There usually are some wonderful matchups on any given NFL weekend. Week 5 has already seen the Rams lose to the Seahawks in a thriller. Coming up Sunday are the Packers at Cowboys and Colts at Chiefs.There’s a sexy Monday nighter, too, as the hyped Browns meet the undefeated 49ers.
And then, there is the Cardinals-Bengals battle. Teams that bring a combined 0-7-1 mark into the game in Cincinnati, having earned their marks through some awful play. The game is a regional broadcast for a few states, which may turn out to be a blessing. Cincinnati is between a three- and four-point favorite.
Looking at the matchup of cellar dwellers in the NFC West and AFC North:
Coaches
Zac Taylor has made it to a Super Bowl, as part of Sean McVay’s staff with the Los Angeles Ram. Kliff Kingsbury won a Holiday Bowl at Texas Tech, and lost in the Texas and Birmingham bowls. He also has proven he can lose to a team that has Kyler Murray at QB and with one that has Kyler Murray on the team he is coaching. Advantage: None
Offense
The Cardinals’ Air Raid attack is averaging 326 yards per game, which ranks 23rd in the NFL. They are 25th in scoring at 18.5 ppg. They have 937 yards passing with 4 TDs and 4 INTs. On the other side, Andy Dalton and his Bengals are 27th at 306.2 total yards. The Cincy offense has been hampered by the loss of elite WR A.J. Green. It will also be missing WR John Ross, who finally was living up to the ninth overall pick hopes the Bengals had for him when they took him out of Washington in 2017. Cincy ranks 30th in the league in scoring at 14.2 ppg. The Cardinals have allowed Murray to be sacked 20 times; the Bengals’ QB has been taken down 19 times While the game is in Cincinnati, Arizona appears to have somewhat more firepower. Advantage: Cardinals
Defense
Predictably, neither team has had a ton of success when facing opposing offenses. Cincy’s defense ranks 26th overall; Arizona is 27th. The Cardinals’ secondary already has been scorched for 10 TD passes. The Bengals are not far behind, having been victimized eight times. Arizona, which has not intercepted a pass, is allowing 271 yards through the air compared to the Bengals’ 243. Cincinnati does have a pair of picks. The Cardinals hold a significant edge in sacks, 11-5, with Terrell Suggs and Chandler Jones combing for 6.5. Advantage: Cardinals
Opponents
The opposition for Arizona has a combined 10-6-1 mark thus far in 2019. The mark gets a considerable boost from the Seahawks, who defeated the Cardinals 27-10 in Week 4, and are 4-1. As for Cincinnati, its foes are 11-5. The teams do have Seattle as a common opponent, with the Bengals losing on the road 21-20 in their opener. Advantage: None
Special teams
One key name on the injury report is Arizona punter Andy Lee, who is questionable with a hurting hip. Lee missed Sunday’s loss to Seattle so Ryan Winslow punted and had three boots for a 47-yard average. Zane Gonzalez has been solid. Randy Bullock has missed two of his seven field-goal attempts for Cincinnati. Advantage: None
Possible wins
If Cincinnati does not win here, there are two targets that appear to give it an opportunity for victory. The Bengals play host to the Jets on Dec. 1 and journey to Miami for a Dec. 22 matchup with the dismal Dolphins. On the Arizona side, the Cardinals have the Falcons and Giants upcoming after Cincinnati. No gimmes but they have a chance.
The last time
So much has changed since these teams last met. The game was in 2015 and Arizona came away with a 34-31 victory. It doesn’t mean much since both teams have new coaches and were in considerably different spaces entering and leaving that game. The Bengals and Cardinals both exited that one 8-2, respectively. They combined for 25 victories that season. They won’t be hard-pressed to combine for 25 losses in 2019.
