Chicago Bears (3-2) at Cincinnati Bengals (4-2)
Think Cincinnati RB Cedric Benson is motivated at all this week against the Bears? Of course Benson was the fourth overall pick in the 2005 draft by Chicago but never lived up to his billing there. He said the Bears basically blackballed him in the NFL, but Benson also did get arrested twice for alcohol offenses. Between that and his struggles on the field, the Bears had no use for him.
But the Bengals took him off the scrap heap last year and he did pretty well, earning a full-time job this season. And Benson has taken off, ranking third in the NFL in rushing with 531 yards. His 127 carries lead the league.
“I definitely feel more accepted here,” Benson said of comparing Cincinnati and Chicago. “I found a way to make things work with what’s given to me here. Just feel more accepted.”
However, Benson really shined in the Bengals’ first five games against teams that ran 3-4 defenses. Last week against Houston’s 4-3 scheme, he had just 43 yards on 16 carries. He’ll face a Bears defense (a 4-3) that ranks sixth in the NFL. The Bengals are 24-1 under Marvin Lewis when the team rushes 25 times or more.
Cincinnati averages 351.7 total yards an game, the worst for any winning team in the league. But that’s still an improvement of 106 yards for the Bengals over their league-worst average in 2008.
Meanwhile, the Bears lost last Sunday night to Atlanta – their only two losses this season have been in Sunday night game, and Jay Cutler struggled in both of those. Last week, he threw his third red-zone interception of the season and couldn’t get Chicago points on two other deep drives. On Tuesday, he signed a two-year contract extension.
The Bears certainly need more from Matt Forte. The second-year running back has been a disappointment so far this year. He has more fumbles (three) than touchdowns (one) and is averaging just 3.4 yards per carry. Cincy’s run defense is No. 11 in the NFL.
The Bears’ offensive line catches a break in that Cincinnati defensive end Antwan Odom, second in the league with eight sacks, was lost for the season with a torn Achilles’ tendon. The other Bengals have a total of eight sacks.
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