Bengals Must Stop Philip Rivers on Sunday, Ravens Sign Babin
Just one of four teams in the AFC North won in Week 1. The Cincinnati Bengals beat the Oakland Raiders to open the season and now face the San Diego Chargers in Week 2.
Paul Guenther the defensive coordinator for the Bengals wants his defense to remember how it prepared for the Atlanta Falcons last season in Week 2 after winning its opening game.
The Bengals will be at home against the San Diego Chargers this Sunday and the DC wants his players to mix up their looks, fly to the ball, stop the run and pressure the passer. It is what he wants each week. Last season his team defeated Atlanta in Week 2 24-10 and he wants a similar result this year.
The Bengals played well during Week 1 in their defeat of the Raiders, but will be facing Philip Rivers who passed for over 400 yards in the San Diego Week 1 win over the Detroit Lions.
Guenther says he has great respect for Rivers, calling him tough and more like a linebacker than a quarterback.
One thing Cincinnati will have on its side is history. The Bengals in six games against Rivers have never allowed the quarterback to have a passing day of 400 yards. His biggest day against a Cincinnati defense was 338 yards in his first game against the Bengals back in 2006 in a game won by San Diego 49-41.
However, over the past four games against Cincinnati, including a playoff game in 2013, Rivers has a combined three touchdown and three interceptions along with 8 sacks and an average of just 229 yards per game.
Like Atlanta last season after Week, 1, the Chargers come into the game against Cincinnati with the league’s top-ranked offense.
The Bengals will have their hands full, but should find a way to win.
In other AFC North news, the Baltimore Ravens signed Jason Babin a veteran linebacker to a one-year contract on Tuesday.
The signing of Babin gives the Ravens depth at pass rushing after the team lost Terrell Suggs its all-time leader in sacks to an Achilles injury that ended his season.
Babin has relentless energy on the field and will fit in well with the Ravens type of defense.
Last season with the New York Jets, Babin had two sacks over the 16 games he played as just a situational player in pass rushing downs.
The Jets released him September 5 to save $1.5 million on the salary cap.
With seven teams in his 11-year career, Babin has 64.5 sacks.
