The Cincinnati Bengals are coming off their bye week and they are 2-1 on the road this season, so it’s all systems go for them.  The Seahawks lost a tough one last weekend, 6-3 to the Browns in Cleveland.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bengals have the ball:  The Bengals are likely going to come out passing in this game against a Seahawks’ D that is allowing 249.7 yards passing per game this year.  A.J. Green, Jermaine Gresham and Jerome Simpson are going to cause matchup problems for the Seahawks’ secondary.  The O-Line will likely give QB Andy Dalton more than enough time to throw the ball this week, as the Seahawks’ pass rush is pretty weak.  Bernard Scott is going to get the start tomorrow in the place of suspended Cedric Benson.  All they will ask of Scott is that he runs hard and protects the football.

When the Seahawks have the ball:  The Seahawks are likely to have QB Tarvaris Jackson and RB Marshawn Lynch back this weekend.  The Seahawks’ O-Line is one of the worst in the entire NFL, so look for the passes to be of the shorter variety.  Sidney Rice will likely be Jackson’s main target in the passing game, so the Bengals will probably allow for some safety help on him.  Doug Baldwin, Ben Obomanu and Mike Williams, will not strike any fear in the hearts of Seahawks’ defenders.  The Seahawks would like to be balanced, but that might be hard against a Bengals’ D that is only allowing 89.5 yards rushing per game and 3.3 yards per carry.

PREDICTION:  BENGALS 20, SEAHAWKS 16

The Cincinnati Bengals have won two games in a row and they have looked pretty impressive in doing so.  The Colts have looked better with Curtis Painter at QB…..but still not good.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bengals have the ball:  The Bengals are going to likely come out feeding the ball to Cedric Benson against a Colts’ D that is allowing 145.2 yards rushing per game and 4.1 yards per carry.  Establishing the running game will help slow the pass rush and give Andy Dalton a real chance for success against a Colts’ D that is allowing 254.2 yards passing per game so far this year.  WRs A.J. Green and Jerome Simpson along with TE Jermaine Gresham could all have big games for the Bengals this weekend.

When the Colts have the ball:  The front seven of the Bengals should be able to stop the Colts’ running game cold as they aren’t too worried about Delone Carter and Donald Brown.  The Bengals are going to go after QB Curtis Painter in an effort to force him into making some big mistakes with the ball.  The Bengals will likely double cover Pierre Garcon (Painter’s favorite WR) and try to essentially take him out of the game.  That means that Painter will have to try to get the ball to Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark and Austin Collie this Sunday.

PREDICTION:  BENGALS 24, COLTS 13

This is the perfect matchup for the Bengals this week as the Jaguars are only averaging 9.8 points per game so far this year.  The Bengals have played well on the road this year and they will again this Sunday.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bengals have the ball:  The Bengals are going to give the Jaguars a heavy dose of RB Cedric Benson.  If the Jaguars sneak up to stop Benson, rookie QB Andy Dalton will start shooting passes down the field to A.J. Green and Jerome Simpson.  The Jaguars are giving up 228.8 yards passing per game, so if the O-Line gives Dalton time to throw the ball….he’s likely in line for a big game.  TE Jermaine Gresham is also having a solid year and he will make the Jaguars pay if they try to double team A.J. Green.

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Bengals are going to key on stopping RB Maurice Jones-Drew and WR Mike Thomas.  Jones-Drew and Thomas are responsible for 670 of the 1,057 (63.4%) yards the Jags’ have on offense this year.  The Bengals are only giving up 86.8 yards rushing per game and 3.1 yards per carry, so they are going to give Jones-Drew a rough time.  The Bengals have 10 sacks already this year and they are going to try to keep the pressure on Blaine Gabbert this weekend.  Mike Thomas is the only player on the Jaguars with more than 7 catches or 92 yards receiving so far this year.

PREDICTION:  BENGALS 20, JAGUARS 10

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

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

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 Cincinnati Bengals start the Carson Palmer-less era in Cleveland this Sunday.  The Bengals are going to be one of the youngest teams in the NFL, so they hope to get off to a good start to build some confidence this Sunday.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bengals have the ball:  The Bengals are going to feed the ball to Cedric Benson (freshly out of jail) in an attempt to control the clock and protect rookie QB Andy Dalton in his first start in the NFL.  Benson carried the ball 46 times for 210 yards (4.6 ypc) with 1 TD run in two games against the Browns last year.  This year though, it’s going to be tougher to run on them as they are now running a 4-3 defense with two huge DTs in the middle of the field (rookie Phil Taylor and Ahtyba Rubin).  The one thing going in the Bengals’ favor when they decide to throw the ball is that the Browns don’t have a great pass rush.  Still, I look for Dalton to be a little nervous in his first NFL start.  He will likely be looking more to Jordan Shipley and Jermaine Gresham on the short stuff, at least early in the game in an attempt to build some confidence.  The Browns have a nice set of starting corners in Joe Haden and Sheldon Brown, so it’s going to be hard to get the ball to A.J. Green and Jerome Simpson on Sunday.

When the Browns have the ball:  I have a feeling that the Browns are going to throw the ball a lot more than they did last year, and that could start this Sunday.  I still think the Bengals will have to key on stopping Peyton Hillis first.  Hillis carried the ball 41 times for 161 yards (3.9 ypc) with 1 TD run against the Bengals last year.  The Bengals hope that they can get a good pass rush going, because Colt McCoy is going to have a good game if he can just sit back in the pocket.  McCoy is likely going to attack the middle of the field with passes to TEs Evan Moore and Ben Watson.  It’s going to be up to safeties Chris Crocker and Reggie Nelson to deal with that.  The Bengals have a good set of corners in Nate Clements and Leon Hall.  They should match up pretty good against the WRs of the Browns.  The tricky thing for the Bengals is going to be trying to figure out who the Browns are going to throw to.

PREDICTION:  BROWNS 20, BENGALS 6

The Bengals are suddenly showing signs of life with Chad Ocho Cinco and T.O. out of the picture.  The Bengals have won two games in a row and they beat the Ravens earlier this year (15-10) in Cincinnati so they aren’t intimidated at all by them.  Joe Flacco threw 4 INTs in the first matchup between these teams.  The Ravens could win the AFC North with a win on Sunday and a Steelers’ loss in Cleveland so they will be plenty motivated for this game.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bengals have the ball:  The Bengals are getting a good look at some of their younger players and I think they will relish this challenge.  Look for Carson Palmer to come out throwing the ball a bit against a Ravens’ D that is allowing 219.6 yards passing per game.  Palmer will likely spread the ball around to WRs Andre Caldwell, Jerome Simpson, Jordan Shipley and TE Jermaine Gresham making it hard for the Ravens to cover everyone.  He will need to keep tabs on where Ed Reed is as he is a big play demon for the Ravens’ D.  Cedric Benson & Bernard Scott will also pound away against a Ravens’ that is only giving up 94.2 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry.

When the Ravens have the ball:  The Ravens are likely going to come out running the ball so the front seven is going to have to slow down Ray Rice & Willis McGahee and that won’t be easy.  The Bengals will be sending rookie DE Carlos Dunlap (8 sacks) after Joe Flacco all day long.  The Bengals seem to have Flacco’s number as for some reason he has looked perplexed against the Bengals’ D.

PREDICTION:  RAVENS 23, BENGALS 20

The Bengals snapped a 10-game losing streak against the Browns last weekend.  But they have had a rough week putting T.O. on I.R. and watching Chad Ocho Cinco and Marvin Lewis getting into it through the media.  The Chargers have won their last two games by a combined score of 65-7 and they need this game to stay alive in the playoff hunt.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bengals have the ball:  The Bengals are going to come out running the ball this weekend with Cedric Benson & Bernard Scott in an attempt to contol the clock and protect the football.  That will be easier said than done as the Chargers are only giving up 89.4 yards rushing per game so far this year and only 3.7 yards per carry.  The Chargers will be sending everyone after Carson Palmer (they have 44 sacks on the year) in an effort to force him into making mistakes.  The Bengals will now look towards the future with Andre Caldwell, Jordan Shipley and Jermaine Gresham in the passing game.

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers are going to come out passing the ball as usual.  The Bengals hope that rookie DE Carlos Dunlap will be able to get to Rivers this weekend.  If not, the Bengals are going to have a long day as they don’t have anyone to really matchup with Vincent Jackson due to his size.  Mike Tolbert, Darren Sproles and Ryan Mathews will also likely cause a lot of problems for the Bengals’ D in this game.

PREDICTION:  CHARGERS 27, BENGALS 10

The Bengals’ 10-game losing streak started in Cleveland when they lost 23-20.  The Browns have won 2 of their last three games and 4 of their last 7.  Here is a look at the matchups in the Battle of Ohio II:

When the Bengals have the ball:  The best chance the Bengals are going to have of winning this game would be by keeping the ball on the ground.  Cedric Benson & Bernard Scott should be getting the rock a lot in this game against a Browns’ D that is allowing 124.7 yards rushing per game and 4.1 yards per carry.  Terrell Owens had one of the best games of his life in the first matchup with the Browns this year when he caught 10 passes for 222 yards with a TD grab.  But, with Joe Haden starting in place of Eric Wright, the Browns’ secondary has really improved.  Carson Palmer has 18 interceptions already this year and so do the Browns.  That means that the O-Line needs to keep Palmer clean or he might make some big mistakes in this game.

When the Browns have the ball:  The Bengals need to go all out to stop Peyton Hillis who is the player the whole Browns’ offense revolves around.  If Hillis gets going this Sunday the Bengals are in trouble.  Colt McCoy will be starting at QB for the Browns and he likes to throw the ball deep off of playaction.  The Bengals must stop TE Ben Watson who is one of McCoy’s favorite targets. 

PREDICTION:  BROWNS 24, BENGALS 21