Five Key Matchups: Bengals vs. Broncos
What does Emmanuel Sanders have in store for a repeat performance after last week's dominant game vs. the Patriots.
For the first time since Emmanuel Sanders injured his ankle against the New York Giants, he feels completely healthy. That's what he told media Thursday, and it showed vs. the New England Patriots. The Broncos receiver played his best game of the season as he totaled six catches for 137 yards. Adam Jones will do his best to slow down the speedy receiver, but it could be tough to stop Sanders from turning in a repeat performance.
C.J. Anderson said linebacker Vontaze Burfict got him just once when Anderson was playing at Cal and Burfict was at Arizona State. Anderson, though, made Burfict miss at least a couple times. They'll get another chance to play against each other Sunday when Burfict and the Bengals come to town. Should Anderson establish himself in the running game, the Broncos will be well positioned to pick up their first win since Oct. 1. And if he's to do that, he'll likely have to go through his former Pac-12 opponent.
Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis spoke highly of running back Joe Mixon this week, and he's looking for even more from the rookie as the season progresses. "He's really developing," Lewis said. "He's had some explosive plays for us, and we're just trying to — week in and day in and day out — keep him more consistent in some of the running tracks we're asking him to do and make every run a masterpiece, and don't worry about the next one or the last one. Make this one the special one. He's done well. He's got a great disposition about him, and he's going to be a fine player for a long time." Brandon Marshall will aim to make sure this isn't the week that Mixon takes another step forward.
In his three games back from injury, Shane Ray has yet to record a sack. He'll try to erase that skid Sunday — and make a game-changing play against Andy Dalton in the process. The Bengals' quarterback has been sacked 25 times, which is the fifth-highest total in the league, so there should be opportunities. If Ray or Von Miller or Shaquil Barrett can make a play, the Broncos' defense should be in good shape again.
The best one-on-one battles football has to offer are often between dominant wide receivers and cornerbacks. Today's matchup between Aqib Talib and A.J. Green should easily fall into that category as Green fights to create separation against one of the NFL's most dangerous ball-hawking defenders. Few players have the bigplay ability that Green has, and his stats -- 39 receptions for 578 yards and four touchdowns -- bear that out. But Talib matches up against Green well as an agile and physical cornerback who can bait receivers and quarterbacks into dangerous plays. The Broncos' defense has taken some lumps over the past two weeks against the Eagles and Patriots, and the secondary has not been exempt. As a captain, Talib will have to help the group reset after the losses and resume its usual dominant performance. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton must solve a difficult riddle today: Against the "No- Fly Zone" and the man with the fourth-most interceptions returned for touchdowns, how much can he risk trying to make a big play to his best receiver?
