Last week’s win over Pittsburgh would be greatly diminished if the Bengals (3-4) can’t repeat that success against a winless New York Jets (0-7) team that comes to Paycor Stadium on Sunday in Cincinnati’s annual “Ring of Honor” game.
Bengals players and coaches said this week they aren’t concerned about a “letdown” because they are not looking at any team’s record or struggles. Cincinnati especially will be looking to play well in honor of the team legends that will be on hand for the game. Former Bengals offensive lineman and current team radio analyst Dave Lapham and cornerback Lamar Parrish will be formally inducted into the “Ring of Honor” on Sunday at halftime.
Here are three things to know about the game:
1. When the Bengals are on offense…
The Bengals hope to keep their running game going after finally topping 100 yards on the ground last week against Pittsburgh, but the Jets are going into the Ja’Marr Chase experience without Sauce Gardner, who ProFootballFocus.com ranks as the second-best cornerback in the league right now but has been in concussion protocol all week.
His absence is great news for the Bengals and Joe Flacco because Gardner leads the league with a 74.12 percent lockdown percentage and his last two opponents only targeted him twice, unsuccessfully. The Jets’ pass defense ranks ninth with 197.1 yards allowed per game, which could be skewed by opponents being able to run the ball with leads but Gardner’s production is a big part of that, too.
Cincinnati is looking to build on its best offensive performance of the season last week against Pittsburgh when Flacco threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns with Chase receiving 16 catches on 23 targets for 161 yards and a touchdown. The Jets, whom Flacco played for in 2020-22, have just 10 sacks this season but can be disruptive in the pass rush.
“They’ve got some high draft picks – Quinnen Williams, he’s the first one that jumps out at you, I’ve always liked Harrison Phillips,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “Their edge guys do a great job coming off the edge as well. Just starting with that front four is a problem. They get a lot out of them. They are very disruptive. Their defense has played really well. You watch these last few weeks they have really limited these offenses in terms of points on the board and making things difficult for you so they have a lot of talent behind those guys as well. I just think they’ve done a good job of limiting teams, starting with their front.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
2. When the Bengals are on defense…
Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said this week he wasn’t going to announce a starting quarterback, but Tyrod Taylor could be in line for his second start of the season, if healthy enough, after Justin Fields was benched during an Oct. 19 loss to Carolina. Fields threw just four touchdown passes in his six starts, and Taylor has three touchdown passes in three appearances and just one start, though he does have three picks.
Cincinnati is preparing for both, but it’s not the passing game that should be a concern. The Jets have thrown for the fewest yards in the league this season (143.4 passing yards per game), but they average 127.9 rushing yards per game (ninth of 32 teams). Breece Hall leads the team with 448 yards on 99 carries, and Fields or Taylor will also be a part of the threat on the ground.
Missed tackles have been a concern of late for the Bengals’ defense, and only two teams have a worse run defense than Cincinnati, allowing 257.1 rushing yards per game. Shemar Stewart’s return from an ankle injury last week helps, as he should see more snaps in Week 8, but Stewart acknowledged he is still dealing with some lingering pain that he can play through.
“It’s a lot of time missing, being out four weeks, it’s not ideal for someone in their rookie season,” Stewart said. “You need to get those reps, so it set me back a little bit, but I’m mostly back now.”
Stewart has been known as a good run-stopping defensive end, but he’s also disruptive in the passing game with pressure and is looking for his first NFL sack against the team that has allowed the most sacks this season with 31. Trey Hendrickson’s availability also could factor into the Bengals ability to add to those stats.
3. Injuries of note…
Taylor told local media Friday that Hendrickson was still questionable to play Sunday due to a hip injury that sidelined him just before halftime of the Week 6 loss at Green Bay. He was “close” to being able to play in Week 7 but remained limited in practices this week.
Defensive end Cam Sample (knee) is doubtful, according to Taylor, but Tanner Hudson should be good to go after resuming full activity Thursday after being in concussion protocol. Returner Charlie Jones (ribs) was back to full practice Thursday as well. Cornerback Marco Wilson did not practice early this week due to a hamstring injury, and backup center Matt Lee (knee) remained limited in practices this week.
Glenn told New York media on Friday that Gardner (concussion) and wide receiver Garrett Wilson (knee) are out, but he said Tyrod Taylor (knee) is “trending” in a good direction, despite being questionable. Hall was limited early in the week by a knee injury. Other injuries include linebacker Cam Jones (hip), running back Kene Nwangwu (concussion), tight ends Stone Smart (quad) and Mason Taylor (quad) and former Bengals defensive lineman Jay Tufele (knee).
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