Cincinnati Bengals 'Great Matchup For Us' Says Seattle Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll

The Seattle Seahawks face Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, and head coach Pete Carroll is looking forward to the matchup.

The Seattle Seahawks are fresh off their early bye week and currently sit at 3-1 after the first month of the season. But now comes perhaps their toughest test of the season thus face - Joe Burrow and the somewhat resurgent Cincinnati Bengals.

While their record of 2-3 doesn't exactly tell the whole story, the Bengals have won two of their last three games, including a 34-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals last week.

Seattle coach Pete Carroll knows that his team will need to be at its best on Sunday if it is to win its fourth straight game.

“These guys are just a really good club," Carroll said of the Bengals. "They had a couple of games that got away from them, but they have all of the experience, and they’re coached really well. They’re really good on (special) teams and defense and all aspects of their games. It’s a great matchup for us. We have a lot of regard for these guys. We’re going to have to play really well to have a chance to get them at their place. Hopefully, we can match wits and match the hits on game day and see if we can’t get ourselves a win.”

One thing that the Seahawks will need to stop is the connection between Burrow and receiver Ja'Marr Chase, who, last week against the Cardinals, were borderline unstoppable.

Chase had 15 receptions on 19 targets for 192 yards and three touchdowns as the Cardinals' defense had no answer.

Joe Burrow and the Bengals present a difficult challenge for Pete Carroll and the Seahawks on Sunday / Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

The Seahawks' defense, led by Bobby Wagner, Devon Witherspoon, and the returning Jamal Adams, will need to be at their best as the Chase and Burrow combination has every chance of wrecking the game for Seattle.

And Carroll knows how devastating the duo can be.

“Joe Burrow is a terrific quarterback," Carrol said. "He’s a big-time QB. Their coach really loves to throw the football and utilize and trust him, and they have terrific receivers. Ja’Marr (Chase) happens to be their top guy. You can’t have a bigger game than three touchdowns and 19 targets and all of that. All of the balls that he took to the house were phenomenal. They’re loaded, but that’s not all. Joe Mixon is a great player too, and he makes their running game. They just have everything that you need.”

So the Bengals have several ways to slice a defense apart, and coordinator Cliff Hurtt will no doubt devise a game plan to stop the deadly duo.

The Seahawks have bounced back from their Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, but they will face their biggest test on the road against Burrow and Chase.

At the beginning of preseason, many were high on the Seahawks as a genuine playoff team and possibly more. Well, on Sunday, we will get a clearer understanding of exactly where they sit in the pecking order.