Can the Cardinals conjure up ‘Bad’ Andy Dalton 2 weeks in a row?

Danny Kelly: This week has a few really interesting games and the first one that really pops is that Bengals-Cardinals tilt on Sunday Night Football. Both teams have played extremely well this season and if it wasn't for Cincinnati's stumble last week against the Texans, this game might be getting tons of hype. As it stands, it's still probably the best game on the slate, and I love the matchup on paper.

On one side, you've got Carson Palmer slinging the rock downfield with ridiculous accuracy and consistency, and on the other side you've got the Bengals' excellent secondary to counter that. I honestly don't know who has the edge here, but I tend to lean toward Palmer and Arizona's offense.

Here's why: I thought the Seahawks' and the LOB would give Palmer more trouble last week — Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, and even Cary Williams have done a really good job of keeping most everything in front of them and limiting big plays this season (and in previous seasons), but in the end, even with crazy pressure from Seattle up from 30 pressures, Palmer threw three dimes for touchdowns, which was enough to get them the win.

Stephen White: I do think the Bengals defense can match up well with the Cardinals offense. Led by defensive tackle Geno Atkins and left defensive end Carlos Dunlap up front, the Bengals have the ability to generate a lot of pressure with just their front four. That means they shouldn't have to blitz unless they choose to, and we know that with Palmer loving to throw the deep ball, those routes usually take a little more time to develop. Secondly, the Bengals can be flexible with coverage on the back end. They play all kinds of zone and aren't afraid to go man-to-man either.

I'm not altogether sure it won't come down to what the Bengals offense and Andy Dalton will be able to do against a very strong Cardinals defense. We finally caught a glimpse of what I like to call "Bad Andy" last week, but I do have to point out that he was plagued with several drops as well. Still, it was the first time this season he has completed less than 60 percent of his passes, the first time he passed for less than 200 yards and didn't throw a touchdown pass (that's actually pretty damn impressive in hindsight). Oh, and he also took four sacks which tied his season high.

Not a good performance by any means. His team could not overcome it against the Texans. Think about that. The Texans, with the suspect secondary play most of this season, kinda sorta shut Dalton down last week. Now, Dalton and the Bengals offense face a much stronger challenge with the Arizona. That Cards secondary is immensely talented, and Arizona may have turned a weakness into a strength when they signed Dwight Freeney after Alex Okafor got hurt. With Okafor healthy and Freeney running with fresh legs around the edge and Calais Campbell and Frostee Rucker wreaking havoc inside, the Cardinals now have the ability to get after the quarterback pretty well their damn selves.

Danny: It's going to be so interesting to see how Dalton stacks up with the Cardinals elite secondary. A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert have been his biggest weapons this year, so you know they'll look to target those guys early and often, and Eifert in particular has been such a dangerous joker piece in the redzone for them. He leads the NFL in receiving touchdowns (9) and already has 40 catches on the year, showing how big of a target he's been for Andy Dalton, a key piece for Dalton's consistent success this year (up until last week). Not coincidentally, Eifert had three key drops in last week's game and I'm guessing Dalton's line would've looked a lot better if the normally sure-handed tight end would've come down with those passes, and the Bengals might've even won (you never know how it changed things). So, my point is: Eifert's been a huge part of the reason the Bengals have been so good on offense this year, and it just so happens that the Cardinals are the best team in the NFL at defending tight ends, per Football Outsiders' DVOA.

The other question I have about Cincy's offense is: what has happened with Jeremy Hill? The dude was one of the best runners in the NFL last year, rushing for more than 1,000 yards in just eight starts, but has just 359 yards this year in nine starts. Do you think his running has dropped off? Has the blocking regressed? What's the deal with Hill?

Stephen: With Jeremy Hill I don't know that he has fallen off, really. I look back at last year and can't help but notice that every single time he actually went for more than 100 yards rushing it was on 20+ carries. He hasn't even touched 20 carries in any game so far this season. Hill is mostly a power back who has more wiggle and speed than a man his size probably should. He is most effective in my opinion after he has worn the opposition down and then he ends up busting a big one. Interestingly enough, the only time his backfield mate Giovani Bernard has gone more than 100 yards this season was also the only time he had 20 carries this year.

This weekend, however, I don't think it's going to happen. The Cardinals are fourth in the league against the run right now, surrendering just under 93 yards on the ground each week. Teams just aren't finding much success on the ground against them to the point where many don't even try. The only running back to go more than 100 yards all season on the Cardinals is Rams rookie Todd Gurley, but you look at some of the other games and the rushing totals of the opposition are positively anemic.

Danny: Sticking with running backs, I've been a little surprised to see Andre Ellington take a back seat in the game plan for the Cardinals. I don't think he's a feature back (last year proved that), and I'm not advocating that the Cardinals turn him into one — plus the results don't lie with Chris Johnson — but Ellington is such a dangerous weapon on the ground and through the air that it's been a little odd to see him become little more than a player that comes in to spare the starter a few times a game.

Take the Seahawks game as an example: while Chris Johnson slogged for 2.3 yards per carry on 25 totes, Ellington made the most of his opportunities and rushed for 61 yards on five carries, including the back-breaking 48-yard touchdown run with 2:07 remaining. He also added 27 yards on three catches. He's an explosive play just waiting to happen, yet in the last five games, his carries have been: 5, 3, 5, 1, and 3. He's said that the way they've used him has meant that his legs are fresher so there's something to limiting his touches, but I would like to see them alter the ratio a little bit. Maybe I'm just biased because I've liked Ellington since he was at Clemson, but if I'm the Cardinals I'm finding ways to get him onto the field more — perhaps, interestingly enough, in a similar manner as the Bengals use Gio Bernard.