5 things to know about the Cincinnati Bengals
The Raiders visit the Cincinnati Bengals at 10 a.m. Sunday. The Bengals are coming off a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Here are five things you need to know about the Raiders’ Week 15 opponent:
1. Driskel earning his stripes
Jeff Driskel became the Bengals’ starting quarterback after Andy Dalton suffered a thumb injury in Week 12 against the Cleveland. The injury sidelined Dalton for the rest of the season and Driskel will make his third career start Sunday. In Driskel’s previous two starts, he went 53 for 64 for 406 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Sunday will be the fourth time in six games where the Raiders play against a starting quarterback with less than 16 career starts.
2. Mixon it up a bit
Running back Joe Mixon is closing in on 1,000 yards, a first for the Bengals since 2014. Despite missing two games this season, Mixon has rushed for 866 yards and a team-leading seven touchdowns. Mixon ran for 111 yards last week against the Los Angeles Chargers. The second-year running back is looking to bolster his numbers against a Raiders run defense that ranks second-worst in the NFL.
3. Grass isn’t always Greener
The Bengals lost another key piece to their receiving corps this week. A.J. Green underwent season-ending surgery to his toe Tuesday. Green joins tight end Tyler Eifert on the injured reserve list. Green injured his toe against Tampa Bay in Week 8 and missed the team’s next three contests. He returned against Denver in Week 13, but played in only 17 snaps before leaving the game. Green was tied with Tyler Boyd and John Ross for the most receiving touchdowns on the team (6). Wide receiver Cody Core saw an uptick in production during Green’s injuries and could see more than half of the team’s offensive snaps.
4. Nobody’s Burfict
The Bengals rank dead last in a few spots on defense. The Bengals have the worst run defense in football, allowing 148.1 yards per game. Opponents have ran for at least 200 yards in three of their previous five games. The Bengals also are last in points allowed per game (30.5).
5. The Benga”LLLLL”s
The Bengals started the season 5-3. Their playoff hopes have all but vanished since their bye week. They are tied for the longest active losing streak in the NFL with five straight losses — alongside the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers. Yet, the Raiders haven’t won in Cincinnati since 1995.
More Raiders: Follow at reviewjournal.com/Raiders and @NFLinVegas on Twitter.
Contact Chris Booker at cbooker@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Bookerc94 on Twitter.
