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A Cincinnati defense that seemed to find its legs with the return of the linebacker Vontaze Burfict last week will take aim at a Dallas offense fueled by a pair of rookies in quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott.
Here are five things to watch for in Sunday’s game:
Righting the red zone
All of all the issues that played a part in the Bengals treading water to a 2-2 start, the struggles in the red zone are the most in need of an immediate fix.
The Bengals ranked fifth in red-zone touchdown percentage last year (65.5), but they are dead last this season (30.8).
Part of the reason for the struggles inside the 20 has been the inability to run the ball, but Dalton’s inability to connect with his three newest targets – Brandon LaFell, Tyler Boyd and C.J. Uzomah, who barely played as a rookie but now is filling in for the injured Tyler Eifert – has been a big part of the problem as well.
That trio has combined for just two receptions on 13 targets in the red zone.
Dallas is allowing its opponents to get into the end zone on 53.3 percent of red-zone trips, so the Bengals need to take advantage of that in cash in on a few opportunities rather than repeatedly settling for Mike Nugent field goals.
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Other options
It’s not just in the red zone where Dalton has struggled to connect with anyone not named Green.
Green is one of the best receivers in the game, and Dalton has been throwing to him for five seasons, so there’s a chemistry there that is easy to fall back on, but the Bengals need to get more production from their other options in the passing game.
Boyd had just four catches for 28 yards in his last two games, while LaFell has been just slightly more productive with six receptions for 78 yards.
Uzomah has struggled with drops, but he had a career-high four catches for 45 yards last week to rejuvenate a piece of the offense that has been lacking in Eifert’s absence.
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Third down stops
Even against a rookie quarterback like Prescott, the Bengals aren’t likely to blitz a lot. The defensive mindset is to keep everything underneath, tackle the receiver and force opponents to work their way down the field instead of getting yardage in big chunks.
But no team is better equipped to move the chains on a consistent basis than the Cowboys. With Elliott leading the league in rushing behind on of the best offensive lines, Dallas ranks first in third-down conversions (50 percent) and first downs (99).
In Cincinnati’s two wins this season, the defense got off the field on third down 74 percent of the time while limiting the opponents to 109 plays. In the two losses, the defense got third-down stops just 56 percent of the time and had to play 134 snaps.
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Swapping the slot
Josh Shaw has been one of the biggest surprises for the Bengals this season, and his performance coupled with some injuries in the secondary have led to him playing nearly half the defensive snaps.
Shaw was particularly busy last week when starter cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick was out with a hamstring injury. Darqueze Dennard slid out of the slot to fill in for Kirkpatrick, and Shaw played 64 percent of the snaps against Miami.
But the Bengals go into Sunday with all of their defensive backs healthy, so it will be interesting to see what defensive coordinator Paul Guenther does with his nickel corners. Dennard is a first-round pick (2014), while Shaw is a fourth-rounder (2015), but Shaw has outplayed him thus far.
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Quantity of questionables
It’s one thing to be without a key player or two and hoping the next man up can perform well enough to keep the absence from glaring, but Dallas has nine players listed as questionable on the injury report.
Six of the nine are starters – wide receiver Dez Bryant (knee), tackle Tyron Smith (back), cornerback Orlando Scandrick (both hamstrings), kicker Dan Bailey (back), linebacker Andrew Gachkar (neck) and defensive end Jack Crawford (shoulder), including three with Pro Bowls on their resume in Bailey, Bryant and Smith.
The Bengals have three players listed as questionable, but only left guard Clint Boling (shoulder) is a starter, although Jake Fisher (back) would be Boling’s replacement if healthy and typically plays a handful of snaps as a sixth offensive lineman in jumbo packages.
Cincinnati Bengals (2-2) at Dallas Cowboys (3-1)
When: 4:25 p.m.
TV: Ch. 7, 12
Radio: 700-AM, 1530-AM, 102.7-FM, 104.7-FM
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