Cardinals vs. Bengals: 5 Keys to Bengals Keeping Playoff Dreams Alive

The Cincinnati Bengals return home Sunday to take on the Arizona Cardinals in a game that has massive playoff implications for each team.

Cincinnati is coming off of a road win against the St. Louis Rams, and is looking to stay in contention for the wild-card spot currently held by the New York Jets. The Bengals must win their remaining two games to possibly make the playoffs.

Arizona has been on a tear—their latest victim was the Cleveland Brows in overtime. The Cards have won six of their last seven games and are in a position to potentially make the playoffs with a victory over the Bengals.

Here’s five keys for Cincinnati to put an end to the Cardinals’ playoff dreams, while continuing to pursue their own:

Stop Larry Fitzgerald

Larry Fitzgerald is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. His freakish combination of agility and strength make him a nightmare match up for the Bengals' depleted secondary.

On the season, Fitzgerald has 65 receptions for 1,157 yards and seven touchdowns. His 17.8 yards per catch average is an incredible number that has allowed his average quarterbacks to shine this season.

The Bengals secondary is struggling massively after the loss of Leon Hall. Adam Jones has filled in nicely, but Nate Clements continues to struggle in man coverage. The nickel corner has been a revolving door of mediocrity all season.

To beat the Cardinals, Fitzgerald has to be taken out of the game. Through a combination of safety help and jamming him at the line, the Bengals should have a chance to force Cardinals quarterbacks to look elsewhere to throw on the field.

Limit Patrick Peterson

The Bengals did a good job of containing the Rams return men last week, but this week the unit is going up against a different kind of animal.

Rookie cornerback Patrick Peterson is a top-10 return man in the league, and his been deadly on punt returns all season. Peterson has four touchdowns this season on 40 return attempts. He has racked up 636 return yards, including seven 20-plus-yard returns.

To put it simply, the Bengals must stop Peterson if they want to beat Arizona. Allowing Peterson to give the Cardinals good field position will kill the Bengals in the long run. If Peterson is held in check, the Bengals can win the field position battle and potentially come away with a victory.

Offensive Line Must Step Up

The Bengals are in a heap of trouble on the offensive line, particularly the right side. Guard Bobbie Williams is lost for the season, and Mike McGlynn has struggled mightily in his place.

Last week the Bengals only mustered 110 yards on the ground against the worst rush defense in the NFL. Running back Cedric Benson was mostly ineffective, and the team couldn’t convert in short-yardage situations when it needed it the most.

The Bengals face much better opposition this week in the Cardinals, and to win, Cincinnati is going to have to run-block effectively to win the time of possession. An effective offensive line will mean an effective Benson. If Benson is effective, he will wear down the defense en route to a victory.

Limit Penalties and Turnovers

It sounds cliché, but these two basic elements of football hurt the Bengals in St. Louis. The Bengals amassed 11 penalties for 101 yards against a two-win team. This type of sloppy, undisciplined play will doom the Bengals against a playoff-caliber team in Arizona.

Turnovers must be limited as well. Benson fumbled the ball three times last week against the worst run defense in the NFL. He didn’t lose any of the fumbles, but if he had, this game against Arizona could have been meaningless for the Bengals.

Sloppy play is a sign of a team that doesn’t deserve to win and shouldn’t make the playoffs. To beat Arizona, the Bengals need to be more disciplined in the basics of football.

Pressure John Skelton

John Skelton has been an effective game-manager for Arizona in Kevin Kolb’s absence. He is 4-1 as a starter and has taken a lot of pressure off of running back Beanie Wells. He doesn’t have eye-popping stats, but he doesn’t need to if he is winning games.

The Bengals defensive line saw the return of end Carlos Dunlap last week, but he was mostly ineffective. The unit notched only three sacks against the Rams.

Production from Dunlap and the rest of the line is necessary to break up the timing between Skelton and Fitzgerald. Pressuring Skelton will lead to more of a reliance on the running game, which plays to the strength of the Bengals defense.

Must Win Game, Part Three

It’s do or die time for the Bengals. The team looked shaky against a two-win team last week. The Bengals will be embarrassed by Arizona with a repeat performance.

Despite the implications, the game has already been declared a blackout locally. The young team will need the fans present to provide a massive home-field advantage.

The Cardinals have only won twice on the road this year. The team has to travel a long way to play in messy-weather conditions—conditions the Bengals are accustomed to thanks to the absence of an indoor practice facility.

If the Bengals bring it all together Sunday, they can put down a playoff-caliber team en route to making the playoffs themselves. If the Bengals win, that puts them in a position to play AFC North rival Baltimore next week for the right to enter the postseason as the sixth seed.