Cincinnati Bengals Fans, Pay Attention Sunday: A.J. Green vs. Jonathan Joseph

The Cincinnati Bengals have been exorcising past demons all season.

On Sunday the franchise has another opportunity to do so when former Bengals cornerback Jonathan Joseph returns to Cincinnati. 

Last July, Joseph shunned the Bengals to sign with what he believed was a superior franchise in the Houston Texans. Bengals owner Mike Brown reportedly made a competitive offer, but it wasn’t enough to please Joseph:

“You know, the starting quarterback, an All-Pro quarterback, Pro Bowlers, best receiver in the NFL, great tight end, leading rusher from last year. Look at the D-line…It was a no-brainer for me.”

Joseph clearly saw a Super Bowl contender in Houston, and a rebuilding team in disarray in Cincinnati. He saw a franchise quarterback retire instead of play for the team, and a rookie quarterback thrust into the starting role.

What Joseph couldn’t predict was the success the Bengals would have this season. Rookie quarterback Andy Dalton is a Rookie of the Year candidate, as is his leading receiver A.J. Green.

If someone had told Joseph last offseason, or any Bengals fan for that matter, that the Bengals would be holding on to a playoff seed come December, they would have said there was a better chance of Brett Favre making another comeback.

Joseph has had another stellar season, recording 35 tackles and four interceptions while being a major factor in the second-ranked overall defense.

Despite Joseph’s season, A.J. Green’s has been better. Green to date has 50 receptions for 832 yards and seven touchdowns.

Green has been the major factor in the success of the Bengals' offense this season, often making highlight-worthy grabs on errant passes from Dalton.

To put Green’s season into perspective, he's on pace to have a better rookie campaign than Andre Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Terrell Owens, Chad Ochocinco and Jerry Rice, just to name a few.

It also helps to mention that Green is doing this with a rookie quarterback.

Now Green is Joseph’s problem instead of his teammate.

Joseph will be matched up with Green most of the day. Green is the main target of the Bengals offense, so Joseph will be busy.

The outcome of the matchup will likely have a huge impact on the game. If Green can consistently break away from Joseph and get open, the Bengals will control the clock, limiting the time the Texans' explosive offense is on the field.

But this is deeper than the outcome of a single game.

This is a player who abandoned his teammates and fans for greener pastures, versus a player who wants to play for his team and city.

It’s the past demons of the franchise against the new hope for the future in Cincinnati.

Bengals fans can only hope that A.J. Green & Co. spoil Jonathan Joseph’s return to The Jungle on Sunday.