Cincinnati Bengals: 5 Games You Don't Want to Miss in 2011

Though many experts and fans have written off the Cincinnati Bengals in 2011, I am not one of those people.  This is not a lost season.

I am also not implying this will be an amazing surprise run towards a division title either.  The bottom line is that Cincinnati will have something to be excited about—in 2012 and 2013.  This season will be a developmental stage for guys like Andy Dalton and A.J. Green.

The Cincinnati Bengals have some good tests for this young team.  These five games will be their best.

At Cleveland: Sept. 11, 1 p.m. EDT

Opening weekend could be a defining one for both of these teams.  Cleveland is a team that very well could breakout for a playoff run in 2011.

Cincinnati is not, but as I've mentioned, it can make some noise and play spoiler for other teams.

In this battle, we will see Andy Dalton versus Colt McCoy.  How well both young quarterbacks respond to the pressure of Game 1 will be interesting.  McCoy has experience during the regular season, while Dalton will be debuting.

McCoy will be battling a very good defense with Leon Hall and Nate Clements in the secondary.  Dalton and his incredible receiving corps won't have as tough a task, but they're young.

Who will win in the dog pound?  We'll find out in nine days.

vs. Indianapolis: Oct. 16 at 1 p.m. EDT

This would usually be one of the games the Colts would simply look over. 

At this point, the Colts seem to be declining with injury troubles to Peyton Manning, an aging receiving corps and a bad defense that's really not getting better.

This game will be at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, thus giving the Bengals the slightest advantage. 

The Colts offense will be facing the tough Cincinnati defense, so that will be two bulls butting heads.  How that turns out will likely be the determining factor of the game.

On the flip side, the Bengals' young offense goes against an awful defense.  This is one of those games where the combination of Andy Dalton, Cedric Benson and A.J. Green should perform at the highest level.

In a close matchup, the Bengals win 28-24.

vs. Pittsburgh: Nov. 13, 1 p.m. EDT

For some reason, I'm not a believer in the 2011 Pittsburgh Steelers despite their Super Bowl run last season. 

With Casey Hampton, LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison (among others) on defense, they remain one of the best walls in the NFL.  The Steel Curtain lives on.

My beef with Pittsburgh is the offense.  Ben Roethlisberger is a good quarterback—top 10, no doubt.  Rashard Mendenhall is a good running back and Mike Wallace will be 2011's breakout receiver.

After that, the offense isn't much to look at, and against a Cincinnati defense that has some power, that could be Pittsburgh's downfall.

Hines Ward and Jerricho Cotchery are getting pretty old to remain effective, and aside from Maurkice Pouncey, the line isn't great. 

The Cincinnati Bengals' young offense is going to struggle, but the defense will shine. 

Cincinnati earns a little respect, but falls 17-7.

vs. Houston: Dec. 11, 1 p.m. EDT

It's time for Houston to breakout, and most people will agree with that.  Of course, we all said the same thing last season.

The interesting aspect to this game is that Houston's defense is supposed to be much better, especially with the addition of Jonathon Joseph, the former Cincinnati Bengal himself. 

The Texans offense speaks for itself.  Quarterback Matt Schaub has had a great couple seasons, Arian Foster is the rushing champion and Andre Johnson is the best receiver in the game.

Leon Hall and Nate Clements are going to have their hands full trying to cover Johnson by himself.  Throw in Kevin Walter and Owen Daniels, and the defense is going to have a hard time rushing the quarterback, which is what it's so good at.

It will be a pure matchup of how well the Bengals' young offense fares against the Texans' supposedly revamped defense.  This is one of the games where the Bengals could play spoiler.

I'm going out on a limb here, but the defense contains Schaub, Foster and Johnson.  The Bengals roll to a 27-14 victory at Paul Brown Stadium.

vs. Arizona: Dec. 24, 1 p.m. EDT

For the record, I have previously said that Kevin Kolb is going to be benched by Week 12.  However, I'll include this game despite that.

The highlight of the Cardinals offense is going to be Larry Fitzgerald.  Ryan Williams, their rookie running back, was going to add some power to a backfield where Beanie Wells has underachieved, but he's since gone on IR. 

Arizona traded off its top defensive player for Kolb.  This could prove detrimental.

Again, I reiterate how good the Cincinnati Bengals defense is.  Keith Rivers and Ray Maualuga at linebacker will be blitzing all day, while the secondary guys deal with Fitzgerald.

The Cardinals are thought to be a playoff contender for some reason.

They show their true colors, as the Bengals destroy them, 31-6. 

Note:  All AFC North games will be good to watch.  They've been excluded because these five will be where the Bengals have the most to prove.