Bengals vs. Saints: Complete Week 11 Preview for Cincinnati

The Cincinnati Bengals attempt to pick up the pieces and salvage the season with a Week 11 trip to New Orleans for a showdown with the Saints.

It is one of the most difficult rebound opportunities imaginable for the Bengals. A week and change removed from an embarrassing 24-3 rout at the hands of in-state and AFC North rival Cleveland, the Bengals have serious questions on both sides of the football.

Answers may prove few and far between in the Dome against a Saints team that sits in first place in the NFC South by way of a top-three passing attack, top-six ground game and top-11 rush defense.

New Orleans has won two of its last three and has lost just once at home, whereas the Bengals' only road victory this season came in Week 1 against a familiar foe, the Baltimore Ravens. Two other trips away from Paul Brown Stadium have produced 43-17 and 27-0 outcomes.

If the Bengals are to keep pace in the competitive AFC North in which each team is at least two games above .500, Andy Dalton and his team need to pull off a road upset in a tough cross-conference showdown.

The season as a whole may hinge on the team's performance in Week 11 as the rest of the division looks to slowly creep away.

Week 10 Recap

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What needs said about the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10? 

Marvin Lewis' team was laughed out of its own building on Thursday Night Football. In a divisional contest. In an in-state rivalry. By Cleveland, arguably the team's most bitter rival. 

The only reason the Bengals scored at all was because special teams forced and recovered a fumble that, of course, led to a field goal.

Andy Dalton was an absolute mess under center, going 10-of-33 for 86 yards and three interceptions. When he was not turning the ball over, he was sprinting past the line of scrimmage and tossing the ball out of bounds to pick up a flag.

Defense was just as miserable on prime time. Paul Guenther's unit sorely missed Vontaze Burfict and Rey Maualuga in the middle. Both watched from the sidelines as the Browns rumbled for 170 rushing yards and three scores despite making it painfully obvious that most downs would be a rush (the team had a 23-52 pass-rush ratio). 

Simply put, the Bengals collapsed. The team raised the white flag early and never put it down. Wholesale improvements across the board are necessary to stand a chance in New Orleans. Line play on both sides needs to be better, as do overall run defense and quarterback play.

If Brian Hoyer can throw for 198 yards on 23 attempts and Miles Austin can lead his team in receiving against the Bengals, imagine what Drew Brees and the Saints can do.

News and Notes

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Fixing the Fixable

This is uncharted territory for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Entering Sunday, the usually stout Cincinnati defense ranks No. 31 in the league with an average of 143.0 rushing yards allowed per game.

Injuries at linebacker to players such as Vontaze Burfict and Rey Maualuga have not helped matters, but the defensive line continues to get consistently blown off the ball. If it loses the battle in the trenches, the ripple effect can be enormous regardless of who lines up at linebacker.

Defensive coordinator Paul Guenther has made it clear that his unit is committing correctable mistakes, too.

"I told the players it's all very fixable stuff that we got to go do," Guenther said, per ESPN.com's Coley Harvey. "We can't talk about it. We have to go do it and get it done and be effective."

The potential returns of Maualuga and corner Leon Hall should help turn things around. But for a roster that is often hailed as one of the deepest in the league, the recent performances by his unit are clearly unacceptable for Guenther, especially heading into a date with one of the league's most potent offenses.

Injury Woes Continue

It is not all good news when it comes to injuries. 

According to NFL Network's Albert Breer, Cincinnati will once again be without starting back Giovani Bernard:

"

The Bengals are expecting to be without RB Gio Bernard on Sunday at Superdome, which means plenty more Jeremy Hill.

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) November 12, 2014"

CBS anchor Mike Berk also notes that the outlook on Burfict is not so positive:

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Marvin Lewis: I don't know that Vontaze Burfict will play this week. Leon Hall & Andre Smith will practice at some time this week. #Bengals

— Mike Berk (@mike_berk) November 12, 2014"

It should go without saying that both are major losses. Jeremy Hill getting the start in his former stomping grounds of Louisiana is intriguing, but he is still a rookie, and the approach is not exactly what the staff had in mind when pairing him with Bernard.

Burfict's absence means more pressure than ever on the returning Maualuga, who will have a hard enough time getting things going if the line in front of him continues to struggle.

Comparisons Rule the Day 

After such a torrid affair against Cleveland last week, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis is using comparisons to motivate his team to turn things around.

As Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com notes, the Bengals were 6-3 at this point last year, the same mark in 2011 before going on to make the postseason. The 2012 campaign was more concerning at 4-5, but the team still made the postseason.

Lewis admitted to the media, though, that his current team lacks in some key areas compared to last year's squad, per Hobson:

"

We are not playing as well right now on defense. The entire defensive football team is not playing as well. We have given up 50 more first downs then we did a year ago at this time. We have scored five less touchdowns and given up five more touchdowns. We are running for a half-yard better on offense, and they have a half-yard better per carry on defense. Part of that is we haven’t had a lead. Part of that is we have 50 more rushing attempts.

"

Some will point to injuries. Others will point to coordinator changes on both sides of the football. 

Regardless, Lewis believes he has the recipe to keep his team alive in the AFC North race by saying and focusing on the right things.

Sunday's showdown in New Orleans will reveal right away whether the approach is working.

Injury Report

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Player	Position	Injury Status
Vontaze Burfict	LB	Doubtful
Giovani Bernard	RB	Questionable
Jermaine Gresham	TE	Questionable
Rey Maualuga	LB	Questionable
Leon Hall	CB	Questionable

Jeremy Hill will once again take control of the backfield for the Cincinnati Bengals due to a hip injury to Giovani Bernard.

Each name on the list is a major loss, but one name is more important than all—Vontaze Burfict. His status for the trip to New Orleans is suddenly up in the air after the initial prognosis that he would miss just two games. If that happens, the Bengals are going to struggle against the run once again.

*All injury reports are from ESPN.com. This slide will be updated when the official report is released.

X-Factor and Matchups to Watch

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Bengals Linebackers vs. Mark Ingram 

As mentioned, the Cincinnati Bengals rank 31st in the NFL against the rush this year, although some help may be on the way in the form of Rey Maualuga. 

The unit needs as much help as it can get against the New Orleans Saints.

New Orleans ranks sixth in rushing primarily thanks to the efforts of Mark Ingram, who in his last three games has rushed for a minimum of 100 yards and scored three total touchdowns. Keep in mind that 120 yards came last week against San Francisco, one of the league's top defenses.

Ingram on a bad passing team is a serious issue for these Bengals that struggle in the trenches and subsequently miss tackles. Ingram on a passing attack led by Drew Brees is a nightmare scenario for a unit still on the hunt for answers.

Bengals Defense vs. Jimmy Graham

The Cincinnati defense has buckled down on opposing tight ends in recent weeks, in part because offenses are finding too much success on the ground to get everyone involved.

Cincinnati will not be as lucky this week. 

Jimmy Graham leads the Saints in receiving with 56 grabs for 594 yards and seven touchdowns. In each of his last three outings, the league's best tight end has a minimum of five receptions and at least one touchdown. 

With resources limited thanks to players such as Ingram and Brandin Cooks, not to mention the hobbled state of the defense overall, Cincinnati may struggle to contain Graham when it comes to moving the chains and in the red zone.

If Graham has a great day, it likely means the defense is yielding a lot of points and the Cincinnati offense is seeing the field on a limited basis.

X-Factor of the Week: Andy Dalton

Normally, it should go without saying that a quarterback is important to his team's success, but this deserves a spotlight.

The Bengals built around Dalton to protect him. He mostly makes one or two quick reads and allows his receivers to do the work. The problem is, when Dalton struggles to do even that and gets sloppy with the football, even an alarming amount of talent cannot overcome a strong team.

Earlier in the season, Dalton could have his bad games and the team would still win. He threw for just 169 yards and an interception against Tennessee, but three rushing touchdowns and a touchdown toss from Mohamed Sanu saved the team.

Teams have wised up on Dalton now, though. Pressure creates panic, which creates panic even in clean pockets and leads to mistakes. The Bengals are not a come-from-behind team for this very reason.

If Dalton goes out Sunday and is anything close to the quarterback that took the field last Thursday, kiss goodbye any shot of keeping up with Brees and the Saints.

Prediction

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The Cincinnati Bengals are in for a world of hurt Sunday if something does not change. 

A struggling defense with issues in the trenches and all the way back is not healthy enough to completely stop Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. Sloppy tackling has hurt the unit in recent weeks, which is nothing but bad news if Mark Ingram, Jimmy Graham and others get in the open field.

Andy Dalton is going to have his struggles in a noisy environment, too. His line has struggled as of late, so playing in one of the most difficult places to hear does not bode well. Keep in mind that the Saints and Rob Ryan, along with talents such as Junior Galette and Cameron Jordan, generate a great rush that gets consistent pressure.

Look for the Bengals to struggle defensively, especially against the rush and Graham when the offense is close to the end zone. Were this contest in Cincinnati, there may be a different tune here. Then again, last week's debacle took place in the Queen City.

A.J. Green and Mohamed Sanu are due for a couple of big plays, and Jeremy Hill will look good in his return to Louisiana, but it will not be enough to keep pace with Brees.

Prediction: Saints 28, Bengals 17

Note: Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus (subscription required).