The Detroit Lions (3-1) hit the road on a three-game winning streak to face the Cincinnati Bengals (2-2), who are fresh off two underwhelming performances on the road.
A 2-0 start from the Bengals has quickly turned into a nightmare as they’ve become one of the worst teams in the league in terms of production on both sides of the ball.
The Lions won’t be looking past Cincinnati by any means, having not beat the Bengals since 1992, which has amounted to a seven-game losing streak to the AFC North squad.
Here’s a preview of the Lions’ Week 5 opponent, the Cincinnati Bengals:
Three players to know
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* After surviving one of the best edge rushers in the league last week, the Lions are rewarded with another elite game-wrecker in **Trey Hendrickson**. Following consecutive seasons with 17.5 sacks, Hendrickson has been a bit slower out of the gate with two so far this season. But he has 19 total QB pressures this season and seven stops in the run game, according to Pro Football Focus. The Lions will have to account for him at all times.
* It’s hard to like much about the Bengals offense the past few weeks, but **wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase** remains the player opposing defenses need to have the closest eye on. In four games he has 264 yards on 26 catches and one touchdown. The fifth-year star is fourth among wide receivers in yards after catch with 142.
* In terms of new pieces to the team, **linebacker Oren Burks** has been a pleasant addition in free agency from the Eagles. The veteran has been all over the field with 12 total tackles, a forced fumble, four run stops and some decent work out in coverage when needed. He has an 83.5 PFF run defense grade, the best on the team and 21st in the NFL among players with at least 50 snaps in run defense.
Quarterback corner
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In case you missed it, franchise quarterback Joe Burrow required early-season surgery to address a Grade 3 turf toe issue that is going to hold him out at least three months.
That meant the reins of the Bengals offense fell to backup Jake Browning. He ended up starting seven games in 2023 due to Burrow’s last injury and managed to turn in a 4-3 record as a starter.
He threw for 1,936 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions on 70.4% completion (leading the league) for the Bengals and has stuck around the roster since.
The early results have not been too kind.
Browning finished out the Jacksonville Jaguars game with a win after Burrow exited early, despite throwing three interceptions.
But over the past two games, Browning has thrown for 265 yards on 63.5% completion with one touchdown and two interceptions. The Bengals offense has totaled 13 points in the last two games.
Browning is no star, but he’s proven to be capable in the past, but we’ve not seen much of that since Burrow’s injury.
Keys to success
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* **Limit early damage:** The Bengals have one of the worst defenses in the league, allowing nearly 30 points and 400 yards of offense per game. They’ve found themselves in some rough holes, but have proven they can settle into a game — if it’s not already over. Cincinnati is allowing an average of 20.5 points in the first half (31st in NFL), but just 9.3 points in the second half (T-7th in NFL). It’s been a big ask for the Bengals’ defense to stay in games, but they’ll need to for any chance to compete with the Lions.
* **Force the Lions to commit more to the pass rush:** Ranking 28th in pass blocking rate on PFF, while allowing 57 quarterback pressures already this season is not good news for Jake Browning and the offense. The Cincinnati O-line has not impressed much and crucially it hasn’t required teams to commit much on the pass rush to get to the quarterback. Browning has been pressured slightly more times without a blitz than with one. If the Bengals O-line can set up a stronger front, it might force the Lions to use more players in the rush and open up more downfield for Browning, who actually throws fairly well against a blitz. His PFF offensive grade when blitzed is nearly 30 points higher than otherwise. So far, there’s just not been much reason for teams to be concerned with the Bengals’ O-line.
One big question
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Can the Bengals produce anything on offense?
Not to take anything away from the Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings, who each have a top-10 scoring defense this season, but the Bengals have really shown no sign of life on offense since Joe Burrow went down.
The running game is the worst in the league, averaging 50 yards per game, which is 30 yards less than the team ranked above them.
The Bengals lead the league in giveaways so far with eight, their star receiver has two games with less than 30 receiving yards and the team as a whole is averaging about 3.5 yards per play over the last two games (worst in the NFL).
Bottom line is, the Bengals are in desperate need of something to go right.
The Lions are a solid unit, ranking in the top half of the league in total defense and scoring defense so far. They’re dealing with a depleted secondary that is dealing with a handful of injuries.
They certainly don’t want to be the team that lets the Bengals get hot after looking dreadful for a few weeks, now.
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