THE Cincinnati Bengals are on the brink of a lost season while Joe Burrow was arguably the best quarterback in the NFL.
What started as a season with Super Bowl aspirations sees the Bengals with less than a 5% chance of making the playoffs. The Bengals (4-8) will need to come out on top and make the Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers lose most of the remaining games to qualify for the playoffs.
The Cowboys (5-7) are in a similar situation to the Bengals. Dallas currently has a 7% chance of making the playoffs, according to NFL playoff photo. This would increase to 10% in the event of a victory on Monday evening.
Here’s how the Bengals claim victory on Monday:
Keep Joe Burrow up
Burrow leads the NFL in passing yards and Ja’Marr Chase leads the NFL in receiving yards, catches and touchdowns. The Bengals will not have Orlando Brown Jr. at left tackle on Monday and Chase has been limited in practice but is expected to play. Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons, one of the best in the NFL, leads Dallas’ front seven with 6.5 sacks and the Bengals will have to limit his opportunities to get to Burrow if they want to have a realistic chance of winning.
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Dallas’ defense ranks seventh in the NFL with 34 sacks, while the Bengals are tied with the Miami Dolphins for the second fewest sacks in the league with 21.
Bengals defense must leave the field on third down
The Bengals and Cowboys are both last in the NFL in defensive scoring – 28.3 points per game allowed by both. They are also nearly identical in opponent scoring percentage, average plays per drive, and yards allowed per drive. The key to this game will be forcing Dallas to punt and get more possessions for Burrow and the offense.
The Bengals’ season hasn’t gone as planned, largely due to their 1-7 record in one-score games. Getting off the field on third down and winning the turnover battle will be key for the Bengals. Cincinnati’s defense had a pick six against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, but forced just one punt in the 44-38 loss at Paycor Stadium.
Cade York impresses his girlfriend
Bengals kicker Cade York replaces Evan McPherson, who was out for several weeks with a groin injury, and Monday night will be a homecoming for the McKinney, Texas, native. York, the 23-year-old LSU product revealed this week that he was dating Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Zoe Dale.
“My girlfriend is actually a cheerleader for the (Dallas) Cowboys,” York said. by Joe Danneman of Fox 19. “She got baptized that Sunday, so it was awesome to be able to do that and all her teammates were able to come watch. And then literally the next day I get a call saying I’m going to practice for the Bengals, and they’re playing on Monday. I was like, “Well, Zoe, I’ll see you at home no matter what.”
McPherson was ranked 33rd in the NFL in field goal shooting at 72.7% and York is last as he missed both field goals attempted for the Washington Commanders earlier this year.
This article originally appeared on the Cincinnati Enquirer: Bengals vs Cowboys, keys to NFL Week 14 matchup
