The Bengals (0-3) face what most would consider a “must-win” game at Carolina (1-2) on Sunday in a game that pits the Bengals against their old quarterback before Burrow arrived in 2020. It’s a test for a Cincinnati defense that has been wildly inconsistent through three games.
Here are five things to know going into the game:
1. Familiar foe
The Panthers benched 2023 No. 1 overall draft pick Bryce Young after opening 0-2, and Andy Dalton led them to a 36-22 win over the Las Vegas Raiders last week, throwing for 319 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. His top receiver in that game, Adam Thielen, is now out with a hamstring injury.
Dalton was 70-61-2 in nine seasons with the Bengals after they selected him in the second round of the 2011 draft, helping them to playoff appearances in his first five seasons. Cincinnati endured four straight losing seasons after that and moved on with Burrow as the No. 1 overall pick in 2020.
Since then, Dalton is 2-1 against the Bengals, including wins with the Cowboys (2020) and Bears (2021). He suffered a knee injury late in the second quarter of that 2021 matchup, after he had given Chicago a 7-0 lead while completing 9 of 11 passes for 56 yards and a touchdown. Dalton’s loss against Cincinnati came in 2022 with the Saints when the Bengals held him to 162 yards and one touchdown.
“He’s a veteran quarterback, he gets the ball out on time, he’s gonna get it to the guys that can makes plays,” Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said. “It starts with Diontae Johnson. It was Adam Thielen before he got injured. They’ve got two good running backs. I think those are the guys we gotta focus on. Andy’s been doing this for a long time. He knows where to go with the ball, he’s not gonna hold it. I just think it allows them to play at a level of efficiency at this point.”
Johnson is listed as questionable with a groin injury.
2. Eyes still on the D-line
The Bengals aren’t making excuses for their defensive woes, but injuries impacting the defensive line means some of the top personnel aren’t available, and they need more from the back of the depth chart.
Defensive tackles B.J. Hill and Sheldon Rankins missed the Week 3 game against Washington after injuring hamstrings the game prior at Kansas City, and Hill is doubtful, but Rankins has been declared out for Sunday. Meanwhile, fellow defensive tackle Kris Jenkins is playing through a surgically repaired thumb injury, and defensive end Sam Hubbard is playing through a hamstring injury. Myles Murphy remains on injured reserve at least through this game, and Cam Sample is out for the year with a torn Achilles.
Cincinnati hasn’t been able to get pressure on the quarterback, outside of what Trey Hendrickson has managed with 3.0 sacks and six quarterback hits, but that remains a focus to improve.
“First we’ve got to stop the run,” Hubbard said. “We’ve got to put ourselves in third and long situations where we get an opportunity to pin our ears back. Once we get that and get a lead then we get to tee off. That’s the formula for rushing the passer.”
3. Mims ready at right tackle
Amarius Mims stepped in for Trent Brown at right tackle when he went down in the second quarter Monday, and now the rookie first-round draft pick steps in as the full-time starter. He said he could have done better in his debut, coming back from a pectoral muscle strain that sidelined him in preseason, but Burrow and Taylor have praised his willingness to learn from mistakes and make corrections, so the expectation is for a cleaner second game.
“We actually had a role in mind for him in the game before we lost Trent and so that very quickly switched on a dime to now you’re the guy, but he did a good job preparing himself last week and he was ready,” offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said. “It wasn’t like we felt like we couldn’t call things because he was in the game. We just picked right up and rolled.”
The Panthers have 5.0 sacks over three games, led by Jayden Peevy’s 1.5 sacks. Jadeveon Clowney, who the Bengals have faced often as a former Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns edge rusher in recent years, adds one sack and notably had the hit on Burrow last year when Burrow injured his wrist at Baltimore.
4. Run game quietly taking off
The Bengals running game quietly took a step forward last week, but perhaps didn’t draw a lot of attention with the production being split between Zack Moss and Chase Brown. They combined for 120 yards rushing, as Cincinnati topped 100 yards rushing for the first time this season. Moss led with 12 carries for 58 yards and a touchdown and added 39 yards receiving on five catches, while Brown had a team-high 62 yards rushing on seven carries.
Carolina ranks 28th in run defense, allowing an average of 151 yards rushing, so perhaps Cincinnati can take advantage of what other teams have exposed as a weakness.
“I’d like to hand it off even more than we did,” Pitcher said of the run game. “Just the situation of the game dictated, we’re throwing the ball, too. So, I think our plans have been really sound. I think our guys have a lot of confidence in them, and I think the backs are running hard. You saw it with Chase’s speed showing up. You saw Zack’s elusiveness and difficult to bring to the ground-ness, if that’s a thing. So, we’ve got to build off it. We didn’t run for 300 yards but we were pretty efficient every time we handed the ball off, and we got some explosives or chunks. You’d like one of those chunks to turn into 50. That’s the next step, but we’ll get there. And I like the direction we’re going.”
5. Other injuries of note
Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase showed up on the injury report Wednesday with a shoulder injury, but he was a full participant by Thursday and is good to go, noting Thursday that he feels “great.” Safety Daijahn Anthony popped up with an illness Friday that has him questionable, and tight end Tanner Hudson remains questionable with a knee injury.
For the Panthers, right guard Robert Hunt (hip) and starting defensive end A’Shawn Robinson (knee) are both questionable in addition to Diontae Johnson. Defensive tackle Shy Tuttle (foot), backup safety Lonnie Johnson (hip) and left guard Damien Lewis (elbow) are all out.
SUNDAY’S GAME
Bengals at Panthers, 1 p.m., FOX, 1530, 102.7, 104.7
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