All Bengals Staff Makes Picks For Week 9 Matchup With Panthers

Cincinnati is hoping to improve to 5-4 on the season.

CINCINNATI — The Bengals are shorthanded going into Sunday's game against the Panthers, but they desperately need a win ahead of the bye week. 

Will they get it done? Here are our staff predictions:

Elise Jesse, All Bengals Insider

Season Record: 4-4

For the love of football do not pay attention to the records in Cincinnati’s Week 9 game with the Panthers. Carolina is playing good football right now and they can be a dangerous match up for the Bengals injury riddled defense.

D’Onta Foreman went off against Atlanta last week racking 118 rushing yards on his way to three touchdowns and the Bengals are still without star nose tackle DJ Reader.

Then they have a D.J. Moore problem to deal with without top cornerback Chidobe Awuzie.

I’m worried about the condition of this defense with the additional injuries of Mike Hilton and Josh Tupou and the hope is that Lou Anarumo has something fresh dialed up for Sunday.

Joe Burrow and his offense need to find a rhythm and do what he’s been asking for all season which is to start fast and put points up on the board. They’re facing a defense that held the Buccaneers to just three points but turned around the next week to give up 406 total yards against the Falcons. They rank 20th against the pass and 23rd against the run.

With Ja’Marr Chase healing on the sidelines they’ve got to find a way to establish their run game to open up the offense. Mixon had just 27 rushing yards on Monday and that’s not going scare off or keep any defense honest.

The Bengals actually have to try to run the ball to be effective, they rank near the bottom in rushing yards and only attempted 10 carries all game against the Browns.

I think this game will be another close one but Cincy wins it in overtime. 

Prediction: Bengals 24, Panthers 21

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Russ Heltman, All Bengals Contributor

Season Record: 4-4

This team looked like the 2020 Bengals without Chase in Week 8. I didn't expect his absence to have that much of an impact, but here we are.

The passing game crumbled as it did throughout Burrow's rookie season, with Tee Higgins as the top option. The Browns treated second downs like third downs because they knew Cincinnati couldn't run (10 team carries, franchise-record low), leading to a pinned-back front sacking Burrow five times. The most allowed in one game by Cincinnati since Week 2.

The Bengals couldn't get anything going on the ground because Joe Mixon's production continues its season-long case for a benching. Alas, no one will pull the trigger on that front. He is 50th out of 53 qualified rushers in yards after contact and 33rd in attempts per broken tackle. All to average a disastrous 3.3 yards per carry (50th among RBs).

Don't blame the offensive line either—they rank eighth in ESPN's run block win rate (winning 73% of rush snaps).

The lack of self-awareness to bench Mixon is one of the dooming factors this season. He will struggle again on Sunday against Derrick Brown (fourth in defensive tackle run stop win rate), leading to easily defined passing scenarios, and more issues for the Bengals' tackles against Brian Burns (five sacks, t-17th), and Matthew Ioannidis (ninth in DT pass rush win rate).

PJ Walker makes just enough plays against what is now arguably a bottom-five cornerback unit due to injury, and the Panthers' rushing attack controls the game. Carolina beats the Bengals, placing Cincinnati in a rough spot heading into the most-difficult remaining schedule in the league by DVOA. 

Prediction: Panthers 20, Bengals 17 

Nicole Zembrodt, All Bengals Contributor

Season Record: 4-4

At the start of the season, this game appeared to be a sure win for the Bengals. That isn't the case anymore. Although Cincinnati are favorites in this one, Carolina shouldn't be taken lightly.

The Panthers have nothing to lose. They're 2-6, starting a rebuild after trading away Christian McCaffery and Robbie Anderson, and P.J. Walker is QB1 after beating out Baker Mayfield for the spot even with Mayfield coming back from injury. Yet, they can surprise you.

Not all hope is lost in Cincinnati after the disappointing start to the season and a loss last week. They know they have a big task ahead of them the rest of the season, but are motivated to go into the bye 5-4. Sunday's game isn't pretty, but they squeak by with a win as they enter a much needed bye week.

Prediction: Bengals 23, Panthers 20

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Blake Jewell, All Bengals Contributor

Season Record: 5-3

Despite the Bengals poor play last week, I think they are clearly the better team in this matchup. With the bye week coming up, this is a perfect chance to figure some things out offensively that can help them finish this season strong. I think they put up a better performance this week and the defense does enough to get it done, even without Awuzie and Reader.

Prediction: Bengals 28, Panthers 17

Mike Santagata, All Bengals Film Analyst

Season Record: 4-4

After last week, it's hard to have any confidence in this team. The Bengals offense looked terrible again and the defense lost another key piece in Awuzie.

The Panthers provided a ton of excitement in their loss to the Falcons. They have pieces that could give the Bengals trouble too in Brian Burns and some physical cornerbacks.

I think ultimately the Bengals bounce back at home. It will be a close game, but Cincy's offense should be better this week and I trust coach Anarumo to give the defense a boost.

Prediction: Bengals 24, Panthers 21

Lindsay Patterson, All Bengals Contributor

Season Record: 4-4

Nothing would surprise me when it comes to this game. Monday night was brutal for almost every Bengals player and losing Awuzie felt worse than the loss. Now they are going into the game before the bye dealing with injuries to two top defensive players and the best offensive player. They need to get Higgins and Tyler Boyd involved and maybe even Hayden Hurst. I don't have much faith in the run game right now, but it would be great if they could find it to balance this offense and give Burrow a break. They need this win going into a much needed bye week. I don't think it's pretty and I don't see them hitting 30 points, but they get back to a winning record on Sunday.

Prediction: Bengals 26, Panthers 20

Andrew Miller, All Bengals Video Editor

Season Record: 4-4

Coming off an embarrassing Monday night loss and a short week to adjust, Sunday has the makings of a trap game for the Bengals at home. The Panthers are finding some momentum with a change both at the quarterback position and their head coach, and their defense is capable enough of putting pressure on Burrow and his receivers. I don't expect the Bengals to suddenly figure out how to establish the run or move the ball consistently without Chase, but I do expect Burrow to bounce back this week. Despite the injuries to Cincinnati's defense, I think there will be several critical turnovers that both Burrow and Evan McPherson will capitalize on to get the Bengals a narrow, much-needed victory before their bye week.

Prediction: Bengals 20, Panthers 16

James Yarcho, All Bengals Contributor

Season Record: 4-4

Many aren't surprised that the Carolina Panthers improved following the dismissal of head coach Matt Rhule. What is surprising is how competitive they've been without Christian McCaffrey and with Walker at quarterback. Moore looks like a brand new person and the offense suddenly moves the ball well with Foreman emerging as the lead back.

However, this also isn't an offense that can keep pace with a Bengals team determined to show that Monday was a fluke and that even without Chase, they can put points on the board with the offensive weapons they have. Bengals take this one with relative ease and send the Panthers crashing back to earth. 

Prediction: Bengals 30, Panthers 10

James Rapien, All Bengals Publisher

Season Record: 4-4

The Bengals desperately need a win and will play with more urgency on Sunday. Injuries will keep this game close, but Burrow will have a nice day and Boyd should get 10+ targets. McPherson kicks three field goals, including a 45-yarder to win it late in the fourth quarter and the Bengals enter the bye with a 5-4 record.

Prediction: Bengals 23, Panthers 20

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