The Cincinnati Bengals don’t have an easy task in front of them before the bye week with the Carolina Panthers in town.
But the 2-6 record the Panthers bring to the showdown is a little misleading. The team made a change at head coach after the 1-4 start and have since looked more competitive.
More important to the challenge Sunday is the overall health of the Bengals roster with so many big names listed as out on the final injury report. That includes Ja’Marr Chase and Chidobe Awuzie, plus a surprise like Mike Hilton.
As such, here’s a look at important players and storylines to watch.
La'el Collins
Offensive tackle play has been terrible for the Bengals so far this year. And instead of hoping it gets better at both spots, the Bengals now have to worry about Collins on the right side after he missed a bunch of practice this week with an illness and is questionable for the game. It seems likely Collins will play, but how well that right side of the line holds up is in question.
Cornerbacks
So the Bengals are down Awuzie, their top corner. Backup Tre Flowers is hurting. Eli Apple will play but missed last week with a nagging issue. Slot starter Mike Hilton is out with a finger injury. And rookies Cam Taylor-Britt and Dax Hill botch got torched badly in spot duty last week. No matter who starts under center, the Panthers will undoubtedly attack a suffering position as the Bengals eye the bye.
Running backs
Does anything change at running back with coaches not thrilled with Joe Mixon in pass protection? Does Samaje Perine see more reps? Or do the Bengals change their admitted low usage of Chris Evans? With Chase out of the passing attack, how the coaches elect to use these players in the backfield could decide the game.
Depth
The injury concerns aren’t just at cornerback. Wideout depth has been a noted point of problem for the Bengals as coaches value special teams versatility over all else. So while Stanley Morgan is back and guys like Trent Taylor know the offense, that doesn’t mean they’ll get separation fast enough to make a difference. And the team will also need another big game from the likes of defensive tackles Zach Carter and Jay Tufele with both DJ Reader and Josh Tupou out.
Backup QBs
The Bengals oddly struggle against backups and mid-tier quarterbacks rather consistently. That trend could continue in Week 9 when they face P.J. Walker. He outdueled Tom Brady to beat the Bucs recently and would have led a game-winning drive last week had his wideout not committed an unsportsmanlike penalty that led to a missed extra point. A depleted defense now has to trump the team’s weird history against non-starting-caliber passers or the season could be lost.
Season on the line, part...two?
The Bengals can’t afford to go into the bye with a losing record after already sitting at 0-3 in the AFC North. One would think the team would have shown urgency against the Browns on primetime last week, yet that simply wasn’t the case. One would have also thought the team would have taken advantage of teams led by the likes of Mitchell Trubisky earlier this season. Alas, the Bengals get one more chance in a do-or-die situation to show some serious fight against a beatable team. Going into the bye with a winning record before a tough winter is much better than feeling like the season is lost.
