Could you imagine the Bengals traveling to play in Seattle last year, and walking into the game as the favorite? Impossible. But this is a new year and a new Bengals team.
Cincinnati is 4-2 on the season and they look to be one of the emerging forces in the AFC, while the Seahawks continue to play terrible football in hopes of drafting a franchise pivot this offseason.
So how on earth are the Bengals just 2.5 point favorites walking into this game? Well that is a great question that we will at least try to explain, however difficult that may be.
The biggest factor in Seattle hosting a game is not their potent offensive attack, nor their staunch defence. Rather it is the fans. The 12th man in Seattle is known for causing numerous false starts from opposing offensive line’s, and generally making life increasingly difficult on the visiting team.
It is unclear at this point if Tarvaris Jackson or Charlie Whitehurst will be under center for the ‘Hawks, as Jackson continues to recover from a pectoral injury that held him out of action last week. Either way, Seattle offers little in the way of offensive attack. Marshawn Lynch is also banged up this week, although he expects to play against the Bengals.
Whoever is under center will have the honor of throwing the ball down the field to a group that includes Doug Baldwin, Mike Williams and Ben Obamanu. Not exactly an inspiring group. Sidney Rice’s return briefly energized Seattle’s offense, but even he couldn’t contribute much in an abysmal 6-3 loss in Cleveland.
The one part of the field that Seattle is actually respectable is their run defense. They are allowing just 3.3 yards per carry, and they could give Cedric Benson and co. a long day between the tackles. Now that they have rid themselves of Aaron Curry, their largely anonymous defense is stepping up in a big way. Aside from safety Earl Thomas, the average fan would be hard pressed to name a member of their defensive core.
So what will the Bengals do to counter Seattle’s impotent attack and staunch defense? Well, it will be interesting to see how the rookie combination of Andy Dalton and AJ Green do against the loud crowd in the Pacific Northwest. Dalton has been impressive thus far in his first few games as an effective game manager, with a respectable 7/5 TD/INT ratio, and a solid 84.3 QB rating. Additionally, he has shown the ability to make game-changing plays downfield, particularly to AJ Green.
Green is one of the most game-ready receivers to come into the league in years. Despite being the only downfield threat, he has racked up 453 yards receving thus far this year, good for a solid 75 yard per game average, including four scores.
But the most impressive part of the Bengals this year, and will be for years to come, is their defense. They have studs all over the field, with Michael Johnson and Carlos Dunlop coming off the edges, Nate Clements and Leon Hall locking it down on the corners, and Reggie Nelson pinching in to fill the box and stuff the run. These aren’t household names, but they are getting the job done.
The Bengals have the second best overall defense in the league, ranking just behind the Ravens and allowing a paltry 278.5 yards per game. Seattle struggles to get the ball down the field as is, and with pressure coming from all over the field, the Cincy D has no intention of making life easy on them this week.
So let us revisit the question from the top. How on earth are the 4-2 Bengals, armed with an emerging rookie QB-WR duo and one of the best defense’s in the league, just a 2.5 point favorite against the pathetic Seahawks?
Well that is still a good question at this point. It appears as if Pete Carroll is gearing up for the draft where he will hope for one of Landry Jones or Matt Barkley to fall into his lap, and everything until then is just going through the motions.
Take Bengals to cover the three, and if the line moves to ten somehow, it would still be a good play. Would you dare bet against the power of the ginger?
