The Cincinnati Bengals have a lot of firepower on their offense, while the Chicago Bears are reeling defensively due to injuries.
It’s a battle of strength versus weakness in a lot of ways this weekend
and it’s going to be a tough match up for the Bears to get a win on the road.
But they are favored, and the Bengals preferred starter, Joe Flacco, is questionable to play.
It will no doubt be an interesting game.
We asked our staff to give us their keys for a Bears win. Here’s what they said.
Sam: Chicago must slow down Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, while getting after the statue that is 40-year-old Joe Flacco. But that’s easier said than done when the team could be starting a player it signed Wednesday and two backups. For the offense, it should have the better match-up against a nearly-dead-last Bengals unit. But their receivers are banged up. Rely on Kyle Monangai and whatever other healthy RBs play to get it going on the ground and open up some play action for chunk plays.
Jack R Salo: The Bengals look like a completely different team with Joe Flacco at quarterback. They’ve re-unlocked the Ja’Marr Chase & Tee Higgins one-two punch; however, their defense is still toward the very bottom in most metrics. The Bears have to score touchdowns in this one. Not field goals. Touchdowns. A big key here is the Bears’s running game. Move the chains, control the time of possession, and a shootout should go in the Bears’ favor. Then on defense, stop all Chase Brown production. If you make the Bengals one-dimensional, eventually Flacco will throw a crucial pick and the Bears can walk away winners of 5 of their last 6.
Mongo Peanut: I expect Joe Flacco to play, and I expect the Bears to still be thin on defense. As such, this is likely going to be a shootout. The Bears have continued to be their own worst enemy on offense with back-breaking penalties and poor red zone offense. If they’re going to keep up with Flacco, Chase, and Higgins they’re going to have to play smart, efficient football on offense. Specifically, Cincy has the worst rushing defense in the league, so I’d expect a heavy dose of Monangai with big play-action shots from Williams.
GOOCH: First, Rush. The. Passer. Joe Flacco isn’t a stick in the mud back there; he’s an iron post buried half its length in reinforced concrete. If you can’t pressure Flacco – who can you pressure? Second, the Bears MUST improve their red zone TD efficiency. No more great drives ending with a whimper rather than a bang. Third, I want to see this Bears offense be productive past the scripted portion of the game. Fourth, Caleb needs to feast on this soft Bengals secondary. Light ‘em up, and the Bears walk away with the victory in hand.
Lester: I know we’re all waiting for a big Caleb Williams game, but the Bengals can’t stop the run. The Bears are the better team, but with them on the road, I want to see them grind out the yards behind whoever is healthy enough to play running back. Chicago’s offensive line should have its way all day, which will lead to a few explosives in the passing game as Cincy starts to stack the box.
Bryan: The Bengals remind me in many ways of the Cowboys. An explosive offense with an agreeable defense that can play well enough to win at times. If Flacco is the guy, he doesn’t turn the ball over, but we need to be able to get after him with our pass rush to keep them behind the chains. If Browning is under center, we need to win the turnover battle.
On offense, Caleb and Co. need to convert red zone tries into TDs. Plain and simple. Against Dallas, we had a number of big plays. Give me those methodical drives that result in efficient red zone trips and I’ll be happy. Oh, and please less than 5 penalties this week.
What do you think it’s going to take for the Bears to win on the road against the Bengals?
