NFL Week 6 Key Matchups: Cincinnati Bengals at New Orleans Saints

Cincinnati is looking to get back to .500 this week in New Orleans.

Author:
Nicole Zembrodt
Publish date:
Oct 15, 2022 1:23 PM EDT

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Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals are searching for their identity through five games. They have experienced plenty of highs and lows so far this season as they try to get things on track.

New Orleans could be just the place to jumpstart this Bengals team. The Saints are depleted with injuries to key players, including Jameis Winston, Jarvis Landry, Michael Thomas, and Marshon Lattimore.

Andy Dalton will get the start for the Saints in place of Winston. Dalton is 2-0 against his former team.

Cincinnati is relatively healthy going into Sunday. Jonah Williams (knee), Tee Higgins (ankle), and Hayden Hurst (groin) are the only players listed with an injury designation. All three are questionable.

Williams and Hurst are expected to play. Higgins will be a game-time decision.

Week 6 is a homecoming of sorts for a number of players on Cincinnati's roster. Will the extra incentive help them prevail in the Bayou?

Let's take a look at the matchups that will likely determine the outcome of Sunday's game.

Matchup of the Game: Joe Burrow vs. Saints Secondary

Joe Burrow and company should take advantage of their opportunity to spark their passing attack in Sunday's game.

Lattimore, the Saints number one defensive back, isn't playing due to an abdomen injury. He usually shadows opposing offense's best receivers and has allowed less than 55% of completions when targeted.

Paulson Adebo has been dealing with an ankle injury that kept him out for the first three weeks of the season. The second-year cornerback has allowed an 81% completion rate since returning. Adebo has been limited in practice this week, but will play.

As a whole, New Orleans' secondary has declined the last two weeks. DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Justin Jefferson, and Adam Thielen averaged 103 yards with a 77.8% completion percentage when targeted. In Weeks 1-3 they held Drake London, Mike Evans, DJ Moore, and Robbie Anderson to an average of 37 yards, with a 45.5% completion percentage when targeted.

Whether Higgins suits up or not, the Bengals have a chance to get Ja'Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd much needed targets after recent frustrations.

Bengals Defense vs. Taysom Hill

Hill is a jack-of-all-trades. Similar to last week with Lamar Jackson, it will take all three phases to stop Hill. He isn't on the same level as Jackson, but he can still beat you in a variety of ways. He can catch, run, and throw and they line him up all over the field.

He's coming off one of his best games of his career last week against the Seahawks. Hill had nine rushes for 112 yards averaging 12.4 yards per carry and four total touchdowns; three on the ground, one in the air. He also recovered a fumble and returned three kicks for 69 yards.

Hill has been a weapon in the red zone. He's second in the league in red zone scoring converting four attempts for four scores.

“It’s hard to score touchdowns in the red zone," Chidobe Awuzie said. "You put him in the red zone, you put him in short-yardage situations and he’s crossing the line every time.”

The Bengals have had success stopping the run in the red zone, holding opponents to just one touchdown on 13 rushing attempts.

Hill saw action on 23 offensive snaps in Week 5, the most in a game this season. He took 11 snaps at quarterback, six in the backfield, and six at wide receiver.

He could see more this week after last week's success and the injuries that continue to plague this New Orleans team.

Bengals Secondary vs. Andy Dalton

Dalton is playing the Bengals for a third consecutive season after his departure from the team following the 2019 campaign. He's beaten them in each of his first two meetings as a member of the Cowboys (2020) and Bears (2021).

He's a proven vet that can lead a team in any situation when his number is called.

"Really smart, obviously talented, knows where to go with the ball, can make all the throws," Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said this week. "He's really calm to get to the protection adjustments, to get to the run checks. He's just a very aware quarterback in this league. Everybody likes being around him. He's still talented enough to do it at a high level obviously."

Dalton likes to get rid of the ball fast. He has the accuracy and velocity to fire darts into tight coverages and windows. His best throws are hitting receivers coming out of their routes.

His aggressiveness can also be a curse. When Dalton is pressured or in the middle of a collapsing pocket, he becomes erratic. He lacks the athleticism to make plays on the move and has a difficult time evading the rush and delivering accurate passes.

Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard need to lead the charge to apply pressure consistently throughout the game with the secondary capitalizing on a poor thrown ball or tipped pass.

Joe Mixon vs. Saints Rush Defense

Mixon shook off recent struggles with one of his best performances of the season against the Ravens. He averaged 5.6 yards per carry on 14 rushes for 78 yards.

Cam Jordan and Marcus Davenport are two of the best edge run stoppers in the league, while Demario Davis and Pete Werner add another punch at linebacker with their physicality and ability to play sideline to sideline. Werner leads the team with 47 tackles, including 37 solo tackles, most in the NFL.

However, the Saints run defense ranks 23rd giving up an average of 130 yards per game. Opposing rushers have been able to bounce off-tackle to get into the second and third levels of the defense. Missed tackles and poor positioning have been a problem for the New Orleans defense as well.

Mixon is a missed tackle machine when he's in his groove. If the offensive line can find the same success they had last week, the running back should be able to find chunk yardage plays throughout the game.

Logan Wilson vs. Alvin Kamara

Kamara rushed over the decade mark for the first time this season in Week 5 (103 yards). Despite being out two games with a rib injury, Kamara leads the Saints with 203 rushing yards.

The running back is best off-tackle. Kamara can make opposing defenders break ankles with his cutback move. He is also one of the most prolific receiving backs in the league with his speed and vision in open space.

Kamara will be relied on heavily Sunday as a result of the Saints injuries both in the run and passing game.

Wilson continues to be one of the best coverage linebackers in the league. He's climbing the ladder as one of the best overall at the position too. Wilson will need to contain Kamara from getting past the second and third levels of the defense for big plays.

Kamara has struggled with ball security early this season. He has two fumbles in the last three games. The Bengals have popped the ball out five times this season with three recoveries.

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