Macon, Ga. — The Cincinnati Bengals may have saved their season last week with a thrilling victory in New Orleans. Now, they return home for the first time in over four weeks to face a surprising Atlanta Falcons team in a matchup of 3-3 teams.
Opening Kickoff Thoughts: When the schedule came out, I think a lot of Bengals fans, including myself, penned this game as an easy win and went on to the more difficult games on the schedule. However, this game is now going to be, likely, much more competitive given Atlanta’s surprising 3-3 start.
The Falcons are good because they know who they are. They’re a team that relies heavily on the run game, ranking third in the NFL averaging 165 yards a game. On top of that, they have rushed for 150 or more yards in each of their last three games. Two of those games came against the 49ers and Buccaneers, who rank second and 14th in rushing defense.
Quarterback Marcus Mariota signed with the Falcons early in the offseason, after Matt Ryan was traded to the Colts. Mariota has performed admirably both through the air and on the ground. He has a young receiving corps to work with, but the running game takes some of the pressure off of him. Mariota is only attempting 23 passes per game, and he has only been sacked 14 times through six games. For as little of an identity as the Falcons had coming into the season, they now have one as a run-first, well-coached team that will make you play 60 minutes to beat them.
Speaking of Atlanta’s running game, it will pose a big challenge for a short-handed Bengals defense missing two starters who are the two best run defenders on the team. The Saints ripped the Bengals defense for 228 rushing yards last week, so there is a justified level of concern heading into this game.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said earlier this week that the Bengals next three games will define their season, and this is a game they need to win. It’s at home against a lesser-talented team. This is the time to start stacking wins before the brutal closing stretch approaches.
Atlanta Falcons @ Cincinnati Bengals
Television: 1 p.m. on FOX (Brandin Gaudin, Robert Smith, Jen Hale)
Local Radio: ESPN1530, 102.7 WEBN, 700WLW
Bengals on Offense: I’m putting the spotlight on Ja’Marr Chase. We were waiting seemingly all season for that breakout, difference-making performance. And last week in his New Orleans homecoming, he delivered when his team needed him most. Great players can’t stay quiet long, and Chase showed he is still one of the best receivers in the NFL with seven receptions, 132 yards and two touchdowns including a game-winning 60-yard touchdown at the two minute warning.
This week, Chase will be matched up with Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell. Name sound familiar? It should. Terrell and Chase went toe-to-toe in the National Championship back in 2019, a matchup dominated by Chase with nine receptions, 223 yards and two touchdowns.
Also watch out for Joe Mixon on Sunday. He only has one rushing touchdown this season, but he has run the ball much better the previous two weeks averaging 5.6 yards a carry.
Falcons on Defense: Speaking of Terrell, he’s having a solid start to the season with five passes defended and 28 tackles. But the player to watch on Atlanta’s defense is defensive end Grady Jarrett. Jarrett leads the team with 3.5 sacks and five tackles for loss. The Bengals offensive line has been much better over the last four weeks, with just eight sacks allowed, so hopefully they can continue that and keep Jarrett at bay.
Falcons on Offense: Running back Tyler Allgeier has taken over as the lead running back with starter Cordarelle Patterson on injured reserve. With the Falcons offense being run-first, you have to focus on the lead running back at all times. In addition, Mariota has 101 yards rushing in his last two games. You have to know what he is going to do with the ball at all times.
Bengals on Defense: Germaine Pratt. Without linebacker Logan Wilson, Pratt now becomes this defense’s most important player. Fortunately for the Bengals, Pratt is this team’s leading tackler at 44, including 14 last week at New Orleans. He now could be the on-field signal caller for the defense this Sunday.
In addition, defensive end Sam Hubbard has always been stout against the run. His five tackles for loss lead the team, and the Bengals could use several of those on Sunday to put the Falcons in tough passing situations, which is not ideal for their offense.
Opposing Quarterback Thoughts: Marcus Mariota has had an interesting career. He was the Titans starting quarterback for four years. There were some highs, including a breakout 2016 season and playoff win in 2017, but his time with Tennessee came to an abrupt end in 2019. That’s when he was benched for a quarterback the Titans traded for: Ryan Tannehill.
Since then, Mariota spent two seasons as the backup in Las Vegas with the Raiders. He didn’t get much playing time the last two seasons, but is looking to revitalize his career in Atlanta. He’s not the flashiest quarterback, but he is a veteran, a leader and well-coached. If you’re not careful with his dual-threat abilities, he can hurt you.
Matchup to Watch: The Falcons running game against the Bengals front seven will determine this game. It’s simple; the Falcons running game should be licking their chops to play this banged up Bengals defense. Meanwhile, the Bengals defense let the Saints run all over them, and now they don’t have their two best run defenders to help slow down the Falcons running game. In the three games D.J. Reader has missed due to injury, the Bengals have allowed 156 rushing yards per game. It’s clear they miss him, but they’re going to have to rely on guys like Germaine Pratt and Jay Tufele to slow down Atlanta’s third-ranked rushing attack.
Frankie’s Gameplan to Victory:
1. Protect. The. Franchise. – No further explanation needed, Your Honor.
2. Stop the Run – This one is obvious. In addition to what I mentioned above, if the Bengals can force Mariota to throw more than his average of 23 pass attempts per game there’s a good chance the Bengals will win this game.
3. Use the Middle of the Field – This worked really well for the Bengals last week, and it opened up opportunities for Chase and Higgins on the perimeter. Teams are still going to look to take the deep ball away until the Bengals beat their strategies and coverages, so targeting Tyler Boyd and Hayden Hurst over the middle is still critical to the Bengals offensive success.
Where this Game will be Decided: The matchup between Chase and Terrell is critical to this game. Chase has done well against the best cornerbacks in the NFL, and he’s looking to build off his best performance of the season last week Sunday against Terrell and the Falcons. If the Bengals can work the perimeter with Chase, look out.
Game pick: Bengals 34 Falcons 24 – This game will be much closer than expected before the start of the season. Atlanta is surprising, but they have an identity. The Bengals, though, are the more talented team, and they’re starting to click offensively. I think the Bengals defense forces a key turnover, and puts Atlanta behind early and to stay for the remainder of the game.
Let me be Frank and Cut to the Chase 