Cincinnati Bengals: Keys to victory, players to watch vs. Panthers in Week 3

Previewing the Week 3 contest between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Carolina Panthers, looking at the players to watch, keys to the game and more.

After two weeks of games, we are starting to get a decent idea of what teams are going to be successful this season and which will likely end the year in disappointment, including starting to know what to make of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Nothing is set in stone, however. Though teams starting 0-2 have made the playoffs just 10.9 percent of the time since 2007, we’ve still seen at least one do so in each of the past five seasons. The percentages are surprising on the other end as well: only 57.1 percent of teams who’ve gone 2-0 (just as Cincinnati has done so to start 2018) have ended up reaching the playoffs.

With so much yet to be decided, every game is of course important to the Bengals’ efforts to end their hiatus from the playoffs at two seasons.

Week 3’s foe — the Carolina Panthers — will surely want to do their part to keep that streak going while preventing themselves from falling in two straight contests. To figure out who will win this battle, here’s what to pay attention to:

Can Carolina’s Run Game Be Stopped?

Carolina has long been a team built on a strong rushing attack during Cam Newton’s tenure as their starting quarterback. Though there may have been initial worries regarding how new offensive coordinator Norv Turner would decide to formulate his gameplan, it appears it still will always be constructed around having run game lead the charge — and Newton will continue to be an integral piece of that ground-bound attack.

Through two games, the team is again proving to be one of the league’s best at picking up yardage through running the ball. While no one player has had a game where they have eclipsed 58 yards (Newton did so on 13 carries against Dallas in Week 1), and no running back has surpassed 50 yards (Christian McCaffrey did so on 10 carries against Dallas), the team has racked up over 120 yards on the ground as a team in each of their two games so far.

They sit at fourth in rushing yardage so far, and are No. 1 in yards per rush (5.4). To beat them, you must stop them in their tracks and force Newton (and his 58.7 career completion percentage) to complete a bunch of passes.

Do the Bengals have what it takes to make that happen? As talented as their defensive line is, the major strengths of that group lie mainly in their ability to rush the passer. The superstars (Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap) can do both at a high level, but the others may be a bit more limited in that regard.

If Carolina is going to be slowed down, Cincinnati needs at least a couple of their non-stars to step up in a big way against the run in this matchup. Ryan Glasgow is already proving good on that end, but his rotation mate Andrew Billings has to start putting his size to use in games that matter in his role at nose tackle.

Michael Johnson has long been better against the run than as a pass rusher off the edge, but an injured knee could hinder him (if he plays at all); in his place, young guys Jordan Willis and Sam Hubbard must be ready to handle that same role.

Should this line be able to step up against a weakened Carolina blocking unit, Cincinnati could take command of the game and force the Panthers to play away from their core strengths. That’s a big if, but to have a quality shot at winning on the road it feels like something the Bengals must accomplish.