The Seattle Seahawks are back in action following their Week 5 bye, and hopefully they used their week off wisely as they have a challenging showdown against the Cincinnati Bengals. This will be Seattle’s first visit to the Queen City since 2015 where they blew a 24-7 lead in the fourth quarter to lose 27-24 in overtime.
The Seahawks and Bengals last played each other in the Week 1 opener for the 2019 season, where Seattle narrowly defended home turf with a 21-20 win. Both these teams are a far cry from either of the last two iterations of themselves. The Seahawks are trying to prove they are a resurgent force in the NFC, while the Bengals are trying to keep their status as an AFC heavyweight.
Like last year, Cincinnati was off to a slow start. The Bengals were 1-3 with only three offensive touchdowns to their names before they erupted with an explosive 34-20 win over Arizona. Quarterback Joe Burrow finally looked like himself, throwing for 317 yards and scores.
Sunday will be a big test for both teams. Seattle is the only team so far to have beaten the Lions, but their last two games were against bad teams and they looked shaky at times in them. Meanwhile, the Bengals will look to prove they truly are back, and that last week was not simply a product of playing the inferior Cardinals.
History is on the side of the Seahawks, who are 16-4 in their last twenty trips to the eastern time zone. But Cincinnati has the power of desperation on their side.
Prediction: Bengals over Seahawks 31-24
After this week, the Bengals have a stretch where they will play the 49ers, Bills, Texans, Ravens, Steelers and Jaguars. Since Cincinnati has already squandered two seemingly winnable games against Cleveland and Tennessee, they’ll need to bank wins where they can get them. Going into the murderer’s row they’re about to face at 3-3 is a lot different than 2-4.
The wide receiver trio of Ja’Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd and potentially the return of Tee Higgins is a handful for any secondary, especially one as young as Seattle’s. The ground attack led by Joe Mixon means the Seahawks defense has to stay honest, and if Joe Burrow truly is fully healthy, he will be difficult to bring down – even if he’s playing behind a shaky offensive line facing a defensive front that recorded eleven sacks the last time they played.
The Seahawks offense should remain well-oiled, especially since they are getting healthier. But the Bengals simply have far too much firepower.
Something to keep an eye on: the usually reliable Jason Myers already has four missed field goals this year, surpassing his total of three from last year. Combine Myers’ shakiness with Seattle’s struggles on third down and in the redzone, and you have a recipe for leaving far too many points on the field. If the Seahawks want a win in a shootout, they’ll need to extend drives and finish them in the end zone.
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