Bengals Football
Cincinnati Bengals players in action during a practice Thursday, Nov. 5, in Madrid, Spain. Manu Fernandez / AP
Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor took some time to reflect Friday, Nov. 6, on what a “cool” experience it is getting to travel to Madrid, lead practice at the World Cup-winning Spanish national soccer team’s facility and coach an international game.
It’s been a delicate balance of wanting to soak in the experience but also keep things as “normal” as possible for his team, as they prepare to win a fourth straight game.
The Bengals (5-2) play the Atlanta Falcons (3-5) on Sunday at Real Madrid’s Bernabéu Stadium, looking to join the Steelers (6-2) at the top of the AFC North before their primetime matchup Nov. 15.
Here are five things to know about the game Sunday:
1. Logistics put to the testThe Bengals used their last experience with an international game in London in 2019 to determine they would be better suited to depart for Spain two days earlier to allow for a full day to settle in before resuming their usual routine.
Taylor said arriving in London on Thursday didn’t allow enough time to get comfortable by Sunday. The Bengals did their normal Wednesday practice on Tuesday afternoon before departing for Spain, and then Wednesday was their off day to explore and become familiar with the environment. The team practiced Thursday and Friday as usual.
“There’s two teams here and your job is to handle the week better than the other team as much as possible,” Taylor said. “… Just this is something we’ve got to be able to control to the best of our abilities and be able to play well on Sunday and this game’s going to count just like all the others. And so, shame on us if we do something that steps out of line and we’re not prepared.”
2. Game-planning for Bijan RobinsonThe Falcons have the fourth-best rushing offense in the league with Bijan Robinson accounting for 780 yards on the ground. Fellow running back Brian Robinson Jr. adds 211 yards and four touchdowns but is out with a hamstring injury.
Containing Bijan will be a focus of Cincinnati’s defense Sunday.
“Excellent player,” Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden said. “With 5 (Drake London) on the perimeter and 8 (Kyle Pitts) at tight end, makes it tricky. We are just in the middle of it right now. Obviously, an elite talent at running back. Runs really hard. Good at pressing it, good at cutback, can bounce out. So you are going to have to wrap him and you are going to have to get multiple hats to the ball.”
Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has 1,282 yards and nine touchdowns with five interceptions. London leads the receivers with 674 yards, while Pitts adds 197 yards receiving and four touchdowns.
3. Keys on offenseThe Bengals have struggled with slow starts to games, posting a minus-19 differential in the first quarter this season, which ranks fourth-worst in the NFL, according to ESPN Research. They overcame 13-0 deficits in each of their last two wins, but getting off to a faster start will be a key moving forward.
Part of that is cutting down on turnovers and being more effective on third downs in the first half. Cincinnati’s 52.9% third-down completion rate ranks best in the NFL, and a lot of those have been third-and-long situations.
“Obviously, you don’t want to be in it,” offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said of third-and-long situations. “It requires a lot of trust and anticipation from the quarterback to throw to spots. You’re throwing it to a space that you’re anticipating is going to come open, and so there’s a lot of trust there and making sure you’ve identified the coverage as what it is, and so yeah, just great job executing in spots that we don’t want to be in.”
Joe Burrow had been doing well to cut down on turnovers after some costly miscues the first four games, but he made things difficult for himself last week with three interceptions and a lost fumble. That was his 13th game with multiple picks, and the Bengals were 3-9 in his first 12.
Former Bengals safety Jessie Bates, a ball hawk with 30 career interceptions in nine seasons, will be on the other side.
4. Importance of a winThe Bengals want to keep their momentum going ahead of a key AFC North matchup with Pittsburgh next week. The Steelers have a bye this weekend, while Cincinnati will be traveling back from Spain and then having to re-adjust to get ready for the next game.
Carrying a four-game winning streak into that matchup would help.
Going into this weekend, 27 teams played the week after an international game without a bye in between, and those teams have gone 15-12 in those return games. Last year, four teams played internationally and then went 1-3 the following week. Six teams that have played internationally this year are 3-3 the next week.
This game against Atlanta presents a good opportunity for Cincinnati, as the Falcons are coming off a 16-0 loss against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that didn’t complete a single pass in a torrential downpour last week.
5. Injuries of noteBengals cornerback DJ Turner returned to full practices Thursday and Friday after suffering a heel injury in last week’s game against the Titans, and he is good to go Sunday, but defensive end Cedric Johnson (ankle/foot) is questionable and Kyle Dugger is out after re-injuring his quadricep.
Otherwise, it’s a healthy group for Cincinnati.
Atlanta will be missing Brian Robinson Jr. and wide receiver Zachariah Branch due to hamstring injuries, and five others are questionable: Edge rusher James Pearce Jr. (back), linebacker Yasir Abdullah (hamstring), wide receiver Beaux Collins (hip), linebacker Devine Deablo (forearm) and offensive tackle Cameron Williams (ankle).