The Carolina Panthers will attempt to cushion their lead on the NFC South when they travel to Cincinnati to challenge the AFC North leading Bengals on Sunday afternoon.
Panthers vs. Bengals 2014: Division leaders looking for big win
Two division winners in 2013 and leaders in 2014 face off when the Cincinnati Bengals host the Carolina Panthers.
Joe Robbins
The 3-2 Panthers looked dead in the water just two weeks ago, losing consecutive games to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens by a combined 75-29 margin. Carolina was able to rebound last week with a comeback win over the Chicago Bears, and is now back on top in the NFC South. The Panthers won the division last year, despite a 1-3 start. It's becoming clear this team is capable of overcoming poor starts.
As for the 3-1 Bengals, they'll try to defend their turf and rebound from their first loss of the season last week against the New England Patriots.
Cincinnati opened the year with three convincing wins that led some to label them as the best team in the league. The loss to New England shook that confidence and now the club will look to prove that they are worthy of the early season praise.
Digits
Carolina will find it tough to get the win this week when it hits the road to face a Bengals squad that hasn’t endured a regular season home loss since Dec. 9, 2012. The Bengals have won 11 straight games at home since then, including an undefeated 8-0 mark last year.
However, the Bengals are coming off a demoralizing 43-17 beatdown at the hands of the Patriots. Leading up to that game, Cincinnati was being touted as one of, if not the best teams in the NFL, and dreams of a Super Bowl berth were suddenly becoming realistic.
That is, until the Patriots hammered them on the ground, rushing for 220 yards against a defense that ranked fifth against the run in 2013. Carolina probably won’t be as successful on the ground, since the Panthers rank 30th in rushing yards per game (74.8).
Was last week an aberration, or a sign of things to come for Cincinnati? The Bengals need to rebound this week to keep pace with the 3-2 Steelers and 3-2 Ravens in the AFC North. Carolina also needs to keep distance in the NFC South ahead of the 2-3 Atlanta Falcons and 2-3 New Orleans Saints.
Who to watch
Cam Newton -- Entering a contract year, Newton was expected to put up big numbers on the ground and through the air. However, a rib injury has forced him to rely more on his passing abilities and less on his feet in order to preserve his health.
Newton has rushed for a mere 42 yards through four games, a rate of 168 yards over a 16-game season. Newton rushed for at least 585 yards in each of his first three NFL seasons.
Though he’s been limited on the ground, Newton has become a more efficient passer, highlighted by his 94.6 QB rating. He’s never finished with even a 90 rating in his first three seasons. Through four games, Newton has thrown for 983 and five touchdowns against just one interception.
Giovani Bernard -- The Bengals will likely be without both of their starting receivers Sunday. A.J. Green and Marvin Jones combined for 3,138 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns in 2013, but both are expected to be held out Sunday.
The man who finished third on the team in receptions behind those two was running back Giovani Bernard. As a rookie in 2013, Bernard caught 56 balls for 516 yards and three touchdowns to go with 695 rushing yards and five scores. This year, Gio has 14 catches for 158 yards to go with 247 rushing yards and three scores.
With Green and Jones likely out against Carolina, Bernard figures to get a lot of targets in the passing game to go with the 17 carries per game he’s averaging.
How to watch
Where: Paul Brown Stadium
When: Sunday, Oct. 12, 1 p.m. ET
TV: Fox
Online Streaming: Verizon NFL Mobile, NFL Sunday Ticket
The Venue
The Bengals haven’t lost in the friendly confines of PBS since December of 2012. The stadium opened in 2000, and it was named after the Bengals’ founder, Paul Brown. PBS holds 65,535 fans and utilizes synthetic turf for its playing field.
Odds
The Bengals are seven-point favorites at home, according to OddsShark. The over/under for the game is 43.5 points.
Preliminary judgment
Most experts are picking the Bengals to hold serve at home, including all seven here at SB Nation, six of the eight at CBS Sports and all three at Yahoo! Sports.
Further Reading
For more on the Bengals, be sure to read Cincy Jungle. For everything Panthers, check out Cat Scratch Reader.
See More:
