Few experts expect Cincinnati to go into the desert and come away with a win over surging Arizona.
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The Cincinnati Bengals went into this week undefeated and got the Houston Texans at home.
There isn’t much to panic about when it comes to the 8-1 Bengals after a loss in which sloppy execution ruled the day.
Both teams were pretty equal in the air as well, slightly better than their running backs though. They were not good in the years following their loss in Super Bowl XLIII. That’s the second best of any team behind only the New England Patriots. Arizona (7-2) ranks No. 1 in the National Football League in total offense and No. 2 in scoring offense behind Carson Palmer, who has 23 touchdown passes with seven interceptions. Order No. 1 for the Bengals is to clean up the nine penalties they committed against the Texans – they can review film from Arizona’s win in Seattle last Sunday to see what the Cardinals can do to an offense consistently playing out of unfavorable down-and-distances.
Dalton has started every game since he came into the National Football League in 2011 in the midst of Palmer’s bitter holdout and subsequent trade to Oakland.
With his team refusing to trade him, Palmer opted to quit football rather than ride the pine.
“They’re a talented offense”, Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu said. The Bengals do give up almost 5 yards a run though, 4.7 yards a clip to be exact.
Against Seattle, Palmer was pressured on 31 of his 51 dropbacks (60.8 percent), and 11 more times than he was actually kept clean.
The Seahawks finally got on track on their next offensive possession, when Wilson fired deep and found receiver Paul Richardson for a 40 yard reception to the ARZ 15 yard line.
Quarterback Andy Dalton is hot, as is Cardinals counterpart Carson Palmer.
“There’s obviously a little bit extra on it, but it’s a big game for us, it’s a big game for them, and I’m very focused on my job”. If Jeremy Hill can’t carry the load, Giovani Bernard will have to bear the burden. Who are the players that are expected to have good fantasy outputs?
While Palmer’s thrust wasn’t really directed at anyone in particular, Panther’s players and fans didn’t take the dancing well at all; in fact one parent put pen to paper to show her dislike. Bradford had 11 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions on the season before getting knocked out last week. This season when hurried, he has a passer rating of 103.3 and a PFF grade of +3.8. The Bengals like to rotate defensive linemen and will use a diverse scheme, as do the Cardinals. But the Bengals could be haunted by their penchant for allowing long drives. Here are three questions and a prediction for Sunday night’s matchup at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. But he also said they will be sure to watch film and try to learn what formations and plays Cincinnati hangs their hat on.
Here’s a look at how Cincinnati should approach the contest from a game-plan standpoint.
Patrick Peterson – one of the NFL’s premier shutdown cornerbacks – has faced A.J. His completion percentage is 66.2 through nine games.
Fast forward to their fifth season.
The Seahawks mostly struggled defensively against the Cardinals, but found success by blitzing heavily in the fourth quarter. They have been less stingy against the run, allowing 4.3 yards per attempt to opposing running backs. This would make for a fantastic rivarly between the former and current Bengals quarterbacks, the latter of whom benefited from the former’s departure.
The Cardinals went on to make the postseason on the strength of their 6-0 start, but were bounced in the first round by the Carolina Panthers.
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All four of NFL.com’s pickers are siding with Arizona as well.
