The Cincinnati Bengals undergo a homecoming of sorts in Week 6 against the New Orleans Saints.
That’s a big return to the Louisiana area for Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase. But it’s also a return for former Saints-turned-Bengals like Trey Hendrickson, Eli Apple and Vonn Bell.
Given that it’s a rather unorthodox matchup between teams from different conferences, it’s a little harder to project than most games.
That’s especially the case with both teams at 2-3 and performing all over the place, never mind injury woes.
Such a theme in mind, here’s a look at key players and storylines to watch before kickoff.
The returning heroes
Joe Burrow’s looking forward to the return to the Dome and who could blame him? The last major time he was there he lit up the now-famous cigar after winning a title. He and Chase, among others, should receive a very warm welcome and they’re more than accustomed to the locale. It feels like a good time for the pair and offense as a whole to get all the way back on track considering the Saints allow 25.6 points per game.
The revenge tour
On the other hand, Vonn Bell and Eli Apple are looking forward to a revenge game against the Saints. And besides the little extra motivation, it’s more than that — Apple has been very sound on the boundary again this year and Bell just keeps making major turnover plays. If they can combine to work that magic again, it should give the offense a big cushion to put up a big lead.
Tyler Boyd
Zac Taylor says one of the keys to fixing the offense is better feeding Tyler Boyd. Makes sense — this is Boyd’s lowest usage rate so far since his first two seasons. If he gets more chances we already know he’ll contribute, so he could end up being the x-factor as the Saints sell out to stop Chase.
Injured Saints
The Saints remain pretty mum on whether it will be Jameis Winston or old friend Andy Dalton under center. Winston has thrown just four touchdowns and five picks so far, but he’s always been that guy who can put up major numbers on a whim. The Bengals would probably prefer to see Dalton. Rookie Chris Olave, the 11th pick this year and Saints’ leading receiver, has been dealing with an issue too and it’s something to monitor all game.
The play-calling
It all sort of comes down to this and is an extension of overall installs and proper preparation. Bengals coaches have been inadequate so far at helping the talent counter Cover 2 looks. They’ve suffered from self-inflicted wounds like overthinking and-short scenarios with trick plays. And they’ve done the same with say, moving Ja’Marr Chase to the slot too often, completely removing Tyler Boyd from the game. Whether the situational and schematic choices in the heat of the moment have improved or not could decide this one, barring Burrow and Co. overcoming poor decisions from the coaches.
