For their first road game of the season, the Cincinnati Bengals will once again face their old quarterback.
The Chicago Bears are starting quarterback Andy Dalton for the time being, as questions of Justin Fields taking over are for another week. This is still Dalton’s offense, and it’s one that the Bengals are preparing to face.
Despite their 0-1 status, the Bears are technically still in first place of the NFC North as the entire division lost in Week 1. The Bengals had a part in that as they defeated the Minnesota Vikings in thrilling fashion last Sunday and got off to their first 1-0 start since 2018. They also started 2-0 that season as well, and they have a prime opportunity to repeat that this week.
With Dalton under center, the Bears offense was lackluster in their Week 1 loss to the Los Angles Rams. Running back David Montgomery did his best to carry the load, but it was futile against the Rams’ passing defense, who pressured Dalton over a dozen times and put him on the ground thrice.
Cincinnati’s defense impressed in their season opener and will now get a chance to face Dalton’s offense to build some added confidence. Defensive linemen Larry Ogunjobi, B.J. Hill, and Trey Hendrickson are coming off of productive performances against Minnesota and will be chomping at the bit against a Bears offensive line that has major questions at basically every spot.
When the Bengals have the ball, we’ll be watching to see if Joe Burrow gets more opportunities to throw on early downs. Last week’s game plan heavily involved running back Joe Mixon, who ended up leading the league in rushing for Week 1. Does Zac Taylor opt for a more aggressive attack against a lesser defense on the road, or will Mixon be a workhorse for another afternoon?
This is the place to get all the latest news, updates, and analysis of the Bengals’ Week 2 matchup with the Bears!