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Even though the Bengals are enjoying the weekend off, fans can begin to scout the next opponent Cincinnati will face when they return next weekend. The Bengals come off the bye and face a Pittsburgh team that may be playing without Ben Roethlisberger. In his place could be a former fourth round draft pick in the 2013 draft named Landry Jones.
You may have heard of Jones, potentially just last weekend when he came into Steelers game against the Cardinals to take over for an injured Mike Vick. He brought the Steelers from a 10-6 deficit to a 25-13 win. With Vick still hurt this week, Jones will almost certainly be the starter in today's matchup against the Chiefs.
Until this season, Jones has not even suited up for a game. How can a kid come in so cold and bring the team back from such a deficit against a very good Cardinals team? This is why I want to see him play this weekend.
Jones completed 8 of 12 passes for 168 and two touchdowns. That equates to a 21 yard per pass average. That is very strong in the NFL. So he must have just been slinging the ball with ease down the field, right?
Nope; aided by outstanding receiver Martavis Bryant, Jones racked up his yards by great running after the catch. His first touchdown pass (an 88 yarder) was actually a 7 yard completion where Bryant dodged and weaved his way to paydirt. These plays really help to pad a quarterback's stats.
The ease in the passing game against the 7th best passing defense in the league last week could easily be explained by a team that thought they didn't need to worry about the third string quarterback. With the strength of the Steelers' running game, it is easy to assume the Cardinals were focused on stacking the box and stopping the run.
This weekend, the Steelers face the Chiefs. While Kansas City's defense may not up to the level of Arizona's, it will be interesting to see how this young quarterback performs when a team can plan for him. This may be a blueprint for Cincinnati if Ben Roethlisberger is unable to go for another week when the Bengals head to Pittsburgh in Week 8.