The Bengals find themselves in one of their final winnable games of 2020. The Cowboys have been equally pitiful since quarterback Dak Prescott’s injury earlier in the season, but Cincinnati will recognize his backup as Andy Dalton makes his return to the city that drafted him.
If the Bengals want to have a chance at preventing Dalton from having his revenge game, Cincinnati’s offense will have to actually produce. The past two games the defense has done a fantastic job at keeping the team in a winnable position, but the offense has squandered it time and again. One of the big reasons has been the offensive line failing to protect Brandon Allen or even Ryan Finley. The unit looked to be turning a corner, but it now appears that Joe Burrow was covering up their short comings.
The Cowboys defense has really struggled this season. They have allowed the most points of any defense in the NFL, and it really looks like this could be a battle of an object that refuses to move facing an automatic turnstile. They have given up a combined 93 points over the past three weeks. Teams have been running the ball all over them as they rank dead last in rushing defense, which makes Joe Mixon’s continued absence hurt all the more. The Bengals will need a huge game from Giovani Bernard after defenses have honed in on him in Burrow’s absence.
The real key will be if the Bengals defense can keep up its streak of keeping games within reach. That means they will need to create turnover and short field consistently, because even facing a defense like this, Allen isn’t going to be able to sustain long drives like Burrow was.
Can Dalton get his revenge? Or will the Bengals get a win for their coach on the hot seat?
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: 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).
Replay: NFL Game Pass
SB Nation the Cowboys’ site: Blogging the Boys
Weather: High 30’s, overcast [NFL weather]
Odds: Bengals open, +5.5 [Odds Shark]