Fresh off their latest disappointing loss, the New Orleans Saints look to add some distance between themselves and the rest of the NFC South. They'll have their hands full Sunday with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Bengals vs. Saints 2014 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online
Two struggling teams look to break out of slumps in New Orleans.


The Bengals, like much of the AFC North, have alternated between dominance and being a doormat all season. They began the year 3-0 and appeared to be one of the conference's best teams. Coming out of the bye, however, Cincinnati looked borderline inept against the New England Patriots. It wasn't until Week 8 that the Bengals won an October contest. Andy Dalton performed inconsistently during that stretch before bottoming out in Week 10, when he posted a single-digit passer rating. Because Giovani Bernard will likely not play, the top healthy back for Cincinnati will be Jeremy Hill. The LSU product has played reasonably well, rushing for 404 yards at a clip of 4.7 per carry.
The Saints lead their division despite having lost more games than they've won, including a heartbreaking OT loss to the 49ers last week. Drew Brees has morphed into a turnover machine, tossing three interceptions over the past two weeks. New Orleans has won only one road game all season, a 28-10 decision against the similarly struggling Carolina Panthers. The Saints may be the best team in the NFC South, but it's clearly the worst division in the league.
Dalton's performance last week was one of the worst in league history by a quarterback. He attempted 33 passes, completing only 10 of them to his teammates. Three other passes landed in the hands of Browns defenders. Dalton totaled just 86 yards and averaged a mere 2.61 yards per attempt.
While Brees remains a fairly accurate passer (68.4 percent completion), he hasn't produced enough scores to offset his many turnovers. Through the Saints' nine games, Brees has 18 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. His struggles have understandably impacted his receivers. Jimmy Graham leads the group with 594 yards, but only a 10.6 yards per catch average. Top wideout Marques Colston is on pace for just 853 yards, the lowest total since his injury-shortened 2008 season. Rookie Brandin Cooks has picked up some the slack, totaling 500 yards on 48 catches. However, like Graham, he's averaging below 11 yards per catch.
The Bengals enter Sunday’s game with a record of 5-3-1. The Saints come in at 4-5.
How to watch
Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans
When: 1 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Announcers: Greg Gumbel, Trent Green, Evan Washburn
Online streaming: Verizon NFL Mobile
Odds
The Saints are 7.5-point favorites, according to OddsShark, with the over/under set at 51.
Further reading
For more on the Bengals, check out Cincy Jungle. For additional coverage of the Saints, head on over to Canal Street Chronicles.











