Cincinnati Bengals: Andy Dalton will open floodgates tonight

Tonight’s rivalry battle between the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns mostly focuses on the Johnny Manziel storyline, since the maligned second-year signal-caller will start with Josh McCown ruled out. However, the quarterback lining up for the other side, Andy Dalton, is a fully legitimate MVP candidate, and he looks poised to bounce back in a big way after throwing his first multi-interception ballgame of the season.

ALSO ON SPIN ZONE: Who are the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history?

I thought the Bengals Week 8 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers would be a shootout with Ben Roethlisberger making his return to the lineup, but, instead, the Bengals toughed out a 16-10 win that was more classic AFC North than anything we’ve seen this season. See, the AFC North is no longer a division based on defense, and the Browns defense is proof of that.

More from NFL Spin Zone

Coming into the season, we thought Cleveland would be strong on that side of the ball with the offense weighing things down, but it’s been the opposite. The offense is 25th in the league in scoring thanks to their complete lack of anything resembling a running game, but the defense has been even worse. Through eight games, the Browns are 26th in the league in scoring defense, are surrendering 7.2 net yards per pass attempt, allow 4.8 yards per carry, and surrender the third-most total yards.

That’s all fantastic news for a Bengals offense that is itching to get back on track after last week’s dud against Pittsburgh, because few offenses have been as prolific as Cincinnati’s this season. With Tyler Eifert and Marvin Jones starring with No. 1 receiver A.J. Green, Dalton has every weapon he could ask for on the 7-0 Bengals. That said, his 107.6 QB Rating has as much to do with his own improvements as a passer as it does to his supporting cast and elite offensive line, and it’s hard to see the Browns coming up with answers against him, especially since Dalton is at home.

Last week, the Browns faced an equally on-fire passing attack against the Arizona Cardinals, and another viable MVP candidate who quarterbacked in Cincinnati, Carson Palmer, tore them to shreds. Whether it was Michael Floyd, Larry Fitzgerald, J.J. Nelson, Troy Niklas, Jaron Brown, or David Johnson, Cardinals skill position players had field days through the air with Palmer tossing them the ball for 374 yards with four TDs and just one pick.

It’s the sort of lackadaisical defensive effort that has plagued the Browns this season, and Joe Haden had himself another disappointing game, cementing his status as one of the season’s worst surprises.

Nov 1, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (14) throws passes during warm-ups before playing the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Haden’s historic success against Green, therefore, might not matter tonight, but it’s not like Dalton has to rely on Green anymore.

As we saw against the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens earlier this season, Jones has more than enough talent to lead the passing attack against teams that spend too much time on Green, and there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that Eifert has blossomed into an elite TE. Throw in some Mohamed Sanu action, and Dalton can have a field day.

Since the Browns are especially susceptible to tight ends and WRs deeper on the depth chart, we could see an awful lot of Eifert and even some more Sanu than usual tonight.

Next: Where does A.J. Green rank among best WRs?

Regardless, Dalton will be facing a pass defense that still needs to figure things out, and it’s much more likely for Dalton to come back to his MVP form after last week’s off game than for the Cleveland defense to suddenly make it all click against one of the NFL’s three best passing attacks.

Home/Cincinnati Bengals