After being crowned AFC North champs with last week’s win against the Chiefs, the Cincinnati Bengals have nothing to really play for on Sunday night at the Giants Stadium finale. The Jets, on the other hand, will be playing for an AFC Wild Card spot, which simply means they’ll get in with a win.
Bengals on Offense
Even though this game has no bearing on the standings for Cincinnati, Marvin Lewis plans on playing the starters and keeping the momentum up for the playoffs. But Solomon Wilcots of NFL.com feels that Rex Ryan’s pressure defense may force Lewis to rethink his approach and take Carson Palmer out in order to keep him fresh for the post season. One player who has made it clear all week that he’ll be playing the whole game is Chad Ochocinco. Besides thriving under the Sunday night lights, Ocho has had a verbal exchange with Pro Bowl CB Darrelle Revis all week and will enjoy the personal challenge of matching up against the NFL’s best. Cedric Benson, who missed a couple of weeks with a hip injury earlier this season, could use some rest after all the carries he’s had. This will give backup Larry Johnson a chance to prove himself against a tough Jets defense. But regardless of who actually ends up playing for Cincinnati, Rex Ryan and his squad will absolutely go full-throttle with their playoff hopes on the line. Bart Scott, David Harris and the rest of the top-ranked defense (1st in points allowed, total yards allowed, and pass yards allowed) will be blitzing Carson Palmer hard or whoever else is under center.
Jets on Offense
Sunday’s game will showcase some other key matchups besides Revis on Ochocinco. Mark Sanchez and his receivers, namely Braylon Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery, will face a Bengals secondary with solid playmaking ability. Led by CBs Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall (who have 6 picks each), Cincinnati’s secondary has been able to neutralize top receivers with their physical play and with help up front from guys like Antwan Odom, who leads the team with 8 sacks. How effective the Jets can move the ball aerially will be dictated by how comfortable Mark Sanchez is in the pocket and how well he can make decisions under pressure. Sanchez leads the AFC with 20 interceptions, so the Jets are likely to rely heavily on the running game to take pressure off the rookie. This brings us to another key matchup- Thomas Jones and Shonn Green vs. the Bengals 2nd ranked run defense (87.7 rushing yards allowed). Jones has been a workhorse for the Jets all season and is the quiet MVP for them. His durability will test the banged-up Bengals and take pressure off Sanchez.
Despite Coach Lewis’ agenda, Cincinnati will probably end up resting its starters or pulling them early. I see the Jets coming out strong at home; the fact that they control their own destiny will work in their favor and they should embrace it.
Prediction
NY Jets 24
Cincinnati 13
By Asaf Winer
