Cincinnati Bengals – 2017-18 NFL Season Analysis

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Key's To Success:

Stay Healthy Offense! - The 2016 season was a tough one for Cincy, as they had to go most of the year without several playmakers on the offensive side of the ball. Both wide receiver A.J. Green and running back Giovani Bernard only played in 10 games, while tight end Tyler Eifert only played in 8 games. Even the other running back in this backfield tandem, Jeremy Hill, was hindered by an injury toward the end of the year. These players are all integral parts of the Bengal's pass attack and without them last year, their offensive stats showed lackluster numbers. The 2016 offense finished as 9th worst in terms of points per game at 20.3, although they still managed to be the 13th best offense in terms of yards. However, everyone knows that in the NFL yards do not mean a thing if you cannot score! Just to show how important it is to have these guys on the field and healthy together, in the 3 games that A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert played in together, the Bengals put up 26 points per game, while just 19 PPG in the other 13 match-ups. When this offense is healthy, they can be unstoppable, especially now that they added 9th overall selection in the draft, John Ross, a WR out of Washington, and second rounder, Joe Mixon, a RB out of Oklahoma. There are already injury concerns on the defensive side of the ball as starting safety, Shawn Williams, has already suffered a dislocated elbow this preseason and may miss 4-6 weeks or more. This means the Cincinnati safety core will be by-committee until the starter returns. However, If this offensive unit can stay healthy, there will be a lot of problems stopping it, making this Cincinnati Bengals team a real wild card within the AFC North division.
Bengals source
Bengals source

Young Talent - The Bengals had a total of 11 draft picks in this years NFL draft. The first two picks brought in previously mentioned receiver, John Ross, and running back, Joe Mixon. These two added to the explosive Bengal's offense could be very fun to watch. In the following picks, the Bengals focused a little more on their front seven on the defensive side, drafting three defensive lineman, two ends and one tackle, all taken in the third and fourth rounds. The 73rd selected, Jordan Willis, DE from Kansas State, pick 116, Carl Lawson, DE from Auburn, as well as 138th picked, Ryan Glasgow, DT from Michigan, will look to make names for themselves as the team prepares for the 2017 season. It is important that these guys get off to a good start as the Bengals lost two big defenders this year as they saw both LB's, Karlos Dansby and Rey Maualuga leave. Along with the drafted rookies, the Bengals signed LB Kevin Minter to hopefully fill some of the roll left behind by the departed backers. This defense is young so the offense will have to step up to the plate if these Bengals want to compete this year.

Player’s To Watch:

RB Giovani Bernard
After tearing his ACL in week 10 of last year, the 5th year back out of North Carolina will be looking to get back to his old ways as a very versatile back. Gio has amazing catch passing abilities and will be huge for the Bengals on 3rd down situations. Although he is mainly known for his pass catching out of the backfield, Bernard is also quick and can do some damage running the ball to, as his career yards per carry are 4.2 yds over 583 career rushes. If he can remain healthy and bounce back from the 2016 injury, look for Giovanni Bernard to have a breakout year with the potential to have more than 8 touchdowns through the air and on the ground combined.

Giovani Bernard Career Stats

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WR A.J. Green
Another injured Bengal in 2016, A.J. Green is looking to get back to his old ways as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. Going on his 7th year in the league, this University of Georgia product is the real deal, finishing his first five seasons with over 1,000 yards receiving. He would have reached that number in his 6th season, last year, if it weren't for injury, as he went for 964 yards in just 10 games. A.J.'s 6'4, 210 pound frame allows him to catch the jump balls and break tackles, while his athleticism and speed allows him to break free of defenders and consistently be a potent deep ball threat. The Bengals offense runs around this freak of an athlete. Look for him to have another pro-bowl season.

A.J. Green Career Stats

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WR John Ross
The number 9 pick in this years NFL draft, the University of Washington wide receiver has amazing talent, which should be able to translate directly towards success within the Bengals offense immediately. It sure helps that he will be able to split the field with A.J. Green, Tyler Eifert and other potent weapons, but this guy should make a name for himself with or without these guys. In his senior year at Washington, Ross finished with 1150 yards on 81 receptions and 17 touchdowns! Not only is he a fast receiver that will fit perfectly into the slot, he can also return kicks if needed. He is quick with the ability to change direction on a pinpoint and has unreal speed when he gets into the open field. After all, he did run a 4.22 second 40 yard dash time at the combine, breaking fastest combine record held by speedster running back Chris "CJ2K" Johnson of 4.24 seconds.

John Ross College Stats

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Washington WR John Ross III 2016 Highlights

Key Matchups:

Week 2: September 14 8:25 PM ET vs. Houston Texans
Week 11: November 19 4:25 PM ET @ Denver Broncos
Week 13: December 3 8:30 PM ET vs Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 17: December 31 1:00 PM ET @ Baltimore Ravens

Bengals Schedule

Key Departures:

LB Karlos Dansby
LB Rey Maualuga
OT Andrew Whitworth
G Kevin Zeitler

Key Additions:

DE Chris Smith
LB Kevin Minter
OT/G Andre Smith

Transaction Log

Chris Smith, A defensive end who spent the first three years under the radar with the Jacksonville Jaguars, playing in only 19 games over that span, has been discovered by the Bengals. In 2016, Cincinnati's Defensive coordinator, Paul Guenther, was watching film preparing for a preseason game against the Jags where he found this golden discovery. When he asked former Bengals tackle, Andrew Whitworth, if he watched Smith on film, he responded with, "man this kid is really good." The Bengals hope this signing will turn into a diamond in the rough as they need help on the defensive end after losing crucial pieces due to free agency. So far so good as he is proving to put great pressure on QB's thus far in the preseason.

Chris Smith source

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2017 Draft Class:

Round 1, No. 9 overall: John Ross, WR, Washington

Round 2, No. 48: Joe Mixon, RB, Oklahoma

Round 3, No. 73: Jordan Willis, DE, Kansas State

Round 4, No. 116: Carl Lawson, DE, Auburn

Round 4, No. 128: Josh Malone, WR, Tennessee

Round 4, No. 138: Ryan Glasgow, DT, Michigan

Round 5, No. 153: Jake Elliott, K, Memphis

Round 5, No. 176: J.J. Dielman, C, Utah

Round 6, No. 193: Jordan Evans, ILB, Oklahoma

Round 6, No. 207: Brandon Wilson, CB, Houston

Round 7, No. 251: Mason Schreck, TE, Buffalo

2017 Bengals Draft Class source

Can the Bengals finally get by the Steelers and Ravens in the AFC North?

Prediction:

Bengals go 9-7 and will need some luck to get into the playoffs as a Wild-Card

Cincinnati Bengals Website: http://www.bengals.com/

Thank you for reading
-- @ndre1224 --

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32 Teams in 32 Days - Countdown to the NFL Season

Day 1 - Oakland Raiders

Day 2 - San Francisco 49ers

Day 3 - Kansas City Chiefs

Day 4 - New York Jets

Day 5 - Atlanta Falcons

Day 6 - Green Bay Packers

Day 7 - Minnesota Vikings

Day 8 - Dallas Cowboys

Day 9 - Buffalo Bills

Day 10 – Denver Broncos

Day 11 - New York Giants

Day 12 – Jacksonville Jaguars

Day 13 – Pittsburg Steelers

Day 14 – Baltimore Ravens

Day 15 – Houston Texans