NFL Week 14 Primer: Cincinnati Bengals (2-9-1) vs. Dallas Cowboys (3-9)

The Bengals are returning home to face a team that has been struggling as bad as them, the Cowboys.

Cincinnati will also see the return of Andy Dalton, who was the team’s quarterback ever since he was drafted in 2011. This game also has huge implications as far as draft order goes.

These teams facing off is bound to be interesting. Both teams have struggled to move the ball since losing their starting quarterbacks. Dalton specifically should feel right at home in Cincinnati behind a beat up offensive line that has struggled to protect their quarterback. Then again, if you ask Brandon Allen, things haven’t changed much since last year (or the past few seasons) in that department.

One of the biggest differences in this game may be in the defenses. The Bengals defense has held its own the past few weeks, and they’ve put the team in positions to win that the offense blundered each time.

Head coach Zac Taylor has to be feeling the pressure. He hasn’t had the success many have wanted to see him have, and last week the team became unhinged (along with the Dolphins), which is a terrible look for a struggling coaching staff. Winning helps cure things and give confidence.

It will upset the draft pick crowd, but if Taylor is going to be the franchises long-term solution then he needs to find a way to string some wins together. This could be one of the last winnable games he has a shot at.

Everything you need to know for when the Bengals take on the Cowboys:

Game: Cincinnati Bengals (2-9-1) vs. Dallas Cowboys (3-9)

Date/Time: Dec. 13th, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. EST

Location: Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio

Series Leader: The Cowboys lead the series 8-4

Streak: The Cowboys have won three meetings

Coaches vs. Opponent: Zac Taylor: (0-0). Mike McCarthy (1-2)

Television: The game will air on FOX-TV. In the Bengals’ home region, it will be carried by WXIX-TV (Ch. 19) in Cincinnati, WGRT-TV (Ch. 45) in Dayton, WDKY-TV (Ch. 56) in Lexington, and WTTE-TV (Ch. 28) in Columbus. Broadcasters are Kevin Kugler (play-by-play), Chris Spielman (analyst) and Laura Okmin (reporter).

Online Stream: Use a free trial of fuboTV to watch the game.

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 the Cowboys’ site: Blogging the Boys

Weather: High 30’s, overcast [NFL weather]

Odds: Bengals open, +5.5 [Odds Shark]

Bengals notes

• Quarterback Brandon Allen completed 11 of 19 passes (57.9 percent) for 153 yards along with a touchdown and interception last week
• Running back Giovani Bernard had 96 scrimmage yards (50 rushing and 46 receiving) along with six catches in his last game against the Cowboys. He has at least 75 scrimmage yards and a touchdown in two of his past three games at home. He has 513 scrimmage yards this season (260 receiving and 253 rushing) and is one of two running backs (Frank Gore) with at least 400 scrimmage yards in each of the past eight seasons.
• Wide receiver Tyler Boyd had a 72-yard touchdown catch last week. He has at least 70 receiving yards in two of the past three games. He has a touchdown catch in two of his past three games at home. Boyd has 73 catches this season and is one of six wide receivers with 70 catches in each of the past three seasons. Rookie wide receiver Tee Higgins had five catches for 56 yards last week. He aims for his third game in a row with five catches. He has 70 receiving yards in three of the past four games at home. Higgins ranks second among rookies in receiving yards (729), tied for second in catches (53) and third in receiving touchdowns. Tight end Drew Sample had seven catches for 49 yards last week.
• Safety Jessie Bates led the team with a career-high 13 tackles and had his first forced fumble of the season last week. He aims for his third in a row with at least seven tackles. Safety Vonn Bell aims for his third game in a row with a fumble recovery. He has 10 tackles in two of his past three games. He had 10 tackles, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and a pass defended in his last game against the Cowboys (9/29/19) with the Saints. Defensive end Sam Hubbard tied a career-high with 10 tackles in Week 13.

Cowboys notes

• Quarterback Andy Dalton spent nine seasons (2011-19) with Cincinnati and is the all-time franchise-leader in completions (2,757) and passing touchdowns (204), and he ranks second in passing yards (31,594). He passed for a season-high 285 yards along with two touchdowns and an interception last week.
• Running back Ezekiel Elliott had 95 scrimmage yards (77 rushing 18 receiving) in Week 13. He had 171 scrimmage yards (134 rushing and 37 receiving) and two touchdowns in the last meeting with Cincinnati. He has 1,058 scrimmage yards in 2020, his fifth-straight 1,000 scrimmage yard season. Elliott is the first player with 1,000 scrimmage yards and seven total touchdowns in each of his first five seasons since Adrian Peterson (2007-11).
• Wide receiver Amari Cooper had his fourth receiving touchdown of the season last week. He has 80 receiving yards in four of his last six road games this season. He needs one more receiving touchdown to become the first player since Mike Wallace (2009-14) with five touchdown catches in each of his first six seasons. He needs 109 receiving yards for his third-consecutive 1,000-yard season. Rookie wide receiver Ceedee Lamb had six catches for 46 yards last week. He has eight games with five receptions this season, the most among rookies. He ranks second among rookies with 59 receptions in 2020. Wide receiver Michael Gallup led the team with seven receptions and 86 yards with a touchdown catch in Week 13. Tight end Dalton Schultz ranks tied-second among NFC tight ends with career-high 48 receptions
• Linebacker Jaylon Smith led the team with 12 tackles last week, his 18th-career game with at least 10 tackles. He ranks second in the NFL with 112 tackles in 2020, his third-consecutive 100 tackle season. Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence has 2.5 sacks, five tackle for a loss, a forced fumble and fumble recovery in his past four games on the road. Safety Darian Thompson had his second-career interception in Week 13. Cornerback Chidobe Awuzie aims for his fourth game in a row with five tackles.