KICKOFF: Today at noon, Paul Brown Stadium
Game can be heard on Good Time Oldies 1060 with Pre-Game Show at 11:30.
SERIES HISTORY: 11th regular-season meeting. Bengals lead series,
6-4, including wins in two of the past three meetings. The Panthers
are the only current NFL franchise the Bengals have played fewer
times. The Bears won the most recent meeting, 24-21 at Soldier
Field in 2013.
KEYS TO THE GAME: The Bears need to do what they should have been
able to do last week: run the ball out of two-tight-end formations.
It should work against a Bengals defense ranked 28th against the
run.
The Bengals have given up the second-most rushing attempts (369)
because offenses know they can't stop the run. Of course, the worst
team in this regard is San Francisco, and the Bears couldn't
sustain a running attack against the 49ers last week. But they need
to vary their running game and run more inside rather than punching
the outside zone button every time, as they've been doing.
Running Jordan Howard out of the shotgun on the inside is something
they can do to keep Bengals defensive tackle Geno Atkins from being
overly occupied with his pass rush. They will need to use
play-action passing, move Mitchell Trubisky around to avoid the
rush, and run it with authority.
Defensively, the Bears' pass rush needs to be strong up the middle
and come right at Andy Dalton. He's not a good passer outside on
the run unless on a planned bootleg. If defensive linemen Eddie
Goldman and Akiem Hicks can cave the pocket from the middle, it
will make the Bears' absence of outside pass rushers less important.
Cincinnati's running game isn't much to worry about, ranking 30th
in the league and rookie talent Joe Mixon is out (concussion),.
Another game in the lineup for linebacker Danny Trevathan as he
bounces back from a calf injury should help address any leaking
they had against the run last week.
The Bengals are banged up following a tough 23-20 loss to the
Steelers on Monday night. They dodged a bullet when safety George
Iloka's suspension was overturned, but they have six players listed
as out, including hyperactive linebacker Vontaze Burfict.
Cincinnati's defense needs to make Trubisky uncomfortable, and that
would be easier if Howard were kept under control. This could be a
low-scoring affair, which would favor the Bengals' defense.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
--Bengals LT Cedric Ogbuehi vs. Bears DE Akiem Hicks. Hicks has
seven sacks through 12 games. Ogbuehi has graded better in recent
weeks as the offensive line has steadily improved.
--Bears WR Dontrelle Inman vs. Bengals CB William Jackson III. Adam
Jones has a groin injury and Darqueze Dennard a knee injury, so
it's likely Jackson will be playing outside on Inman. The Bears
absolutely have to get the ball down the field to have a chance to
open up the rest of their offense, and Inman is really their only
threat, beyond running back Tarik Cohen, to make a catch downfield.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: Bears TE Adam Shaheen. The rookie second-round
draft pick had only nine plays on the field last week and is
potentially a strong blocker, but still has to develop after coming
out of Division II. The Bears have to get the running game going
this week, so Shaheen should get more snaps and have an impact
blocking the run, if not as a receiver in the short passing game or
on bootleg passes. Shaheen has rarely shown the speed general
manager Ryan Pace claimed he had after the draft. At 6-foot-6, his
biggest contribution was expected to be in the red zone. But with
the Bears last in the league at reaching the red zone (1.8 times a
game), Shaheen hasn't exactly had numerous opportunities to display
this strength.
FAST FACTS: Chicago RB Jordan Howard has 275 rushing yards in his
past three road games. He is aiming for a third straight game vs.
the AFC with 100 rushing yards. ... Rookie RB Tarik Cohen returned
a punt 61 yards for a TD last week. He is the first player since
Terry Metcalf (1975) and first rookie since former Bear Gale Sayers
(1965) with scores via punt, run, reception and pass in a season.
... DE Akiem Hicks has a sack in two of the past three on the road.
... LB Christian Jones leads the team with 82 tackles. He tied a
career-high with 13 last week. ... LB Danny Trevathan aims for a
third straight game with at least 11 tackles. In two career games
vs. Cincy, he has 18 tackles and a sack. ... CB Kyle Fuller is tied
for third in the NFC with 13 passes defensed. He recorded his first
interception of the season in Week 13. ... In his past six games,
Cincinnati QB Andy Dalton has thrown 11 TD passes and zero
interceptions, begetting a 103.1 rating. ... RB Joe Mixon has run
for a TD in three of the past five games. He ranks fifth among NFL
rookies with 784 scrimmage yards. ... RB Giovani Bernard had 96
scrimmage yards in Week 13. In his past seven home games vs. the
NFC, he has 726 scrimmage yards and four rushing TDs. ... WR A.J.
Green caught two TD passes last week, his sixth career multi-TD
game. He is tied for fourth in the NFL with eight TD catches. ...
DT Geno Atkins has 7.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss in his past
eight home games. ... DE Carlos Dunlap had a sack in Week 13 and
has 3.5 sacks in his past three games. His 62.5 sacks are the most
in franchise history.
