Bengals Early Bird Special: Gameday is Almost Here

1. Stay healthy. With the Bengals already lacking at linebacker by the absence of Rey Maualuga who is still nursing an ankle injury and two other linebackers whose status remain up in the air. It will be interesting to see what the Bengals will do if Thomas Howard or Dan Skuta don't play in the game period or if they are forced to leave during the game due to re-aggravating an injury. 
2. Move the ball. This is going to be key for the Bengals on a weekly basis. But with Seattle having a week defense without the presence of Marcus Trufant , Cincinnati should have an easier time moving the ball down field (hopefully). Also the Bengals will be without Cedric Benson who will be serving his one-game suspension and starting in his place will be Bernard Scott. Since Scott doesn't get numerous opportunities to play he's going to have make his presence known. It's going to be vital for him to be able to move the ball on the ground. Otherwise the Bengals may have to turn their attention to an aerial assault.
3. Put pressure on Seattle to make plays. Last week against the Cleveland Browns, Seattle only managed to score one field goal. Throughout the game the Browns continued to put pressure on Charlie Whitehurst and company. And that is something that the Bengals are going to have to do in order to limit the damage. Then again, with the Bengals' defensive line, it shouldn't be too difficult for pressure to be applied on the Seahawks.
4. Stay out of penalty trouble. Through the first six games the Bengals have done a relatively good job at staying out of trouble with the yellow flag. However, two weeks ago against the Colts, the Bengals committed 11 penalties for 111 yards. Hopefully a week off enabled them to regain their focus and they won't commit an outrageous amount of penalties. In a perfect world they wouldn't commit any infractions, but we know that won't be the case.
5. Create turnovers. The Bengals have been lagging in the turnover department. And this week against Whitehurst and crew, the Bengals should be able to generate some turnovers. Whitehurst seems more like a mop-up quarterback. He has never shown a consistent ability to complete passes or perform at a high level. If the Bengals can create some turnovers then that will put even more pressure on Whitehurst to try to force plays.

Alright here is a look at what you may have missed or overlooked from Friday.

• Cincy Jungle's week seven Unsung Hero of the Week goes to.....
• The Bengals added Adam Jones to the active 53-man roster. And with his return that means someone will have to go, but not until next week when Cedric Benson returns. 
• The latest injury and practice report for the Bengals and Seahawks.
• According to Pro Football Talk, Charlie Whitehurst is most likely going to start for Seattle on Sunday against the Bengals.
• On Thursday it was reported that Terrell Owens attempted to commit suicide. And on Friday his publicist denied the allegation. And despite all of his antics and being a "cancer" to the locker room, he still might be capable of contributing to a team. But why would anyone want to defend Owens after all of his actions?
• So far this season Andre Smith has been a steady force for the Bengals offensive line. And a big part of Smith's performance can be credited to his conditioning. 
• Check out the latest news and rumblings from the rest of the AFC North.
• Hurry up and toss in your caption for this week's caption contest.
• Earlier in the week Marvin Lewis talked about the recently traded Carson Palmer. And Lewis said that his comments were "taken out of context."
• In case you were wondering, here is the television schedule for the NFL in Cincinnati.