Bears vs. Bengals Prediction: Can Bears handle business in Cincy? |
Dustin Riese
· · 7 hours ago
It's hard to believe that we are in week nine of the NFL season, as this marks the official halfway point in the campaign. Yet, here we are as the NFL season continues to unfold, reaching a point where you start discussing the playoffs and begin to assess the playoff picture.
While the Bears haven't been to the playoffs in a long time, they are entering this week's matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals sitting at 4-3 and right in the thick of things in the NFC. Chicago is also in the midst of a winnable stretch of games, and now is the time for the Bears to go on a nice run, proving once and for all that this isn't the same old Bears team we have become accustomed to. After falling to the Ravens in a rather ugly showing last week, the Bears are back on the road for week nine as they get set to take on another AFC North foe in Cincinnati. Like the Bears, the Bengals have dealt with numerous injuries this season. Still, the loss of Joe Burrow for the season has taken the Bengals from being a legitimate playoff team to now being a question mark of whether they will have a winning season. This has all the makings of a trap game as the Bengals possess one of the league's worst defenses, but can still put up points with the best of them. For the Bears to win, they are going to need to score just as much as figure out a way to contain the Bengals' offense. Here are some key points to consider and a prediction ahead of Bears-Bengals:
Not knowing who the opposition's starting quarterback is going to be is nothing new for the Bears, as they came into last week's game unsure whether Lamar Jackson or Tyler Huntley would be the one. This week, it's the same story: Joe Flacco remains a massive question mark for Sunday, and if he's unable to play, Jake Browning takes over from there. Neither one of these guys can bring to the table what Burrow can bring to this team, but as we have seen through three games, Flacco is more than capable of leading the Bengals to a victory. From all accounts, Flacco is expected to be good to go, so the Bears will proceed with their business, anticipating his participation. They do need to prepare for Browning as well, though, as he plays a much different style of game than Flacco does. Update: Flacco will start at QB
You would never guess that the Bears have had one of the worst Red Zone offenses in recent weeks. They were the only team to score at least 21 points in all six of their games, with that streak coming to an end last weekend in Baltimore. The biggest reason for that has been the Bears' struggles in the red zone as Chicago came away with three field goals and a touchdown last week. Typically, your goal is to score whenever you reach the red zone, which, for the most part, the Bears have been doing; however, at some point, you need touchdowns over field goals, as field goals won't consistently win you games. That becomes especially true this weekend, as the Bengals can put up points with the best of them. If the Bears want to win this game, they need to score points.
For the longest time, the Bears have been trying to fix their pass rush, as Montez Sweat hasn't been the guy the Bears have been hoping for. Adding Booker to the mix could help with the Bears' pass rush, as he was on a path to earn a starting spot before suffering a knee injury that kept him out of the first half of the season. Preseason or not, Booker was off to a phenomenal start as he was dominating up front and getting after the quarterback with relative ease. Expected to be on a snap count for at least the next few weeks, it will be interesting to see how Booker performs and whether he can make the impact the Bears expect and need him to make to help the defense get back to rushing the passer.
If healthy, there would be no way the Bears would be favored in this game as Burrow would torch this secondary. Without him, Cincinnati goes from being a great team to an average team at best, and that alone is something that could benefit the Bears as they need wins in the worst way. While the Bears' defense may be better than the Bengals', Cincinnati has the better offense, and they shouldn't have an issue moving the ball down the field. As long as the Bears bend, but do not break, they can get away with that, but it will be up to the Bears to answer, as they may need to go point for point for most of the game. Look for another close game, but it's the Bears picking up a 31-27 victory as they get back on track with a win.Joe Flacco
Time to fix the red zone woes
Will Austin Booker make an impact
Prediction: Bears win 31-27
