The Cincinnati Bengals have been competitive in every game so far this year, mostly because of the defense, which has been excellent!  The Bengals are going to need to control the clock offensively while also playing well on defense if they are going to upset the Bills this weekend.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bengals have the ball:  The Bengals are going to pound Cedric Benson and Bernard Scott at the Bills’ defense, early and often in this game.  The Bills are giving up 115.7 yards rushing per game and 4.7 yards per carry so far this year.  The Bills only have 2 sacks so far this year, so QB Andy Dalton is likely going to have plenty of time to throw the ball against a Bills’ D that is allowing 271.7 yards passing per game.  Still, don’t expect the Bengals to light up the sky with passes as they don’t want to get into a firefight with the Bills this weekend.

When the Bills have the ball:  First off, the Bengals are going to need to step Fred Jackson (303 yards rushing, 6.4 ypc, 3 TDs) from running the ball all over them.  They should be up to the challenge as the Bengals are only giving up 88.0 yards rushing per game and 2.9 yards per carry.  The Bengals’ coaching staff knows QB Ryan Fitzpatrick better than any team but the Bills, so look for them to use a few wrinkles on defense.  The Bengals will need to get a good pass rush on Fitzpatrick as they have 9 sacks already this year, but it isn’t going to be easy as he has only been sacked 2 times this year.  WRs Steve Johnson, David Nelson, Donald Jones and TE Scott Chandler give the Bills and impressive bunch of targets to Ryan Fitzpatrick to throw to.

PREDICTION:  BILLS 21, BENGALS 20

28-year old RB Cedric Benson has been suspended for three games by the NFL for violating the league’s off-field conduct policy.  Benson has played in all 3 games for the Bengals so far this year and he has carried the ball 58 times for 244 yards (4.2 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He has also caught 4 passes for 19 yards (4.8 avg) so far this year.  Benson has appealed his suspension (the league won’t turn it over), so he will get to play until they either hear his appeal or he drops it.  27-year old RB Bernard Scott will be the main man in the running game for those three contests.  He has played in all 3 games for the Bengals so far this year and he has 8 carries for 23 yards (2.9 ypc).  Scott should be up to the challenge as he played well in his first two years (2009 and 2010) with the Bengals.  He played in 29 games coming into this year for the Bengals and he carried the ball 135 times for 620 yards (4.6 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Scott also caught 16 passes for 127 yards (7.9 avg) in his first two years with the Bengals.  Brian Leonard will also see an increased workload due to Benson’s suspension and he is a solid back.

The Bengals couldn’t get anything going offensively yesterday as it caused them to waste a great effort by their defense.  Andy Dalton finally looked like a rookie yesterday as he completed 17 of 32 passes for 157 yards with 0 TD passes and 2 INTs.  He also carried the ball 1 time for 5 yards.  Cedric Benson had to fight for every yard he got in this game as he rushed for 64 yards on 17 carries (3.8 ypc).  WR Andre Caldwell (6 rec, 53 yards), TE Jermaine Gresham (4 rec, 51 yards) and WR A.J. Green (4 rec, 29 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Bengals.  The Bengals finished up with 79 yards rushing on 20 carries (4.0 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 32 passes (53.1%) for 149 yards as they had possession of the ball for 24:40.

The defense was outstanding for the Bengals yesterday!  Safety Reggie Nelson (10 tackles), LB Rey Maualuga (8 tackles) and DT Domato Peko (8 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss) led the way for the Bengals’ D in this game.  CB Nate Clements (5 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 1 fumble recovery) and DE Jonathan Fanene (3 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, 2 QB hits and 1 fumble recovery) also had solid games for the Bengals in this game.  The 49ers only rushed for 50 yards on 29 carries (1.7 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 30 passes (66.7%) for 176 yards.  The Bengals are now 1-2 on the year.

The Bengals and 49ers are both looking to bounce back from tough losses last weekend.  It will be an interesting chess match between head coaches Marvin Lewis and Jim Harbaugh.  Here is a look a the matchups in this game:

When the Bengals have the ball:  The Bengals should come out throwing the ball this weekend against the lousy CBs of the Niners.  The 49ers love to blitz as they already have six sacks so far this year, so Andy Dalton is going to have to get rid of the ball quicker.  If the O-Line picks up the blitz and give Dalton some time to throw the ball, he’s going to go deep to WRs A.J. Green and Jerome Simpson.  For the shorter stuff, Dalton will be aiming for TE Jermaine Gresham and WR Andre Caldwell.  Don’t think for a minute though that Cedric Benson isn’t going to get his 20 carries this Sunday.  The Niners are only giving up 54.5 yards rushing per game and 2.5 yards per carry, so Benson is going to have to fight for every yard he gets.

When the 49ers have the ball:  The Bengals are going to have to be ready to stop RB Frank Gore.  The Bengals are giving up 107.0 yards rushing per game but only 3.5 yards per carry, so they should be up to the challenge as Gore only has 106 yards rushing so far this year (2.5 ypc).  The Bengals will need to blitz a little more than usual as QB Alex Smith has been sacked 6 times already this year.  The Bengals will also likely be double covering TE Vernon Davis and daring the 49ers to beat them by throwing to their very weak WRing corps.

PREDICTION:  BENGALS 20, 49ERS 13

23-year old rookie QB Andy Dalton is making an outstanding first impression for the Bengals.  He has played in both games so far this year for the Bengals and he has completed 37 of 56 passes (66.1%) for 413 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 INTs (105.7 QB Rating).  Dalton also has carried the ball 2 times for 3 yards (1.5 ypc) for the Bengals so far this year.  Dalton showed me a lot by coming back and having a big game for the Bengals after getting beat up pretty good by the Browns in the season opener.  He looks like the real deal.

The Bengals have lost 25-year old WR Jordan Shipley for the rest of the season due to a torn left ACL.  Shipley played in both games for the Bengals this year and he caught 2 passes for 14 yards (7.0 avg).  He has now played in 15 games in his first two years for the Bengals and he has caught 52 passes for 600 yards (11.5 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  The Bengals will need 26-year old Andre Caldwell to step up and be the #3 WR the rest of this year.  Caldwell has played in 2 games for the Bengals so far this year and he has caught 3 passes for 27 yards (9.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Andre Caldwell has now played in 40 games in his first four years with the Bengals and he has caught 90 passes for 882 yards (9.8 avg) with 4 TD grabs.

The Bengals looked excellent on offense and not so bad on defense, but they still fell a little bit short on the scoreboard.  Andy Dalton was awesome in this game for the Bengals as he completed 27 of 41 passes for 332 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Cedric Benson couldn’t get in going against the Broncos who were keying on him as he rushed for 59 yards on 16 carries (3.7 ypc).  He also caught 3 passes for 17 yards (5.7 avg) in this game.  WRs Jerome Simpson (4 rec, 136 yards), A.J. Green (10 rec, 124 yards, TD) and Andre Caldwell (3 rec, 27 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Bengals yesterday in Denver.  The Bengals finished up with 72 yards on 20 carries (3.6 ypc) and they also completed 27 of 41 passes (65.9%) for 310 yards as they had possession of the ball for 29:45.

The defense wasn’t too bad for the Bengals yesterday.  LB Thomas Howard (8 tackles), DE Michael Johnson (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 sack) and LB Rey Maualuga (7 tackles) led the way for the Bengals on D in this game.  CB Leon Hall (fumble recovery) and DT Domato Peko (fumble recovery) also made some big plays for the Bengals.  The Broncos finished up with 131 yards rushing on 36 carries (3.6 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 25 passes (60%) for 187 yards.  The Bengals are now 1-1 on the year.

It will be interesting to see how the Bengals play this weekend after looking pretty solid against the Browns in the season opener.  The Bengals hope to get a early lead and get the Broncos’ fans chanting for Tim Tebow.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bengals have the ball:  The Bengals might have to start Bruce Gradkowski at QB in this game due to Andy Dalton’s wrist injury.  The game plan won’t change no matter who is playing QB this Sunday.  The Bengals plan to give Cedric Benson (121 yards, TD) a heavy workload against a very soft Broncos’ D that gave up 190 yards rushing on 38 carries (5.0 ypc) to the Raiders last Monday Night.  Don’t be surprised to see Bernard Scott and Brian Leonard to also get carries whenever Benson needs a break.  The Bengals will need to pay special attention to OLB Von Miller, because he’s the one player on the Broncos who can change this game with a big play.  Dalton or Gradkowski could have success throwing the ball when they get the chance.  A.J. Green, Jerome Simpson and Jordan Shipley could have success against the banged up corners of the Broncos.  TE Jermaine Gresham was the leading receiver (6 rec, 58 yards) was the Bengals’ top receiver last week and he will take aim at the Broncos’ safeties.

When the Broncos have the ball:  The Broncos might try to air it out against the Bengals tomorrow.  The Bengals will likely blitz a little more than they did last weekend as Kyle Orton was sacked 5 times last week by the Raiders.  CBs Leon Hall and Nate Clements are going to have a much stiffer challenge this weekend against Brandon Lloyd, Eddie Royal and Eric Decker.  The Broncos have preached running the ball but they only rushed for 38 yards on 13 carries (2.9 ypc) last week.  Look for them to try to get the ball to Knowshon Moreno and Willis McGahee more in this game.

PREDICTION:  BRONCOS 21, BENGALS 20

The Bengals have released 24-year old cornerback Rico Murray.  Murray played against the Browns last Sunday and he had 1 tackle.  Murray played in 9 games in his first three years with the Bengals and he had 19 tackles and 2 passes defensed.  The Bengals won’t miss Murray too much going forward as he really didn’t show them anything special in his three years on the team.

The Bengals have signed 31-year old TE Donald Lee.  Lee played in 15 games (6 starts) for the Packers last year and he caught 11 passes for 73 yards (6.6 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  He has now played in 124 games (64 starts) in his first 8 years in the NFL and he has caught 198 passes for 1,875 yards (9.5 avg) with 19 TD grabs.  This was a good signing for the Bengals as Lee is a pretty solid all-around TE.