NFL Week 8 Primer: Cincinnati Bengals (0-7) vs. Los Angeles Rams (4-3)

It is a somewhat of a homecoming for Bengals’ head coach Zac Taylor as he is set to face his former team, the Los Angeles Rams. The only thing is this is a home game for the Rams in London, which kind of ruins the homecoming feel a bit.

At this point, Cincinnati is desperate for any signs of life on offense. What was supposed to be the strength of this team somehow turned into a unit that would kill for their 2018 numbers. Now they will get a first hand look at what their offense is supposed to look like when the Rams are on the field.

The Bengals defense has done a decent job at keeping Cincinnati in a position that if the offense woke up, they could compete for a win. This is despite all the injuries including being without their two starting corners, William Jackson III and Dre Kirkpatrick. The Rams haven’t been as potent as they were in 2018, but the Bengals’ defense doesn’t seem to be good enough with all their injuries to take advantage of the struggles the Rams have had at times.

The Bengals are up against the wall, but it would do wonders for this team’s confidence in the future to get an upset over the Rams before their bye week.

Everything you need to know for when the Bengals head to London to take on the Rams

Game: Cincinnati Bengals (0-7) at Los Angeles Rams (4-3)

Date/Time: Oct. 27th, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. EST

Location: Wembley Stadium in London England

Series Leader: The Bengals lead the series at 8-5

Streak: The Bengals have won the past three meetings

Coaches vs. Opponent: Zac Taylor: 0-0. Sean McVay (0-0)

TV Broadcast: The game will air on CBS-TV. In the Bengals’ home region, it will be carried by WKRC-TV (Ch. 12) in Cincinnati, WHIO-TV (Ch. 7) in Dayton and on WKYT-TV (Ch. 27) in Lexington. Broadcasters are Greg Gumbel (play-by-play), Trent Green (analyst) and Melanie Collins (sideline reporter).

Radio Broadcast: The game will air on the Bengals Radio Network, led by Cincinnati flagship stations WLW-AM (700), WCKY-AM (ESPN 1530; all sports) and WEBN-FM (102.7). Broadcasters are Dan Hoard (play-by-play) and Dave Lapham (analyst).

SB Nation Rams’ site: Turf Show Times

Weather: High 40’s, overcast [NFL weather]

Odds: Bengals, +13.5 [Odds Shark]

Bengals Notes

• Quarterback Andy Dalton passed for 276 yards and a touchdown with three interceptions last week. He aims for his fourth in a row with at least 235 passing yards. He completed 20 of 27 (74.1 percent) passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns and an interception with a 121.4 passer rating in his last meeting with the Rams.
• Running back Joe Mixon caught his second touchdown of the season last week.
• Wide receiver Tyler Boyd had five catches last week. He aims for his third in a row against the NFC West with at least 10 catches and 120 receiving yards. He has 28 catches (9.3 per game), 305 receiving yards (101.7 per game) and a receiving touchdown in three career games against the NFC West. Wide receiver Alex Erickson had a career highs in catches (eight) and receiving yards (137) in Week 7. He aims for his third in a row with at least four catches. Wide receiver Auden Tate aims for his third in a row with at least 65 receiving yards.
• Defensive tackle Geno Atkins had a season-high two sacks last week, his eleventh career game with at least two sacks. Defensive end Sam Hubbard had five tackles and a career-high two passes deflected last week. He has sack a in two of his past three games against the NFC West. He aims for his eighth in a row with at least five tackles. Safety Jessie Bates III had a season-high 12 tackles in Week 7. Cornerback B.W. Webb has at least two passes deflected in two of his past three games.

Rams Notes

• Quarterback Jared Goff passed for 268 yards and two touchdowns without an interception for a 99.8 passer rating and had a rushing touchdown in Week 7.
• Running back Todd Gurley had a receiving touchdown last week. He is the only running back with at least 40 rushing touchdowns (41) and 10 receiving touchdowns (11) since 2016. He aims for his fourth in a row at home with rushing touchdown. He had 154 scrimmage yards (106 rushing and 48 receiving) and a rushing touchdown in a previous London game (vs. the Cardinals on 10/22/17 at Twickenham Stadium).
• Wide receiver Cooper Kupp has five receiving touchdowns in his past five against the AFC. He ranks second in the NFL with 51 receptions in 2019. Wide receiver Brandin Cooks has three touchdown catches in his past four at home. He aims for his third in a row against the AFC with at least eight catches and 100 receiving yards. Wide receiver Robert Woods has at least five catches in his past three of his past four games. Tight end Gerald Everett had a touchdown catch last week.
• Defensive lineman Aaron Donald had a sack, forced fumble and fumble recovery last week. He has four sacks and eight tackles for a loss in five career games against the AFC North. He aims for his third in a row with a sack and a forced fumble. He is the only defensive lineman with at least 60 sacks (63.5) since 2014. Linebacker Dante Fowler had a career-high three sacks and fifth career forced fumble last week. Corner back Jalen Ramesy had a forced fumble in his Rams debut debut last week. He aims for his third in a row with a forced fumble. He has nine passes defended and four interceptions in his past five game against the AFC North.