Tale of the Tape: How the Packers and Bengals match up
The Green Bay Packers will head into Week 5 with a matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals, who had the worst record in the NFL just two seasons ago, are sitting at 3-1 and tied atop of the AFC North with the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns.
Coming into this season, I didn’t have high hopes for the Bengals, especially being in the AFC North, a division that had three playoff teams last year. So far, they are 1-0 in their division after a 24-10 victory over the Steelers in Week 3.
Some could argue that they haven’t played the toughest competition yet. The teams they have played so far this year have a combined 2-10 record. But I’m not going to write the Bengals off yet. I like what I’m seeing from Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati offense. They can only play the teams on their schedule. Their matchup with the Packers should tell us a lot about how good the Bengals really are.
Personally, I think the Packers are going to be in for a tough game on Sunday.
So without further adieu, let’s see how the Packers and Bengals match up heading into this Week 5 contest.
Offense
Packers
The Packers may not be as efficient or as explosive as they were last year, but they are figuring things out. In Week 1, there was nothing to indicate that this team was anywhere near the team they were last year, totaling just 229 total yards.
But since then, the Packers have really turned things around. They have been able to move the ball against the Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, and Pittsburgh Steelers. The 49ers and Steelers are both solid defenses, so the fact that the Packers can move the ball on them is a good sign. Even with MVS out with an injury, the Packers have weapons everywhere.
Aaron Rodgers may not be playing at an MVP level again this year, but he is still one of the best in the game. Since Week 1, Rodgers is averaging 255 yards per game with eight touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran in for a touchdown last week. He’s still Aaron Rodgers.
Bengals
The Bengals have been better offensively than I thought they would have been this year. They took a lot of flack when they drafted Ja’Marr Chase over Penei Sewell in this year’s draft. But the offensive line for Cincinnati has been a lot better than people give them credit for. They have still given up 11 sacks so far this year, tied for the eighth most in the league, but this unit is still better than they were last year.
Chase has been playing well so far this year. He leads the team in receiving yards (297) and receiving touchdowns (four). They have also had solid play out of Tyler Boyd and tight end C.J. Uzomah. And don’t forget about Joe Mixon, who is third in the league in rushing yards with 353 yards through four games.
Unfortunately for the Bengals, their offense is a bit banged up. Mixon (knee) practiced on Thursday and is currently ‘questionable’ for Sunday’s game. Receiver Tee Higgins was limited in Thursday’s practice and is also ‘questionable.’
Verdict
I like where the Bengals’ offense is going, but they aren’t at the Packers’ level yet. But then again, few offenses in the league are.
Advantage: Packers