 2 Preview for Cincinnati
The Cincinnati Bengals return home after an opening-week triumph against AFC North rival Baltimore to welcome an explosive Atlanta Falcons offense to Paul Brown Stadium Sunday in what is the team's first test against a prolific offense.
Quarterback Andy Dalton and the Bengals used a late touchdown from wideout A.J. Green to get their first win in Baltimore in their last five attempts, a get-over-the-hump moment for a young team hungry to prove it can hang with the big boys.
Atlanta certainly qualifies as a noteworthy opponent thanks to a healthy offense and a new-look defense. The two units combined last week to pull off a stunning overtime upset of New Orleans, and now the multifaceted problem is Cincinnati's to decode.
For Dalton's offense to prevent a shootout and help protect its hobbled defense, third downs will once again be a focal point—the team ran up a 4-of-14 mark against Baltimore to start the season.
"If you don't convert third down you're not going to get as many runs as you'd like," coach Marvin Lewis said, per Stats LLC on ESPN.com. "That's going to be big."
While there are no direct divisional implications hanging in the balance Sunday against Atlanta, it is Cincinnati's last chance to get things in gear on both sides of the football before the schedule takes a dramatic uptick in difficulty in the coming months.
Within, let's break down the critical info surrounding the cross-conference showdown.
Bengals Week 1 Recap
1 of 5
In the 23-16 win at M&T Bank Stadium to start the season, Cincinnati was good enough in some areas and got some help from a reeling Baltimore offense in the process.
While it was Week 1, "good enough" will not continue to cut it for Marvin Lewis' roster.
Andy Dalton's preseason efficiency in new coordinator Hue Jackson's offense translated to the regular season, as he showed composure in the pocket en route to a 25-of-38 line for 301 yards and a score. The aforementioned struggle on third downs were a hindrance, though, as was the decision to rush the ball just 26 times after an offseason filled with run-first talk.
The good news was that the Ravens decided to rush just 20 times. The bad news? After linebacker Vontaze Burfict left the game with an injury in the second quarter, Cincinnati's run defense imploded and allowed Ravens backup Justin Forsett to rumble for 70 yards and a touchdown on 11 totes.
It was an uncanny patch of horrific run defense for a unit that is perennially dominant in that regard. Pass defense seemed to be an issue as the game went on, too, with Steve Smith catching seven balls for 118 yards and a score. Tight end, as seemingly always, was also an issue for the defense, as Dennis Pitta brought in 10 receptions for 83 yards.
Should Burfict and tackle Geno Atkins remain hobbled, it will be a sudden role reversal for Cincinnati in which the offense has to compensate, especially against a potent Atlanta offense. This means a better pass-run balance and getting more receivers involved in the passing game, not just relying on running backs to do the work in that regard—Giovani Bernard was targeted a team-high 10 times.
It was by no means a horrible showing for the Bengals, and a win is certainly a win, but the areas of improvement are quite obvious.
News and Notes
2 of 5
Tyler Eifert Departs
For just a brief moment in Week 1 against Baltimore, it was quite apparent how important second-year tight end Tyler Eifert was set to be for quarterback Andy Dalton. He caught all three of his targets for 37 yards before succumbing to an elbow injury.
Unfortunately for all involved, the injury is severe enough that the staff in Cincinnati has elected to place the Notre Dame product on injured reserve with a designation to return, as noted by Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com:
"Look for @Bengals to put Eifert on IR recall today. Would be eligible at New Orleans Nov. 16.
— Geoff Hobson (@GeoffHobsonCin) September 10, 2014"
The news comes at a bad time for Cincinnati, as that leaves just Jermaine Gresham as the main target at the position. Combined with the absence of wideout Marvin Jones, Dalton and the offense have work to do in terms of stepping up in the face of key absences.
Devon Still Returns
The touching story that is Devon Still's journey as of late continues to expand.
After Still was cut and placed on the practice squad after the preseason, giving him insurance and less pressure and travel time while his daughter fights cancer, many thought that was the end of the saga for the time being.
Now Still's back. Cincinnati needed to fill a roster spot, and with tackle Geno Atkins seemingly hobbled, the staff decided to bring Still back on board.
"The Bengals have been behind me 110 percent since the news broke, and I'm willing to give them 110 percent when I step out on that field," Still said, per ESPN.com's Coley Harvey.
Even better, all Still jersey sales will go to pediatric cancer research.
On the field, Still is a critical piece of depth for the Bengals, especially if the hamstring he says is 100 percent holds up. Keep an eye out for No. 75 Sunday.
Injuries Continues to Plague Roster
The loss of Jones and Eifert is far from the only thing hurting the suddenly limping Bengals as they prepare for the showdown with Atlanta.
Cincinnati's first injury report of the week contained a few notable names, including A.J. Green, Geno Atkins and Vontaze Burfict.
We have known about Burfict since last week's game, which he left with an injury. Atkins was limited last week as he continues to work his way back after knee surgery, so it is Green that is the biggest surprise of all.
Green figures to be good to go by Sunday, but it remains bothersome that he makes the list with so many issues on the current offense as is. Atkins' issue—"feet" as the injury report calls it—is also something to watch, as the team cannot afford to lose him in the middle.
With any luck, the issues will clean themselves up by Sunday, but it still seems a bad patch of luck for a team just one game into the season.
Injury Report
3 of 5
| Player | Position | Injury Status |
| Tyler Eifert | TE | Out |
| A.J. Green | WR | Questionable |
| Geno Atkins | DT | Questionable |
| Vontaze Burfict | LB | Questionable |
*All injury reports are from ESPN.com. Will be updated when official report is released.
At first pass, this is quite the ugly injury report.
In reality, Geno Atkins looked great in limited usage last week and seemed to be gassed more than injured as he left the field on a cart. Not over-stressing his body as he works his way back seems to be the motivation for his inclusion on the report.
The same applies to A.J. Green, really. Vontaze Burfict is the biggest concern here after an apparent concussion last week, as he seems to leave every game at least once with an issue. The Cincinnati defense simply cannot afford to lose him, so keep a close eye on his status as the week progresses.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
X-Factors and Matchups to Watch
4 of 5
Bengals Secondary vs. Matt Ryan
So obvious, right?
Matt Ryan has earned it. Not only has he been one of the NFL's most consistent passers over the course of the past few seasons, last week alone he went for 448 yards and three touchdowns against a Rob Ryan-led defense.
Even crazier, Ryan was 7-for-12 for 86 yards when blitzed. A healthy 362 yards came against standard pressure with only six misfires.
In other words, the Bengals are going to need to bring pressure to stand a chance. This means corners such as Leon Hall, Dre Kirkpatrick and Terence Newman must stand tall against the likes of Julio Jones and Roddy White while the rush gets to Ryan. Remember, it's not like New Orleans lacks elite rushers such as Geno Atkins—they have Cameron Jordan and Junior Galette, among others.
Last week, the secondary gave up 118 yards and a touchdown to 35-year-old Steve Smith alone. Unless the play on the back end of the defense is pristine, it might be a long day for the Bengals.
Giovani Bernard vs. Atlanta Defense
Last week sophomore back Giovani Bernard was a huge part of the Cincinnati attack. He carried the ball 14 times for 48 yards and caught six passes for 62 yards.
It's not an ideal approach—better balance and keeping Bernard healthy all year would be nice—but it needs to remain in place for at least one more week.
Atlanta struggled against the run last week against the Saints, allowing the plodding Mark Ingram to rack up 60 yards and two scores on just 13 carries. Even better, versatile, speedy weapon Brandin Cooks caught seven passes for 77 yards and a score.
If coordinator Hue Jackson can somewhat study Cooks' usage and get Bernard the ball through the air in a similar manner, it won't matter that the Falcons offense is so explosive because his unit will control the pace of the game.
Bernard needs to be more efficient between the tackles, too, which might come against a unit that struggled with Ingram.
Bengals X-Factor of the Week: Emmanuel Lamur
Last week, rookie center Russell Bodine was the focal point for the Bengals. He did well enough on the road in his first pro start and the Bengals stole a win.
This week, Emmanuel Lamur is under the most pressure of all with Vontaze Burfict once again hobbled. The unheralded star led the team with 11 tackles last week and also tallied an interception while ranking as the No. 10 overall 4-3 outside linebacker in the NFL at Pro Football Focus.
If Burfict comes up lame again or is not 100 percent, the burden of production at linebacker in all facets falls on Lamur's shoulders. He has to be able to show strong in run support to stop the likes of Steven Jackson, but also be able to cover tight ends and the occasional receiver.
Lamur has a chance to prove last week was no fluke, and if he can, it might just be the boost the defense needs while stars continue to work their way back.
Prediction
5 of 5
The loss of a few key players on offense and the potential for a few defensive stars to not be 100 percent by Sunday certainly hurts, but the Cincinnati Bengals were constructed for adversity such as this.
As long as quarterback Andy Dalton does not regress in terms of his newfound calamity in the pocket, he should be able to take advantage of mismatches weapons such as A.J. Green and Jermaine Gresham can create.
More important to the game plan, though, is a stricter adherence to the run. New Orleans hurt Atlanta that way in a noticeable manner last week, and Cincinnati has two promising young backs that can control the tempo of the game to keep Matt Ryan off the field.
It would help if Geno Atkins and Vontaze Burfict were 100 percent on the defensive side of things, but the rush can still generate enough pressure to make a difference thanks to Carlos Dunlap and Margus Hunt, among others.
This one has the look of a close contest that comes down to a final possession, provided Cincinnati can keep the turnovers to a minimum and somehow solve its red-zone woes. Another week of Mike Nugent acting as the MVP won't hurt though, so long as it's a win.
Prediction: Bengals 27, Falcons 24
Note: Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
