NFL
By: Jalen Willingham
The Cincinnati Bengals will travel down south to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 15 of the 2022 NFL Season.
When: Sunday, December 18
Network: CBS
Offense
The Bengals finally got a win over the Browns but it came with a cost. Both Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins missed the entire game and will be questionable going into Tampa Bay. Wide receivers Trenton Irwin and Trent Taylor are substitutes that I definitely trust if they are needed. Tight end Hayden Hurst will also miss his second straight game as well. Depth is going to be key on both sides of the ball for Cincinnati. Tampa Bay is also dealing with injuries. They will be without Vita Vea, Carl Nassib, and Jamel Dean. Even with Boyd, Higgins and Hurst all banged up, I still trust Joe Burrow to go win the game.
The Burrow to Chase connection should prove to be pivotal once again this week. Chase will most likely be matched up with rookie cornerback Zyon McCollum if Sean Murphy-Bunting doesn’t play. Chase should have his way with McCollum. With Joe Mixon back in the lineup, the one-two punch with him and Semaje Perine is definitely worth watching in both the run and passing attack. Buccaneers linebacker Devin White can be quite the playmaker, but he has also been very inconsistent this year. Cincinnati can’t let him find his stride. Right guard Alex Cappa will be returning to Tampa for the first time since his free agency departure. I expect him to make sure he looks good against his former team.
I expect the Bengals to put up a lot of points. On paper, Tampa’s defense has its work cut out for them. With the Buccaneers missing key players on their defense, particularly involving their pass rush, I think Cincinnati’s offensive line will be able to stand tall and give Burrow clean pockets that allow him to push the ball downfield and pick Tampa apart.
Defense
I was very pleased watching the Bengals shut down Cleveland on Sunday. Nick Chubb was held to 34 yards for the game while Deshaun Watson only had one touchdown with an interception to go with it. Tampa Bay presents a different challenge. Even though it’s a down year for the team, it’s never smart to underestimate Tom Brady. The Cincinnati defense will be without defensive end Trey Hendrickson and cornerbacks Mike Hilton and Jalen Davis. Second-year player Joseph Ossai will fill in for Hendrickson while rookie Daxton Hill will play in the slot.
I trust the Bengals to stand tall in the running game, especially versus a weak running offense such as Tampa. I don’t like the idea of throwing out two rookie corners against Brady, but I do want to see more of Daxton Hill and his full skillset. It will be Cam Taylor-Britt, Daxton Hill, and Eli Apple against Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Julio Jones. While this would’ve been a nightmare in the making last year, the young guys still have to step up. Brady leads the entire NFL in both passing attempts and completions. That doesn’t hold as much weight however due to the fact that the Tampa Bay offense ranks in the bottom of the league. They’ve also struggled to score in the red zone as well.
Cincinnati has also not allowed a quarterback to throw for 300 yards this season. Even though the Buccaneers’ offensive line is banged up, I don’t expect the pass rush from the Bengals to go crazy due to them disappearing against even worse overall offensive lines. I do think that they will cause some pressure to force Brady to rush through his progressions.
Prediction
Bengals win 31-20
