The Bills return to the Ralph this week as the 5-0 Cincinnati Bengals make their way to town. This week’s game is important for the Bills in many ways, and it’s a game that they will head into at less than full strength.
Sammy Watkins and LeSean McCoy’s returns remain in question, with Sammy’s return a little more promising than Shady’s. On top of the potential absence of 2 of Buffalo’s best offensive weapons, rookie RB Karlos Williams remains in the league’s concussion protocol, and news broke earlier this week that QB Tyrod Taylor is questionable for Sunday’s game with a sprained MCL; an injury that could potentially cause him to miss multiple games.
Furthermore, to make matters worse, the Bills announced today that the team has placed safety Aaron Williams on Injured Reserve with the designation to return.
Of all of the injury woes at One Bills Drive, the biggest of them all is the injury to Tyrod Taylor. If it weren’t for Tyrod’s takeover in Nashville, this Bills team would have their backs against the wall at 2-3 as they go into a game against a team with a high powered offense. To win this game, the Bills are going to have to put up a decent amount of points.
But what else will it take? I was fortunate enough to be able to pick the brain of one of my favorite follows on Twitter, @JoeGoodberry. Joe is a self explained fanalyst of the Cincinnati Bengals, and if you want to know exactly what the Bills are up against this week, I suggest giving him a follow on the Twitter machine. Or you can read our brief conversation below. Hope you enjoy. (Italics is Sean)
1) Joe, first of all, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer a few questions for us. Your Bengals are off to a great start this season. What has been the biggest difference thus far with this Bengals team in comparison to last year’s?
The obvious difference has been the play of quarterback Andy Dalton and the success of the entire offense as a result. He’s currently enjoying the best stretch of football in his career. Dalton is throwing more accurately and confidently than he ever has and I think it’s a direct result of the returns or Tyler Eifert, Marvin Jones and Gio Bernard. This offense is loaded. It should play well.
2) Speaking of Dalton, according to John Clayton, Andy is getting the ball out of his hands quicker than any QB not named Tom Brady this year, which has proved to be a desirable game plan against the Bills defense. What has changed in the Bengals offense that has Dalton getting the ball out quickly and efficiently? Is he getting better at making his reads quickly? What do you see on film?
The truth is, Dalton has always gotten the ball out quickly and usually ranks within the top 5 in time to throw. Now, he’s recognizing coverages presnap better than before and it’s helping him get it out even faster. I know that’s how Tom Brady kept the Bills’ pass rush at bay, and I expect the Bengals to do the same. They really do a good job of keeping their QB free of pressure and one of the ways is by getting the ball out very quickly.
3) This Bengals team is coming off a really good win against the Seahawks, who we know prides themselves on the play they get from their secondary. It won’t get too much easier this week as they now face one of the best corner tandems in the league in Gilmore and Darby. How do you expect the Bengals offense to attack the Buffalo defense knowing that the Bills have a couple of really good corners out there?
You won’t find a bigger Gilmore and Darby fan than me, and they’re playing great. You even have to like Buffalo’s depth with Robey and McKelvin. I expect the Bengals to attack the nickel spot. They’ll move Green into the slot and try to get Buffalo’s nickel CB to cover him there. They’ll also use Eifert to attack the LBs and Safeties. They’ll even split him out wide and try to get a CB to follow him wide and leave another defender on a WR. They’ll pick their spots, but they’re confident in the ball skills of their receivers and as soon as they see man coverage, they’ll take their shots deep.
4) Statistically this Bengals defense is in the middle of the pack when it comes to yards allowed per game, but we know those stats can be skewed this early in the season. They’re obviously doing something right as they held Russel Wilson to an average day. I bring him up because he’s the only “mobile” quarterback the Bengals have faced this year, and they did a great job containing him. What made the Bengals successful against Wilson this past Sunday?
They definitely focused on keeping Wilson contained. So much so that they left running lanes wide open. Their defensive line is athletic and their ends are tall/long. That helps when containing a QB that likes to get out of the pocket.
Cincinnati plays mostly zone coverage and they try to lengthen the decision making process of the QB in order to give them time to rush with their front four. If the rush doesn’t get home, things can start to break down on the back end. QBs who can extend plays can be very dangerous for Cincinnati.
5) Those running lanes definitely lead to a big day for Thomas Rawls, but as you may know, the Bills are extremely banged up at the RB position. If Karlos Williams is out this week and the Bills become a pass first attack, how much does that favor the Bengals defensively?
The Bengals would rather you spread them out and try to pass the football. They’re at their best in Nickel. The have good depth in the secondary and defensive line, but don’t have the talent at LB with Vontaze Burfict on the PUP. So anytime they can take a LB off the field and add a CB, they’re making themselves better.
6) If the reports about Tyrod missing multiple weeks are true, and EJ Manuel ends up starting for Buffalo, that would be a huge development needless to say. With Manuel’s lack of the big play ability via the use of his legs, what would the Bills need to do to be successful against the Bengals defense?
The Bills would need to control the clock, control the line of scrimmage with the run game and take shots after play-action. If you can get the LBs to play closer to the line, there’ll be a void between the safeties because the Bengals try to take away everything deep. This is where you’d want to hit them with Charles Clay or Hogan down the seam.
7) What matchup are you looking forward to the most this Sunday?
Two of my favorite players in the league will go at it and I hope Buffalo decides to have Stephon Gilmore shadow AJ Green all over the field. Both are playing at an All-Pro level and are in the prime of their careers. These are the matchups that are fun regardless of the score.
8) Lastly, I have a 2 part question for you. We all know about AJ Green and the other notable weapons the Bengals have, but if you could give us a sleeper x-factor for Sunday’s game, who would it be. Also, what is your prediction for Sunday’s outcome?
I still feel like Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu are relatively unknowns for the casual fans and I expect both to make an impact. Also, many haven’t had the chance to watch Tyler Eifert, but he’s already one of the best tight ends in the NFL.
I can dig deeper and say a player like Rex Burkhead will make a big play for the Bengals. He’s a RB/WR and the Bengals like to use him to confuse defenses. If they treat him as a RB, they’ll send him out for a pass with a LB on him. If the defense treats him as a WR, they can run it with Burkhead and force your extra CB to play the run. He’s a fun player to watch and fumbled away a big touchdown last week vs Seattle. I expect them to show their faith and get Burkhead involved. I think the Bengals win 27-17. If Tyrod Taylor plays, I’d expect it to be a little closer.
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