Cowboys vs Bengals: 6 things to know about Week 2 opponent

It wasn’t quite the start most Dallas Cowboys fans were hoping for, getting soundly beaten in the season opener. Losing quarterback Dak Prescott for the next several weeks won’t ease fears about a year already on the brink of disaster.

However, the Cowboys cannot sit and pout, they must move forward and that means preparing for the Cincinnati Bengals and the current AFC champions in Week 2. Cooper Rush will get the start at quarterback, and his win last year in Minnesota could give the team some confidence in his abilities in this game.

Beginning the season 0-2 isn’t a death sentence, but it would behoove the Cowboys to win some games without Prescott and starting 0-2 at home isn’t ideal. The Bengals also lost their first game, so they’re looking to avoid an 0-2 hole as well. Desperation is on the line.

Here’s six things to know about the Bengals and the Week 2 matchup.

Due to beat Dallas

Dallas Cowboys At Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals made the Super Bowl last season, and they might be favored in the game, but they haven’t beaten the Cowboys since 2004. That’s an 18-year drought and they were led by quarterback Carson Palmer and running back Rudi Johnson in that game, while Dallas lined up veteran QB Vinny Testaverde.

That game was played in Cincinnati and the Cowboys had a rough year, finishing 6-10. The longer streak is 34 years, which is how long it’s been since the Bengals beat the Cowboys in Dallas. That was the 1988 Super Bowl year for the Bengals.

The Cowboys have to be frustrated after a disappointing loss and need to put together a better showing to keep a fan base from giving up on the season.

Joe Burrow struggled Week 1

Cincinnati Bengals At Chicago Bears

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow led an impressive late season run in 2021, but that didn’t carry over to the start of 2022. Burrow was intercepted four times against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1 and needed some help in getting a late game-tying touchdown to wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.

It was a career high for interceptions and Burrow had to chuck it 58 times to get 338 yards passing. That’s just 6.4 yards per attempt, which ranked in the bottom third in the league for the opening week.

That was a rough outing for Burrow who had an apendectomy in the offseason, but he did go up against a tough defense and lose one of his top receivers (Tee Higgins) during the game. Expecting Burrow to struggle again in perfect conditions this week is probably an exercise in futility.

Ja'Marr Chase is scary good

(Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)

To go along with Burrow’s late season heroics in 2021 and comeback bid against the Steelers, was his partner in crime in Chase. The second-year WR led the Bengals in receptions and receiving yards in the season-opening loss, racing up 10 catches for 129 yards and a score.

The performance was hardly an aberration, in his rookie season Chase put up a stat line of 81 receptions, 1,455 yards and 13 scores. Those numbers put Chase amongst the best receivers in the NFL in his first year in the league.

When Burrow needs a play, he’s looking for Chase, who was his college teammate.

Chase is a nightmare to tackle in the open field and is a game breaker for the Bengals. The Dallas defense better be ready to defend one of the best receivers in the league again this week.

Offensive line a work in progress

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Much like the Cowboys’ offensive line, the Bengals have a unit that’s still a work in progress. The Bengals gave up seven sacks to the Steelers in Week 1, who have one of the best pass rushing groups in the league. Former Cowboys right tackle La’el Collins is among the starting five that will be protecting Burrow, who also got sacked 51 times during the 2021 season.

The Bengals have a tough time keeping Burrow clean, but the QB does hold onto the ball trying to make plays, which accounts for some inflated sack totals. That could mean the Cowboys are in for a big day getting after Burrow, which is a big key to winning this game. Pressure Burrow and forcing turnovers are a path to victory for Dallas.

Defense has pass rushers

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Just like in Week 1, the Cowboys have a tough task to keep the quarterback upright. The Bengals have a good pass rush, led by defensive end Trey Hendrickson. Last season, Cincinnati had 42 sacks on the year and Hendrickson led the way with 14, good for fifth in the league.

Fellow DE Sam Hubbard had 7.5 sacks last year and defensive tackle B.J. Hill pitched in with 5.5 to help the pass rush. It’s a strong group of three that leads the way for the Bengals’ defense and the Cowboys will have to find a way to keep Rush clean in the pocket.

Dallas gave up four sacks in the loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, that number needs to be lower if the team wants to beat the Bengals in Week 2.

Joe Mixon is a load

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One of the biggest problems with the Dallas defense is they have trouble stopping the run. That makes playing against the Bengals another tough outing since they have one of the game’s best running backs in Joe Mixon. Mixon had 145 total yards in the loss to the Steelers, 80 of which came on the ground.

The veteran RB out of Oklahoma finished third in the league in rushing yards last season with 1,205 and has three 1,000-yard seasons under his belt. Expect the Bengals to hand the ball to Mixon a lot, he had the third-most rushing attempts in 2021 and 27 carries last week.

The Cowboys gave up 151 yards on the ground, including 127 to Leonard Fournette. There’s no reprieve for the defense with Mixon coming to town and stopping him will be a tough task.

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Story originally appeared on Cowboys Wire