Cincinnati offense vs. Seattle defense

	BENGALS OFFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	Run	9
	Pass	21
	Tot. Yds.	18
	Scoring	30
	Int's allowed	9
	Sacks allowed	27
	SEAHAWKS DEFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	vs. Run	22
	vs. Pass	23
	Total yds. allowed	24
	# of Ints.	17
	# of Sacks	21
	Turnover differential	+2

QB Akili Smith's turf toe injury could keep him out this week and the team would be better off with Jeff Blake at the helm. With Smith, the Bengals have all but ignored the deep passing game and they aren't doing a good enough job of exploiting the middle of the field. WRs Darnay Scott and Carl Pickens will have a tough time beating Seattle's bump-and-run coverage, which puts a great emphasis on getting TE Tony McGee involved. McGee is a veteran guy has a knack for getting open but he needs to start holding onto the football.

Lack of continuity and injuries along the offensive line will be the Bengals' downfall on Sunday. Blake, who was relatively efficient in the second half last week after taking over for Smith, must make quick reads and get rid of the ball in rhythm for Cincinnati to have a chance. ROT Willie Anderson and ROG Brian DeMarco will not likely play, forcing Jamain Stephens and Jay Leeuwenberg into the fold.

The Seahawks' front four did a tremendous job of getting pressure on Favre last week without relying too heavily on the blitz. RDT Cortez Kennedy, who registered three sacks against Green Bay, and LDT Sam Adams will be too much for the Bengals to handle. It will be imperative for Cincinnati to run the ball well early in order to set up the play-action passing game, which is the only way to slow down Seattle's active duo. The pressure generated up front resulted in four interceptions by defensive backs last week, which underscores the receiving skills of defensive coordinator Jim Lind's ball-hawking secondary.

Cincinnati did not get the type of production they needed from RB Cory Dillon last week, which caused the defense to log too many minutes. Dillon ran 14 times for 32 yards -- 22 of which came on one play -- and his fumble opened the door for a quick Jacksonville score. The Bengals will have success on the ground if Dillon can find the cutback lanes that are created by Seattle's flowing linebackers. Green Bay piled up 125 yards rushing last week against the Seahawks because Dorsey Levens ran patiently and took advantage of over-pursuit. The Bengals don't normally run a lot of misdirection plays so look for them to implement a few backside screens to get Dillon in the open field.

The key for the Cincinnati on Sunday will be to get penetration from NT Kimo Von Oelhoffen. If the Bengals can disrupt Seattle's running game, it will allow them to gear their schemes toward the pass -- an area in which they simply cannot rely upon personnel to get the job done. A huge deficiency all season for defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau's unit has been the lack of run support by the secondary.

One reason for Watters' outburst last week was the blocking he received from WRs Derrick Mayes, Sean Dawkins, and Mike Pritchard. Seattle's receivers are not very physical but they do an excellent job of shadowing defensive backs and they should have the upper hand against a young secondary that isn't crafty enough to slip these blocks.

A recent rash of injuries has left Cincinnati's secondary extremely vulnerable. This was not a talented group to start with but an injury to starting LDC Roosevelt Blackmon will force either Ty Howard or ex-starter Rodney Heath into the lineup. The Seahawks like to target a specific cornerback more than most teams so expect Kitna to look prominently to the left side of Cincinnati's defense. The Bengals cannot afford to give QB Jon Kitna ample time in the pocket because he has the accuracy to feast on this banged-up unit. Look for the Bengals to increase their blitz frequency this week because lack of pressure has only further exposed the suspect secondary. The linebacker corps has played well all season but regressed last week, failing to flow to the ball like in games past. LOT Walter Jones must rebound after a poor outing a week ago against Green Bay's Vonnie Holliday. While he played exceptionally well in the run game, Jones was uncharacteristically beaten for two sacks around the edge. Cincinnati's RDE Jevon Langford, who is sackless at this point, should not pose such a threat.

Cincinnati is the kind of team that needs production from its special teams and they didn't get any last week. While they didn't particularly hurt the club, the Bengals special teams needs to provide more impact plays. P Will Brice's struggles are not helping the team in regard to field position and he must get his accuracy problems figured out before he faces Seattle rooke Charlie Rogers, who was held check last week by the Packers.