Week 5 Scouting Report: Cincinnati Bengals



The Patriots will face another challenge when they take road again to visit the talented Cincinnati Bengals in Week 5. The 2-2 Bengals have an impressive road win over the Packers on their resume, but are also coming off of an upset loss to the Hoyer the Destroyer-lead Cleveland Browns. Needless to say, the Bengals will be up for this potential statement game, meaning the Patriots will need to bring their "A" game once again to stay undefeated. Here's a look at some of the matchups that could determine the game.

When the Patriots have the Ball:

The Patriots offensive line is coming off of a stellar performance against Atlanta and will need to bring it again against a ferocious Bengals front seven that ranks amongst the league's best. This game will feature some great individual matchups, including Logan Mankins and Geno Atkins going at it in a battle between two of the strongest, nastiest guys in the league. Tackles Nate Solder and Sebastien Vollmer have both gotten off to fantastic starts to the season, but will have some tough matchups against guys like Carlos Dunlap, Michael Johnson and James Harrison (remember him? Colt McCoy does). The line will also see its share of aggressive, athletic linebackers Ray Maualuga and Vontaze Burfict in the run game.

The importance of the offensive line playing well is enhanced by the injuries to Cincinnati's secondary. Cornerbacks Leon Hall and Dre Kirkpatrick missed last weeks game with the Browns, as did safety Reggie Nelson. This left Adam "Pacman" Jones and 35 year old Terrance Newman to start at cornerback against the Browns, with Pacman particularly having a tough time staying with Josh Gordon. Pacman Jones and Terrance Newman covering Kenbrell Thompkins, Julian Edelmen or (possibly) Aaron Dobson should be a mismatch in the Patriots favor.

The Bengals reportedly "hope" that Hall and Nelson can return from hamstring injuries this week. That would be huge for the Bengals, as Hall is one of the better cover corners in the NFL. However, guys just coming off of hamstring injuries are guys whose explosiveness should be tested, and Thompkins, Edelmen, Dobson and Josh Boyce all have the talent to get open even against good competition. Hence why the performance of the offensive line is so critical this week. If they can protect Brady against the Bengals front, there will be opportunities for big plays in the passing game. That is a big if, though, as they won't face many defensive fronts this nasty.

That defensive front could also make running the ball difficult Sunday. If the Patriots can establish the running game, it could make a big difference in setting up play action (Burfict and Maualuga are both susceptible to play fakes at times). However, once again, running the ball well will require a big showing from the Patriots O-line to neutralize the Bengals strength up front.

One final note: until further notice, a Gronk/Amendola watch is necessary in these posts. As of right now, the word is that Amendola might play, while Gronk is more likely to return week 6 against New Orleans. If Amendola can go (and is healthy enough to have his normal impact), it will be a huge upgrade to the passing game, as Amendola's ability to get open quickly could become a valuable way to combat Cincinnati's pass rush.

When the Bengals have the Ball:

Ok, Aqib Talib, you like a challenge? Cleveland's Joe Haden held AJ Green to 5 catches for 41 yards and had 2 passes defensed last week. Top that.

Yes, that's right. After taking on Vincent Jackson and Julio Jones, Talib sets his sights on a superstar receiver for the third straight week with Green. The lack of a complimentary threat at wide receiver has started to affect Green, who has just 138 yards in the past three weeks (after exploding for 162 yards and 2 touchdowns Week One against the Bears). However, Green remains an elite playmaker, a dangerous red zone threat, and by far the most important player to stop on the Bengals offense. Talib won't be doing it alone, as the Patriots will surely shade Green with a deep safety, but he'll largely be the one charged with making sure Green doesn't singled-handedly win the game for Cincinnati.

The other Bengals receivers (Mohamed Sanu, Marvin Jones, old friend Brandon Tate) may not be a murderer's row, but the Bengals do have a few weapons that could be matchup problems for the Patriots. Explosive rookie running back Gio Benard is taking more and more playing time away from BenJarvus Green-Ellis, as his playmaking ability is proving hard to take off the field. Smaller and shiftier backs like Benard have occasionally given them trouble, particularly in the passing game where bigger linebackers like Donta' Hightower and Jerod Mayo are forced to try and keep up with smaller, faster players. Look for the Bengals to try to create favorable matchups with Benard in the passing game, who should eat up one-on-one coverage from Spikes or Hightower.

On the other hand, the Patriots defense has historically handled physical, downfield runners like Green-Ellis well, likely due to Coach Belichick's preference for big, physically imposing defenders. Of course, the Patriots defense has also historically had 330 pounds of Vince Wilfork right in the middle of it, so seeing how Joe Vellano and friends hold up in the middle will be something to keep an eye on. While the Wilfork injury does force Vellano and others (Marcus Forston potentially?) to step up, it also places more importance on the linebackers ability to diagnose and clean up plays. Look for the linebackers, particularly Brandon Spikes, to be very aggressive against the run.

Another rookie who could create some problems in the passing game is tight end Tyler Eifert. Eifert has occasionally flashed the athleticism and pass catching ability that made him a first round pick this season, but has yet to make a real statistical breakthrough. With that said, Eifert is a threat in the passing game and faces a Patriots defense that has also historically struggled matching up with good tight ends (see Gonzalez, Tony).

On a side note, it will be interesting to see if the presence of two athletic matchup problems means more playing time for Patriots rookie linebacker Jamie Collins. Collins saw by far his most action of the season last week, as coverage problems against the aforementioned Gonzalez pushed the athletic linebacker into the lineup. Collins is still a bit of a raw project, but his speed could give him a better chance to keep up with some of the Bengals weapons.

Finally, this brings us to soulless quarterback Andy Dalton. Dalton is a "game manager" level talent, but has had some major issues with turnovers, as he's thrown 4 picks in as many games so far this year. Like Matt Ryan last week, Dalton isn't athletic enough to hurt you with his legs, so the pass rush will get another chance to try and go get turnover producing pressure. Unlike Ryan, Dalton does have one of the best offensive lines in the league protecting him, with Andre Whitworth and Andre "Titties" Smith forming one of the best tackle tandems in the league. The onus will be on Chandler Jones, Rob Ninkovich and co to win enough of these tough one-on-one matchups to make some plays, especially because Dalton can be forced into bad decisions when pressured.

Special Teams/Coaching/Intangibles

If this turns into a defensive battle (which is possible given the defenses involved), field position could become very important. The Patriots specials teams have neither impressed nor disapointed in any major way so far in 2013, and once again will be without standout Matthew Slater as they try to contain former Patriot Brandon Tate in the return game.

As far as coaching goes, Bill Belichick >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Marvin Lewis. I could elaborate, but I don't think it's necessary.

The intangibles surrounding this matchup are interesting. Cincinnati was a preseason darling, picked by many to take over the AFC North and take a step up towards legitimate contention. Despite an undeniably talented roster, they've failed to do that so far, registering a 2-2 record in September. They have a quality win on their resume with an upset of Green Bay in Week 3, but are also coming off of a disappointing loss to Cleveland. Now, they are following up that loss with traditional power New England and the championship pedigree of Belichick and Brady coming into their building. It might be a normal, 1 pm start time, but this game is undeniably a big one for the Bengals. It's one of their last chances this year (the Bengals have already played two of the toughest games on their schedule in Chicago and Green Bay) to have a real statement game and I would fully expect Cincinnati to be extra fired up for this one. Whether New England, still depleted by injuries, can survive Cinci's best shot to stay undefeated will be very interesting.