The Cincinnati Bengals get a break from a wicked AFC gauntlet for a mere week by visiting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
Buy Bengals TicketsNot that the break could be easy while going against Tom Brady, of course.
The Bengals enter the showdown at 9-4, winners of five in a row and look like the hottest team in the NFL. Injuries to Ja’Marr Chase and others haven’t prevented wins over the likes of Pittsburgh, Tennessee and Kansas City in recent weeks.
Injuries will play a major role Sunday, too. The Bengals should have wideouts Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd back. But key defenders Trey Hendrickson and Mike Hilton are out. That means first-round rookie Dax Hill should get the start in the slot.
Bad as that sounds, the Buccaneers are much, much worse for wear on the injury front. It doesn’t sound like wideout Julio Jones will be able to play. Bucs defenders Vita Vea (DL), Carl Nassib (LB) and Jamel Dean (CB) are out, while star offensive tackle Tristian Wirfs is questionable, as are a handful of other defenders.
As for on-field play itself, the Bucs have lost two of three, the only win over that span coming against a four-win team by a single point. Last week they took a 35-7 loss to San Francisco.
In fact, the Bucs have defeated a team with a winning record just once all season, all the way back in the opener. The Brady-led offense sits 28th at just 17.2 points per game. The team also struggles with penalties, with the most notable being offensive tackle Donovan Smith wiping out touchdowns with his penalties in two consecutive games.
As for the Bengals, they’ve been on fire with and without Ja’Marr Chase as Joe Burrow plays at an MVP level. The offensive line is the NFL’s healthiest and has played the most snaps together and that has allowed coaches to scheme open players while out-coaching any and all opponents lately.
While the defense will miss Trey Hendrickson, it’s not unreasonable to expect a big showing from depth pieces such as Joseph Ossai. That has been the case on the offensive side from names like Trenton Irwin as of late.
On paper, the Bengals are a better team. The Bengals of old might have a letdown in a spot like this, but this is far from the old Bengals at this point.
Burrow getting something of a passing-of-the-torch moment against Brady, winning a sixth straight and moving to 10-4 before getting back to a schedule that has New England, Buffalo and Baltimore is a matter of steady execution. He should dice up an injured defense, paving the way to a full game lead in the AFC North.
Prediction: Bengals 27, Bucs 10
