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The
Bleacher Report
Keys to a
Bengals win
CINCINNATI- Cincinnati’s’ losing streak has reached four games, and the
Bengals have reached near must-win mode. A loss this weekend will force
Cincinnati to win-out if it wants to have a realistic chance at making
the playoffs.
Of course, a win this week is much easier said than done. All the New
York Giants, the Bengals' next opponent, have done in the past 12
months is win the Super Bowl and get off to a start this season worthy
of another championship run.
To pick up a win, the Bengals will have to play much better than they
have over the past five weeks. Let’s take a look at the 10 keys to a
victory.
1. Get off to a better start
The Bengals trailed Denver 10-3 at halftime last week and 17-3 after
the opening kickoff in the third.
Slow starts have been the norm for Cincinnati during their losing
streak. Even when the Bengals were winning, they still seemed to take a
few possessions to get going.
Against the world champs, the Bengals will have to do better.
2. Channel their inner Mariano Rivera
As bad as the Bengals start was against Denver, they still held the
lead in the fourth quarter, albeit briefly.
In fact, the Bengals have held fourth-quarter leads in three of their
four games during the losing streak—a disturbing trend. Close out those
games, and Cincinnati could realistically be 6-2.
3. Pressure Eli Manning
The Bengals get their second shot at a Manning brother in as many
weeks, and unfortunately for them, it isn’t Cooper.
Eli Manning is just as accomplished as big brother Peyton, and he's
equally capable of shredding a defense. The Bengals failed to put any
heat on Peyton last week and will need to do so this week against Eli
if they want to have a chance.
4. The secondary must come up big
Manning is one of the best quarterbacks in the league at picking up a
blitz. As a result, the secondary must be on its game.
Terrence Newman intercepted Peyton Manning twice last week, but when it
counted, Peyton torched the beleaguered Bengals secondary to pull out
the win. They cannot have a repeat this week.
5. Protect Andy Dalton
On the other side of the ball, the Bengals will need to keep their own
quarterback upright against a vicious Giants pass rush.
The offensive line has actually done a decent job this season of
protecting Dalton, but it will have to up its game against New York.
Dalton has struggled enough without having to run for his life.
6. Andy Dalton must play better
Of course, Dalton still needs to make better decisions and be more
patient in the pocket.
One of Dalton’s strengths is his ability to get rid of the football,
but it has been somewhat of a detriment this season. He’s getting rid
of the ball too soon and not giving his receivers a chance.
Read the rest of the article at Bleacher Report
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