The Cincinnati Bengals will look to end a two-game losing streak this Sunday when the St. Louis Rams come to town.
After a 34-31 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 11, Cincinnati is now 8-2 going into Week 12 after opening the season with an 8-0 start. The Bengals' first defeat came at the hands of the Houston Texans in Week 10, a game which saw the offense muster up only two field goals in a 10-6 loss.
Last week, it was the defense that struggled to make plays as they allowed 34 points, 21 of which came in the third quarter. A big reason for Cincinnati's 8-0 start was getting great production on both sides of the ball, and they'll look to get back to playing a complete game when the struggling Rams come to town.
St. Louis is currently on a three-game losing streak after losing to the Baltimore Ravens on the final play of the game last week. After taking a 13-3 lead into the fourth quarter, Baltimore rallied to score the final 13 points of the game en route to a 16-13 win.
During that game, Rams (first-time) starting quarterback Case Keenum suffered a concussion late in the fourth quarter, but was still allowed to stay in the game after coaches and the NFL's concussion system failed to pull him out of the game. Keenum returned to practice Wednesday as he continues in the NFL's concussion protocol, but was listed as a limited participant.
It's looking like Nick Foles will get the start at quarterback after being benched just two week ago. Foles opened the year as the starting quarterback after St. Louis traded Sam Bradford to the Philadelphia Eagles for Foles and a second-round draft pick. It's safe to say that trade hasn't worked out for either team since Bradford is out injured and Foles has been benched once.
In nine games this season, Foles has completed 56.6 percent of his passes for just 1,678 yards (6.5 per attempt), seven touchdowns, six interceptions, and has a 75.9 passer rating. His mediocre play is a big reason why the Rams have the worst-ranked passing offense coming into Week 12.
Another reason why the passing game is so bad is the Rams offense lives and dies on the back of rookie running back Todd Gurley. St. Louis drafted him out of Georgia with the 10th-overall pick in this year's NFL draft, and he's quickly become one of the NFL's best runners.
Through eight games, Gurley has run the ball 155 times for 775 yards (5.0 yards per carry) and six touchdowns. He's also chipped in 16 catches for 132 yards. Gurley is the go-to weapon of the Rams offense, and stopping him is the key to shutting the Rams offense down.
Here is a look at everything you'll need to watch and follow this game.
St. Louis Rams (4-6) at Cincinnati Bengals (8-2)
When: Sunday, Nov. 29, 1 p.m.
Where: Paul Brown Stadium
TV: FOX with Thom Brennaman, Charles Davis and Tony Siragusa (field reporter)
Radio Broadcast: Bengals radio network
National Radio: SIRIUS: 157 (StL), 81 (Cin.). XM: 231 (Cin.)
Online Streaming: DirecTV Sunday Ticket and NFL Mobile
Odds: The Bengals opened as 7.5-point favorites, but the line now has them as 10-point favorites with an over/under of 42, according to OddsShark.com.
SB Nation: Turf Show Times (@TurfShowTimes)
Weather: 47 degrees with a chance of rain [Weather Underground]