Cincinnati Bengals at Detroit Lions: Three Keys to Victory

The Bengals hit the road to play the Lions on Sunday.

Author:
Elise Jesse
Updated:
Oct 16, 2021 11:13 AM EDT
Original:
Oct 16, 2021

CINCINNATI — The Bengals are hoping to improve to 4-2 for the first time since 2018 on Sunday in Detroit.

The Lions are winless, but two of their last three losses came on last second field goals.

Here are three keys to the Bengals getting their second road win of the season.

Solid Pass Protection

Detroit is having trouble putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks and this is an area where the Bengals can have a big impact on the game’s outcome. Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins was sacked twice last week, but the Lions are 23rd in the NFL in pressure percentage.

Week 6 should serve as a bounce-back game for the Bengals' offensive line after allowing three sacks and eight quarterback hits on Joe Burrow against the Packers in Week 5.

If Burrow has a comfortable day in the pocket, the pressure will fall on Detroit’s secondary that will be tasked with trying to contain Chase. The rookie has been torching everybody in his path, posting 23 receptions, 456 receiving yards, and five touchdowns through his first five career games.

Bonus: Jackson Carman is off of the COVID-19/Reserve list and should be good to go on Sunday.

Feature Joe Mixon

Zac Taylor told the media on Friday that Joe Mixon will not be held back from unleashing his talents on Detroit’s defense after nursing an ankle injury. The NFL’s top five running back has the chance to put up big numbers and take some pressure (not that I expect too much pressure) off of Burrow on Sunday. The Lions have had some trouble stopping the run this year giving up an average of over 130 rushing yards per game, which puts them in the bottom half of the league (23^rd). In Week 5 alone, they allowed Alexander Mattison to go off for 113 rushing yards on 25 carries (4.5 yards-per-carry).

Mixon could be a fun player to watch on Sunday.

Get After Jared Goff

The Bengals' defensive line has a chance to add to their season’s sack number (13) when they face the Lions' offensive line, which has given up 14 sacks. He hasn’t helped himself a whole lot this season as he tends to hang onto the ball a bit too long making him more susceptible to being hit.

That habit can benefit Cincinnati’s ability to disrupt Detroit’s day, get off the field sooner, and put the ball back into Cincinnati’s control en route to a 4-2 record.

For more on Sunday's matchup, watch the video below.

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