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This game is . . .
. . . a toss-up.
Talking about the New York Jets-Cincinnati Bengals game.
The announcement that Andy Dalton will start at quarterback for the Bengals was bad news for the Jets.
It’s not that he’s an elite quarterback, but he has so much more experience than rookie Ryan Finley, so Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams will have to be a little more cautious with his attacking approach.
Also, Dalton will have a luxury for this game, he did not have during the first eight weeks of this season as the starter, before being replaced by Finley – he will have Cordy Glenn at left tackle.
A big problem for the Bengals offense this year has been the left tackle position.
They lost first-round pick Jonah Williams to a season-ending injury before the season, and Glenn was out with a concussion the first 10 games of the regular season.
So they were forced to play Andre Smith out of position at left tackle, and guess what – he got hurt. Smith is a right tackle.
Last week, we wrote about Oakland Raiders rookie defensive end Maxx Crosby amassing four sacks against the Bengals two weeks ago. The reason we wrote about it was because the Jets were going to face Crosby with the Raiders coming to town.
Crosby is a nice looking rookie, but that four sacks game was terribly misleading. The Bengals were forced to play guard John Jerry at left tackle. It was a disaster. He doesn’t have the feet and athleticism for the position and Crosby beat him for four sacks.
Against the Jets last Sunday, Crosby wasn’t nearly the game-wrecker he was against the Bengals and Jerry.
Getting Glenn back, a former Bills first round pick, and a legit left tackle, is a game-changer for the Buffalo offense, especially against the Jets, a team without much of a pass-rush.
The last time we saw the Jets pass rush flash was in their win over the Football Giants, when Jordan Jenkins beat backup left tackle Eric Smith for a couple of sacks.
It’s one thing to beat up on a journeyman backup left tackle, but another to beat legit starting offensive tackles.
Last week, even in a blowout win over the Raiders, the Jets pass rush was substandard. The Raiders have two very good offensive tackles in Trenton Brown and Kolton Miller, and the Jets’ edge rushers were underwhelming against this pair.
So it’s hard to seem them lighting up Glenn and Bobby Hart, two long-time NFL starters.
And the interior of the Bengals offensive line is pretty good with guards John Miller/Billy Price and center Trey Hopkins.
So it’s unlikely the Jets pedestrian pass rush, which needs reinforcements next off-season, will get a ton of pressure on Dalton, and Dalton with time, is a decent quarterback with a ton of experience.
So with the return of Dalton and Glenn to the line-up, this game is a toss-up, and anybody labeling this a “trap game” isn’t exactly a Mensa candidate.
November 28, 2019
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