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KEY MATCHUPS
OCTOBER 19, 2008
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The Bengals continue their run into the NFL's elite defenses with backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and a buzz that has left the sawdust of an 0-6 record. Going by this week's NFL stats, the Steelers' second-ranked defense is the fourth top six defense the Bengals have played this season. Without convening a focus group, the Bengals.com roundtable puts a win in the Steelers column. "I think if they had Carson Palmer at home they would have a decent shot of winning but you can't say that with him not playing," says The Guru, a former top football executive in the NFL. "It's a shame how badly the offense has played this year because with the way the defense has played, they really ought to be 4-2." "Fitzpatrick did a better job of managing the game last week," says The Scout, who evaluates personnel in several pro leagues. "But they don't have a good enough defense that matches up with that kind of offense. The defense is keeping them in games. I think they are playing hard for (Marvin Lewis) ... but the offense needs to score and a backup quarterback against an aggressive pass rush is a tough matchup." "The Bengals do have a good matchup against the Steelers in the sense that Fitzpatrick is a smart guy," says The Eye, an NFL scout familiar with the AFC North. "When you get into a game against a (coordinator) Dick LeBeau defense, it becomes a chess match and knowing who is coming and how many."
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