Today’s game
Seattle Seahawks (2-2) at Cincinnati Bengals (4-0)
When: 1 p.m.
Where: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati
TV: Ch. 19, 45
Radio: 700-AM, 1530-AM, 102.7-FM, 104.7-FM
One of the reasons the Cincinnati Bengals offense has ascended to a No. 2 league ranking a quarter of the way through the season has been its ability to hit the big plays.
The Bengals have hit 16 plays of 27 yards or longer, 10 in the last two games. Fifteen of the 16 have been passes, which is why quarterback Andy Dalton leads the NFL with an average of 11.2 yards per attempt.
And eight of the 16 chunk plays have come on first down, which is another category in which the Bengals sit atop the NFL, averaging 7.4 yards per play on first down.
But today’s opponent, the Seattle Seahawks, brings the league’s second-ranked defense to Paul Brown Stadium. And one of reasons Seattle is so good is its ability to prevent big plays.
The Seahawks have allowed six plays of 27 yards or more this year, and none in the two games since safety Kam Chancellor returned from a contract holdout. In fact, the Seahawks have allowed six such plays in the last 12 regular-season games with strong safety Chancellor on the field.
“Anytime you can hit a play like that, it’s big regardless of who you’re playing,” Dalton said. “There’s times when you may not have chances to throw the ball down the field and when you get that chance, you’ve got to make that play.”
The Bengals have shown a knack for doing that, and the production is coming from all corners. Eight players, including backup tackle Jake Fisher, have contributed to 16 gains of at least 27 yards this year — A.J. Green (five), Marvin Jones (three), Mohamed Sanu (two), Tyler Eifert (two), Giovani Bernard, Brandon Tate, Rex Burkhead and Fisher.
“We have those kind of players,” offensive coordinator Hue Jackson said. “We have guys who can make special plays. My challenge to them is always, we need to make them. I’d rather have one play and sit down and drink water than have (a 10-play drive).
“But sometimes defenses take certain things away and we have to grind it out,” Jackson said. “I don’t know how it’s going to unfold (today). But I know we’re playing against a really, really good defensive football team that’s well coached and has a lot of great players and it’s going to be a tremendous challenge.”
In the two games with Chancellor back, the Seahawks have allowed an average of 201 yards per game and have not allowed an offensive touchdown.
But the Bengals shouldn’t need to approach their season average of 30.3 points and 422 yards to have a chance to win and move to 5-0 for the first time since 1988. The Seattle offense will be without Pro Bowl running back Marshawn Lynch, and the offensive line has allowed more sacks per pass attempt than any team in the league. And as good as the defense is, it still doesn’t have an interception.
“I think if we do what we’re supposed to do, hopefully it will be good enough,” Jackson said. “We can’t ask them to do any more than that. Superman’s not walking out there on the field for us. Who we are is who we are, and that’s the way we’re going to play.”
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