The Cincinnati Bengals head into this weekend’s game with a chance to get back to 500 after their recent skid.
Here is what they need to do to get the win over the New York Jets.
Get Right on Defense
The Bengals’ defense has been all over the place, and this week, they finally need to turn the corner and get it right.
The first and most fundamental issue is tackling. Too often, Bengals defenders seem to be in a rush to make the play and dive and miss tackles. They need to take another step and put their body on the ball-carrier.
Coverage breakdowns have also hurt them far too often. Everyone needs to execute their coverage responsibility while trusting their teammates to do the same.
If there are three people I like to see under pressure, they are Freddie Mercury, David Bowie, and opposing quarterbacks. Unfortunately, Bengals not named Trey Hendrickson have not generated much pressure. Shemar Stewart needs to step up and be the guy the drafted him to be.
Finally, let’s talk about situations. Defenses can give up yards as long as they step up in key situations, but the Bengals have failed to do so this season. For example, they have allowed opposing teams to convert nearly 50% of their third downs, which is the second-highest rate in the league. Their Red Zone defense is also the second worst in the league, giving up touchdowns 71.9% of the time.
These things have to be fixed.
Win the Turnover Game
The defense has actually been pretty good in this area, producing nine turnovers this season. However, the offense has coughed up the ball 11 times.
8 of those 11 are Jake Browning interceptions, and the other three were fumbles lost in the Twin Cities travesty.
Joe Flacco threw six interceptions in four weeks with the Browns, but hasn’t thrown since becoming a Bengal.
If he can keep that good mojo flowing, the Bengals should be in good shape, particularly this week as they take on a Jets team that has only forced one turnover all season.
Keep on Running
The Bengals ran the ball very well against the Steelers’ defense, which is no small feat.
Now, they need to prove that it wasn’t a fluke. Chase Brown needs to be over 100 yards again this week, with a few explosive runs to boot.
Feed the Beasts
What was really impressive last Thursday was how they did the most obvious thing possible on offense. They got the ball to their best wide receivers over and over again.
Flacco targeted Ja’Marr 23 times and Tee Higgins 10 times. The pair combined for 22 receptions for 257 yards and two touchdowns (which would have been three if not for Tee’s slide).
Getting the ball to those two guys over and over again while sprinkling in a dash of Andrei Iosivas and a pinch of Noah Fant every here and there is exactly what this team needs to do to win games.
