The Cincinnati Bengals are in disarray as they head into the Week 11 game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
An MVP showing from Joe Burrow that should have the Bengals in the playoff race instead has them at 4-6 and in danger of near-elimination with a loss in primetime on Sunday.
And Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers are in the middle of a dramatic overhaul into a serious playoff threat.
As such, the Bengals need key players to step up huge to have a chance on the road.
DE Trey Hendrickson
Hendrickson has mostly done all of the pressure-creating on his own this year. That will need to continue in Los Angeles, where the Chargers put out a stellar tackle duo with Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt. But to make things more complicated, he didn’t travel with the team when they left for L.A. early and has been a question mark on the injury report all week.
Orlando Brown Jr. (or Cody Ford)
Brown is a toss-up to actually play due to a nagging leg injury. In his place, Ford has enjoyed massive highs and lows on that left edge in front of Burrow. The name doesn’t matter as much as the performance — slowing a pass-rush that includes Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack is near-impossible. Yet, the Bengals must find a way.
Cam Taylor-Britt and Jordan Battle
Cam Taylor-Britt has now been publically called out for his struggles in what was supposed to be a breakout year. But they’re not giving up on him either, nor do they have the depth not to play him. Against an underwhelming Chargers wideout group, he needs to have a shutdown day. Jordan Battle, another young guy seriously struggling, has seen an uptick in play over Vonn Bell in recent weeks. That needs to continue — and his play needs to keep improving, too.
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