NFL Week 1 Primer: Cincinnati Bengals (0-0) at Seattle Seahawks (0-0)

It is officially a New Dey for the Bengals (I feel obligated to get that out of the way). We made it Bengals fans! We are now talking about actual games that actually count.

Unfortunately the Bengals open up their season on the other side of the country against the Seattle Seahawks. This will be a familiar place for Zac Taylor who has played there each of the past two seasons while he was an assistant coach with the Rams. That should help shake off some of the nerves of it being his first game as an NFL head coach.

Bengals fans have to be excited to see how Taylor’s new offense will look after being fed a vanilla version throughout the preseason. We’ve heard all the rave reviews from various offensive players, but now it is time for everyone to go out there and execute in a live game against another team.

Speaking of that other team, the Seahawks are no pushover team. They spent this offseason acquiring pass rushers and defenders to help bolster a defense that no longer has any members left of the Legion of Boom.

Seattle will have a pass rush featuring Ezekiel Ansah and Jadeveon Clowney. That is terrifying on its own, but when you add the fact that the Bengals may be without left tackle Cordy Glenn, who is still in concussion protocol, it makes you want to say a quick prayer for Andy Dalton’s well-being.

The Bengals will have an early litmus test this season, but that will just make it all the better if Taylor somehow finds a way to lead Cincinnati to a victory.

Everything you need to know for when the Bengals visit the Seahawks:

Game: Cincinnati Bengals (0-0) at Seattle Seahawks (0-0)

Date/Time: Sep. 8th, 2019 at 4:05 p.m. EST

Location: CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington

Series Leader: Bengals, 11-9

Streak: The Bengals have won three of the last four meetings

Coaches vs. Opponent: Zac Taylor: 0-0. Pete Carroll 0-2

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 Spero Dedes (play-by-play) and Adam Archuleta (analyst).

Radio Broadcast: The game will air on the Bengals Radio Network, led by Cincinnati flagship stations WCKY-AM (ESPN 1530; all sports) and WEBN-FM (102.7). Broadcasters are Dan Hoard (play-by-play) and Dave Lapham (analyst). WLW-AM (700) will join the flagship stations in broadcasting the Bengals game once its broadcast of the Cincinnati Reds game concludes (the Reds game begins at 1:10 p.m. Eastern). The game also will air nationally on ESPN Radio, with broadcasters Adam Admin (play-by-play) and Tom Ramsey (analyst).

SB Nation Seahawks site: Field Gulls

Weather: Mid 60’s, overcast with drizzles throughout the day [NFL weather]

Odds: Bengals, +9.5 [Odds Shark]

Bengals Notes

• Zac Taylor makes debut as an NFL head coach.
• Quarterback Andy Dalton is 2-0 against the Seahawks, including the last meeting (10/11/15), when he threw for 331 yards and two touchdowns in a comeback win. He is 5-0 on the west coast, including 2011 win at Seattle as a rookie. He has won four of the last five Kickoff Weekend games. He has at least two touchdowns in five of his past six road games.
• Running back Joe Mixon finished fourth in the NFL last season and first in the AFC with 1,168 rushing yards (first Bengal since 2014 to break 1,000). He has not fumbled in 290 touches, since 12/31/17. Against NFC teams Mixon has 53 carries for 258 yards (4.87 yards per carry) and two touchdowns. Running back Giovanni Bernard has averaged five yards per carry (39 attempts for 196 yards) in six career Kickoff Weekend games.
• Wide receiver John Ross has seven receptions for 107 yards and two touchdowns in three career games facing NFC teams. Of his seven NFL touchdowns, five have come on the road. Wide receiver Tyler Boyd posted career highs last year in catches (76), receiving yards (1,028) and receiving touchdowns (seven). Tight end Tyler Eifert had eight catches for 90 yards and two touchdowns in the Bengals last comeback win against the Seahawks in 2015. Tight end C.J. Uzomah recorded career bests last year in catches (43), receiving yards (439) and touchdowns (three).
• Safety Jessie Bates III led the Bengals last season with 111 tackles, most by Cincinnati rookie since 2012. Defensive tackle Geno Atkins has seven Pro Bowl selections, more than any Bengal defensive player ever. He led the team with 10 sacks in 2018. Defensive end Carlos Dunlap has 30 pass deflections since 2016, most among non-defensive backs. Cornerback William Jackson led the team with 13 pass deflections in 2018.

Seahawks Notes

• The Seahawks have had at least 10 wins and made the playoffs in six of the past seven seasons
• Quarterback Russell Wilson has 196 career touchdown passes, most in franchise history. He passed for 3,448 yards and 35 touchdowns in 2018 and joined Peyton Manning as the only player in NFL history with at least 3,000 passing yards and 20 passing touchdowns in each of their first seven seasons. He has a passer rating of 100.3, second-highest in NFL history. He also became the first quarterback in NFL history with a winning record in each of his first seven seasons.
• Running back Chris Carson ranked fifth in the NFL with 1,151 rush yards. He was one of four running backs with at least six games with 100 rushing yards in 2018.
• Wide receiver Tyler Lockett had career-highs in catches (57), receiving yards (965) and touchdowns (10) last season. He aims for his third game in a row against an AFC North team with a touchdown catch.
• Linebacker Bobby Wagner tied for third in the NFL with 138 tackles in 2018 and has at least 100 tackles in each of his first seven seasons. He is one of two linebackers with 900 tackles since 2012. Defensive end Ezekiel Ansah makes his Seahawks debut. He had three sacks in his last game against the Bengals (12/24/17 with the Lions). Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney also makes his Seattle debut. He had nine sacks and 16 tackles for a loss with Houston in 2018. He has 53 tackles for a loss since 2016, tied for third-most in the NFL. Clowney is one of four players with 50 tackles for a loss and 20 sacks (24.5) since 2016. Safety Bradley McDougald was one of two players with 75 tackles (78), three interceptions and three forced fumbles in 2018.