Seahawks vs. Bengals: Full Cincinnati Game Preview

After four AFC triumphs to start the season, the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals get their first taste of the NFC Sunday by playing host to the Seattle Seahawks. 

All signs point to a strong showing for the Bengals. Andy Dalton and the offense continue to roll, and the defense's ability to create pressure forces mistakes. 

These Seahawks look sluggish at best at .500, with their two wins coming against struggling Chicago and Detroit teams. Sprinkle in the fact the Seahawks are on the road and a short week, and things look great for the hosts.

Regardless, the Bengals won't take the situation lightly. Within, let's take a look at everything to know about the cross-conference showdown.

Viewing Info

Location: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati

Date: Sunday, October 11

Time: 1 p.m. ET

TV: Fox

Week 4 Results and Recap

Gary Landers/Associated Press

Jeremy Hill led the Bengals with three scores in Week 4.

AFC North Standings

Team	W	L
Bengals	4	0
Steelers	2	2
Browns	1	3
Ravens	1	3

Almost everything worked for the Bengals last week with the Kansas City Chiefs in town.

Dalton didn't have to do much, throwing for 321 yards and a score, while Jeremy Hill recovered from his tentative ways to score three times. Complement Giovani Bernard added a touchdown of his own.

The defense sacked Alex Smith five times and held the Chiefs to seven field goals. It sounds great, but surely the focus this week will center on better tackling form and stopping the leakage of big plays.

Regardless, the Bengals did enough to win. The Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers continue to fade in the division, while the Baltimore Ravens started the long (and seemingly impossible) climb back up the standings with their first win of the year.

News and Notes

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

Darqueze Dennard stepped up when injury struck last week.

Sellout Time

The Bengals have a sellout on their hands for the first time this season thanks to Seattle's visit and, most importantly, the team's strong play.

The team announced the news on Bengals.com. More interesting, though, is the ebb and flow of ticket sales for the team over the last few years, provided by Zac Jackson of Pro Football Talk:

"

The Bengals didn’t get more than 60,000 for a game last year until their fifth home game. They sold out 57 straight games from Nov. 2003-Nov. 2010, but the team struggled in 2010 and longtime fan favorites Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco were gone the next season. The Bengals didn’t crack 45,000 for either of their first two home games in 2011, but the team has been in the playoffs every year since and averaged over 63,000 fans in 2013 before seeing a slight dip last season.

"

Seattle is an NFC opponent fans don't get to see often, so a sellout makes sense. But also interesting is the support the team continues to receive after four consecutive wins while Dalton and Co. have looked more mature than usual. It's a testament to the team's progress.

More Play for Darqueze Dennard

Both Dre Kirkpatrick and Adam Jones went down with injuries last week against the Chiefs, forcing Darqueze Dennard into the lineup.

He played well for the most part, a strong sign for the team's depth moving forward if health issues persist. For defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, it was proof enough that it's time to work more names in at the position.

"We've got to rotate these guys in," Guenther said, per ESPN.com's Coley Harvey. "There's going to be a time when he's going to play every snap if somebody goes down."

In other words, expect to see more of the former first-round pick as the Bengals flaunt their impressive depth in the secondary. The more experience, the better, because injuries have consistently hit the unit in the past.

Chunk Plays

The biggest knock on the Bengals right now is the team's inability to limit big plays.

Geno Atkins and Co. didn't allow a touchdown against the Chiefs, but Smith threw for 386 yards, and the offense reached 461 total yards. Tackling issues and gap control seem to be the problems for the unit, but especially the latter in the mind of Guenther.

"The rush lanes have to be solid," Guenther said, per Harvey. "They have to understand we just can't run up the field and get out of the lanes, because they're [quarterbacks like Wilson] going to take off and run. It happened four or five times [Sunday]. It can't happen."

The Bengals have the talent to shut down most offenses. It's a matter of adjustments at this point, especially against mobile quarterbacks. The team cannot fix a lack of athleticism in the linebacking corps, but it can take better angles and finish tackles.

Latest Injury News

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Adam Jones is the biggest injury question mark for the Bengals in Week 5.

Player	Position	Status
Leon Hall	CB	LP
Wallace Gilberry	DE	DNP
Jeremy Hill	RB	LP
George Iloka	S	LP
Adam Jones	CB	DNP
Reggie Nelson	S	LP
Andrew Whitworth	OT	DNP

DNP: Did not practice

LP: Limited in practice

FP: Full practice

Courtesy of Bengals.com.

Key Matchups

Cincinnati Defensive Line vs. Seattle Offensive Line

This might sound like a broken record, but the key to Cincinnati picking up another win comes in the defensive trenches.

Atkins and Co. continue to dominate things in this regard and frustrate the timing of offenses. This week, they get to pin their ears back against one of the league's worst offensive lines, which ranks as the fourth-worst pass-blocking unit and third-worst run-blocking unit at Pro Football Focus.

The Seahawks have allowed 18 sacks of Wilson already, and Marshawn Lynch hasn't been able to help the line get going on the ground because he's been dealing with nagging injuries.

If the line can pay better attention to gaps as Guenther mentioned in a previous slide, the Bengals can use their superiority in the trenches to great effect. 

Tyler Eifert vs. Seattle Defense

After looking like one of the league's biggest breakout stars over his first two games of the season, Cincinnati tight end Tyler Eifert has just three catches over his past two games.

Whether defenses have figured it out or the game plan has gone a different way doesn't matter—the Bengals need Eifert to make plays against the stingy Seattle defense.

Seattle touts capable safeties and linebackers who can run with Eifert but also has Richard Sherman on one side of the field to help shut down wideouts. In other words, Seattle can make an offense look one-dimensional in a hurry unless someone such as Eifert keeps the unit honest.

Eifert has the ability, of course. Cincinnati as a whole has the weapons to stretch out even the best defenses, but it's a big-bodied target like Eifert who will make all the difference if Dalton has to flee the pocket or throw it up.

Matchup X-Factors

Gary Landers/Associated Press

The Bengals need another big day from Hill to keep Seattle guessing.

Seahawks' X-Factor of the Week: Marshawn Lynch

No kidding, right?

Wilson's ability to escape the pocket and get the ball downfield or take it there himself will play a big role. But at the same time, it's a dangerous thing to lean on against Cincinnati's front seven.

Lynch, if healthy, has the talent to bully his way to the first-down marker on almost any carry. His status for Sunday's game seems up in the air, but if he can go, it should cause the Bengals plenty of problems.

For one, Lynch isn't the type of back who needs elite blocking in front of him. Two, he can expose Cincinnati's recent gap lapses in violent fashion, bulldozing defensive backs. Three, his simply being on the field makes defending the pass more difficult.

If Lynch is healthy and productive, Seattle's offense could morph into the best the Bengals have encountered all season.

Bengals' X-Factor of the Week: Jeremy Hill

It was great to see Hill running confident this past weekend on his way to three scores on just nine carries.

Now he just needs to be as efficient against a better defense. Hill can have the same impact Lynch does for the Seahawks, keeping drives alive and defenders in the box. It's a necessity against a team like the Seahawks, one of the better offenses in the league when it comes to picking up the dreaded chunk plays.

Hill still remains in a committee with Bernard, which is exactly what the team wants. Against a defense such as Seattle's, though, Bernard wouldn't be able to shoulder the load on his own like he did when Hill struggled with tentative running for a few weeks.

No team has run well on the Seattle defense yet. It's a unit that held Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers to two passing scores, so Dalton shouldn't be expected to do it on his own.

The burden of relief falls on Hill's shoulders.

Prediction: Cincinnati 24, Seattle 17

Gary Landers/Associated Press

Trench dominance looks like the key for the Bengals against the Seahawks.

Against a team like the Seahawks, trenches and discipline make all the difference. 

The Cincinnati defensive line shouldn't have any problems putting pressure on Wilson most of the day. Obviously, the issue would be bringing down the elusive quarterback, but after a month of harping on the issue, discipline and tackling form should see an improvement this weekend.

Dalton won't be able to do it all on his own against the Seahawks, which is fine. Hill will keep the defense honest while A.J. Green and Eifert make the necessary plays in the passing game.

In all, so long as Cincinnati can avoid turnovers, it should be able to pull out the win in front of a sellout crowd. It comes down to keeping with the strong execution of the first four games and improving on minor areas.

Prediction: Cincinnati 24, Seattle 17 

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and are accurate as of October 7. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.