Cincinnati Bengals 7 Storylines to Watch vs. San Francisco 49ers

To say this week has been a tough one for the Cincinnati Bengals would be a huge understatement.

With suspensions and investigations the talk of the town, those voices who frequently slate the Bengals just got a lot more ammo. 

Despite the obvious, there are a lot of storylines heading into Sunday's Bengals home opener that will prove to make this an interesting game to see.

Manny Lawson, Nate Clements and Taylor Mays Face Their Old Team

This past offseason, the Bengals cleared out the 49ers' defense like it was a jumble sale, with Taylor Mays, Manny Lawson and Nate Clements joining the fold.

With Mays returning from his knee injury this Sunday, all three former 49ers could see significant game time.

Now whether or not these three athletes would like to admit it, the importance of showing your former team just what they let walk out the door is paramount, especially in your first meeting.

On the other side of the coin, the 49ers' roster also contains three former Bengals: DE Justin Smith, LB Ahmad Brooks and S Madieu Williams.

Cedric Benson 1 Game Away from 3-Week Suspension

News has emerged that Cedric Benson will face a three-game suspension following Sunday's meeting with the 49ers, stemming from his recent conviction over two separate assault cases in Texas.

Assuming his ongoing appeal doesn't overturn the ban, this will be a huge blow for a Bengals offense built around No. 32. Andy Dalton's passing offense are having some problems of their own, and the news that Benson will miss their next three outings couldn't have come at a worse time.

Regardless, Benson will play on Sunday. It's hard to know whether this recent development will hamper his play, or whether it will give him that extra bit of fire to get the job done. But if we know Benson, he'll be taking his frustration with the Commissioner out on the unfortunate 49ers defense.

Will Bengals Increase Bernard Scott's Playing Time?

Despite the strong case that Benson has to appeal his suspension, there is a very real possibility that he may still end up sidelined, resulting in Bernard Scott seeing a dramatic increase in playing time.

Scott has seen minimal playing time thus far, as has been expected of the Benson-led Bengals offense, but he did show flourishes of brilliance in the preseason, giving Bengals fans reason to believe he should see more on-field time.

Sunday will show you just how concerned Marvin Lewis is about Benson, with Scott likely being used whenever possible (scoreline permitting) in preparation for a possible Week 4 without Ced.

Will Jerome Simpson Play?

That seems to be the question on all of our minds right about now, and the logical answer is no.

With Marvin Lewis declining to comment on Simpson's availability, and police investigations ongoing, you have to think that Simpson is pretty unlikely to be in the Bengals' starting lineup come Sunday.

What happens next for Simpson is anyone's guess, but unless reports change, there will be a whole lot of punishments around the corner for No. 89, and his time as a Bengal could well be up.

It puts the Bengals in a difficult position with the injury to Jordan Shipley adding extra gravitas to the situation, but they will have to prepare for life without Simpson going forward.

Andre Caldwell Becomes No. 2

With the investigation into Jerome Simpson ongoing, Andre Caldwell will most likely step into his shoes on Sunday and play the No. 2 position opposite A.J. Green.

Largely considered as a player that is much better than his depth chart position, Caldwell will be looking to show the fans and the coaches that he really does deserve to be a starter in this league.

Caldwell has really been thrown a bone here, and he will be wise to give this opportunity his all. Having played well towards the end of 2010 in the No. 2 position, fans shouldn't expect much of a drop-off (if any at all) from Jerome Simpson in terms of ability/experience, with issues such as playbook/rhythm with Andy Dalton being the main concern here.

In the final year of his rookie deal, Caldwell has a lot of reasons to bring the fire on Sunday, and I fully expect him to do so. 

Ryan Whalen Makes His Debut Against College Coach

Similarly to Andre Caldwell, Ryan Whalen could well be called upon to plug the widening hole in the Bengals' receiving corps.

With Jordan Shipley out for the year with a torn ACL, and his replacement Caldwell likely replacing Simpson, the slot position remains vacant.

The wise pick here might be rookie Ryan Whalen. Well-versed in the West Coast offense, sixth-round pick Whalen may be the safest option heading into Sunday.

If that is the case, Whalen will come face-to-face with his former college Coach at Stanford, Jim Harbaugh, and will be hoping to show why he was such a valuable asset to him and Andrew Luck in college, and why Harbaugh should have drafted him.

Can Rey Maualuga Bounce Back and Be the Leader the Team Needs?

Rey Maualuga was visibly and vocally disappointed with his performance in Denver, with his afternoon being marred by missed tackles, and missteps. 

Maualuga struggled to shed his blocks and most of his tackles came at the cost of sizable yards to the Bengals' defense.

Questions about Maualuga's ability to lead this defense by example still linger in the air, and his battle with consistency will continue as the season goes on. 

This Sunday, however, Maualuga will be playing with a self-imposed chip on his shoulder, and hopefully his desire to be better brings about a solid performance.