A clash of winless football teams will commence this Sunday with the Arizona Cardinals (0-3-1) traveling to take on the Cincinnati Bengals (0-4). Both teams are coming off embarrassing losses to division rivals and will look to get back on track.
For the Cardinals, a loss here would be brutal. There was a ton of anger towards the front office via the fanbase following Arizona’s loss to the Seahawks. One can only imagine what the headlines will read if the Cardinals fail to beat the Bengals.
A win here would give a bit of hope, as the Cardinals have a favorable schedule in the coming weeks. They will host the struggling Atlanta Falcons and travel to play the New York Giants. The team has shown flashes, particularly against Detroit and Baltimore. It’s time to put it all together.
Here is your Week 5 preview:
A Tale of injuries
Both the Cardinals and the Bengals will be sending out what appears to be a fraction of their rosters come Sunday.
For the Cardinals, they will be without WR Christian Kirk, LB Dennis Gardeck, and RT Jordan Mills to pair with some key players who are listed as questionable. Terrell Suggs, Justin Pugh, Damiere Byrd, and Tramaine Brock are all in question to play Sunday.
The Bengals placed WR John Ross on IR earlier this week. Ross was off to a good start and was finally looking like the first-round pick who set a record with his 40-yard dash two years ago. Cincinnati will also be without starting LT Cordy Glenn.
The biggest story is that star WR A.J. Green will not play after suffering an ankle injury late in the offseason. He certainly would have given the Cardinals struggling pass defense troubles, as he is still among the best in the league.
Let’s take a look at the Cincinnati Bengals on paper.
The Bengals offense
The Bengals offense is headlined by RB Joe Mixon, who has struggled mightily behind a porous offensive line to start the season. Mixon certainly possesses the talent to turn it around, as he was the AFC’s leading rusher in 2018. The Bengals offense was shut down on Monday night once the Pittsburgh Steelers took Mixon out of the game, which is what the Cardinals will look to replicate. Quarterback Andy Dalton was consistently forced into long passing situations behind a weak offensive line and a banged-up receiving corps. As a result, the Pittsburgh defense racked up eight sacks. Chandler Jones and (possibly) Terrell Suggs must disrupt the passing game early and often.
The biggest story for the Cardinals on defense has been the inability to cover TEs. The Bengals have a good one of their own in Tyler Eifert, who was once one of the best tight ends in football. Eifert was limited to 21 snaps against the Steelers, which is questionable. He was targeted in the red zone twice, which is where the Cardinals have had particular troubles against TEs.
The Bengals have a good receiving trio in A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd, and John Ross. However, the group has failed to stay healthy, leaving Boyd as the only one left. Boyd is a very good receiver who is coming off a 1,000-yard campaign in 2018. The Cardinals will need another big game from rookie CB Byron Murphy, who posted an 80.1 PFF grade against Seattle.
The Bengals defense
The Bengals have struggled in their own right on defense, giving up an average of 27.5 points a game and 143 rush yards per game. The secondary’s struggles were put on full display on Monday, allowing QB Mason Rudolph to throw for 229 yards and two touchdowns.
The Bengals still have All-Pro DT Geno Atkins and two-time Pro Bowl DE Carlos Dunlap in the trenches, which does not sound good for Arizona’s offensive line. Look for the Cardinals to work around Atkins and attack the edges of the Bengals’ line and open up passing lanes to attack the weak secondary.
The Cardinals have to be expecting a big game out of David Johnson, who had a fantastic receiving game against Seattle. They’ll need him to get going to avoid long passing downs for Kyler Murray.
Final thoughts
The Cardinals will be trying out the Thompson duo at the safety position after the release of D.J. Swearinger. The rookies will be tasked with arguably the team’s biggest weakness- covering tight ends. We’ll see how the duo fares against Tyler Eifert.
David Johnson has to get going on the ground attack. It’s very possible we see more of both Chase Edmunds and Johnson on the field together, as it proved to be rather effective against the Seahawks. Given the injuries at wide receiver, the Cardinals would be smart to rely on the ground attack.
Could this be a game in which Kyler Murray dominates? Some(especially fantasy football fans) are expecting it. Murray is indeed playing a weak secondary, but has a limited receiving core to work with. We’ll see if it comes to light on Sunday.
The Cardinals desperately need this victory.
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