The Cincinnati Bengals don’t have an easy task in front of them against the Oakland Raiders if Zac Taylor is to avoid matching Dave Shula’s 0-10 start.
An A.J. Green-led injury report isn’t kind to the Bengals, nor is the state of the opposition. The Raiders have won two in a row, sit at 5-4 and appear on an upswing.
Here are some of the top storylines to know heading into the game.
Ryan Finley’s development: Last week was Finley’s welcome-to-the-NFL moment. The fourth-round pick accounted for 14 Ravens points off his turnovers in a 49-13 loss. That would’ve lost the Bengals the game if the Ravens offense hadn’t scored at all. But coaches spoke highly of Finley and understand growing pains were part of the plan. Can he eliminate some of those behind a messy offensive line against a Raiders defense with 20 sacks and 57 pressures? Whether he can or not has much more riding on the outcome than this week alone.
Revving up the running game: Joe Mixon and Co. have been silent for most of the season. The backs themselves, poor line play and equally bad scheme approach played a part. But that started to change out of the bye against the Ravens. Mixon carried it 30 times for 114 yards, and while that isn’t even four yards per tote, it’s a whole lot better than what the team put on the board in the prior eight games. If the ground game can keep trending in the right direction, it betters the chance of a win because it keeps a struggling defense off the field.
Defensive pulse: Is there a pulse at all? Coming out of a bye, the Bengals let the Ravens put up 35 points on just 23:49 of possession at 8.2 yards per pop with a four of six mark on third down. Lamar Jackson is good, but the performance wasn’t exactly out of line with past pre-bye showings. Now the task for the Bengals defense it taking a lengthy trip and attempting to stop stellar rookie running back Josh Jacobs, who has 811 yards and seven scores on a 4.8 per-carry average. Don’t forget Derek Carr, owner of a 70.8 completion percentage with 14 touchdowns against four interceptions. Preston Brown got cut and rookie Germaine Pratt will keep seeing developmental snaps, but will anything change?
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