At 2-3, with a gauntlet of Atlanta, Miami, Pittsburgh and Indy looming, this game becomes the pivotal game of the season. The Bengals need to steal one of the next two road games and defend home turf to get back into the playoff picture. No easy task for an underachieving Bengal squad.
When the Falcons have the ball-
It's imperative to slow down the run attack and get pressure on Matt Ryan. The Falcons are a power run team with a vertical pass attack, but everything starts with the run. Ryan was off in Philly last week, missing some wide open guys. He's been great at home in his career, so the Bengals pass rush will have it's work cut out for it. LT Sam Baker really struggled with RDE Trent Cole last week, so there's reason for optimism. RDE Antwan Odom is out for four weeks while suspended, but that may not be a bad thing considered how poorly he's played. Hopefully the return of Johnathan Fanene will spark the D.
Roddy White is clearly the #1 receiver on this team and will have his share of catches. The key is keeping them short and not allowing any easy plays deep. Michael Jenkins was good in his season debut last week and gives them another decent option outside. With JJoe out, this could be a problem if Morgan Trent is asked to play a lot outside. The middle of the field is the main concern I have with Tony Gonzalez and RB Jason Snelling big factors in the pass game.
The Falcons will not have their #2 TE, so they may not run as much 2 TE sets as normal. Hopefully that helps the run D.
When the Bengals have the ball-
The Falcons have an aggressive attacking pursuit based 4-3, similar to the Bengals. They are open to misdirection plays and cut back runs in the front, but also have the ability to create negative plays with great penetration. DE's John Abraham and Kroy Biermann are as good as it gets and will cause problems for RT Dennis Roland. Both guys alternate sides, so you can't lock in on one.
DT Peria Jerry is a disruptive player as well, so it's best to be able to run right at him on the interior. The Falcons do an okay job against the run, but it's the pass rush they excel at, especially at home. Staying out of long down and distance is imperative.
The secondary is bad, and was exploited all day long by the Eagles. The Bengals have hit on some long pass plays and today it's important for Chad especially to get involved. If the OLine can give Carson time, this could be a big passing day.
Brian Leonard is out, so I expect something big out of Bernard Scott today. The matchup favors his skill set more than C Benson.
Teams-
The Bengals have better returners than Atlanta and need to take advantage. Kicking games are similar.
Prediction-
Everything points to a Bengal loss, but there are some reasons for optimism. This is a classic trap game for Atlanta as they're coming off two straight road games and heading into a bye. The Bengals are the desperate team, coming off their own bye. They absolutely need to respond. I'm going to pick the Falcons, but a Bengal win won't surprise me one bit.
What I hate most about the Bengals right now is not the fact that they are playing horribly, which they are, but the Browns are showing some spunk and the Columbus area is now on the bandwagon and only shows there games. I can't watch the Bengals games without going to a sportsbar now but I would rather clean bathrooms. So that is what I do on Sunday afternoons, I stay home and clean my bathrooms. Thanks Bengals!
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