The Chargers’ ability to keep Trey Hendrickson off of Justin Herbert will go a long way in allowing the Chargers to play keep away from the dangerous Bengals offense.

This week we are joined by Anthony Cosenza of SB Nation’s Cincinnati Bengals community, Cincy Jungle, to help us preview this week’s primetime matchup on Sunday night.

Let’s go ahead and dive right in!

1.) I think it’s fair to say that any year where the Bengals have a losing record while Joe Burrow is healthy, it’s a disappointment. What’s happened this season that’s caused the underwhelming record up to this point? What do the Bengals need to do to turn it around before the season is a wash?

Joe Burrow has been largely superb this year, save for a game or two. He’s at or near the top in nearly every major passing statistic and has four games of three or more passing touchdowns this year.

The defense has been a disappointment, particularly against quality opponents. Garnering pressure from someone not named Trey Hendrickson, tackling and spotty coverage have all been issues. They have problems coming up with the timely big play, forcing Burrow to be Superman.

And, while Burrow has largely lived up to that expectation, this whole team has problems shutting the door on opponents. “The clutch gene” that defined this team’s big runs in 2021-2022 isn’t there and a big reason why they’re 4-6.

2.) Edge rusher Trey Hendrickson is having a heck of an individual season through the first 10 weeks, having crossed into double-digit sacks and tackles for loss. What makes him so successful at wreaking havoc in the backfield?

He has an unbelievable motor and strength. His hand placement when getting into a lineman causes them to get off-balance and then Hendrickson is on the quarterback before you know it.

If you turn on the game against the Raiders a couple of weeks ago, it was a little bit of everything and one particular instance was Reggie White-esque. He doesn’t get the hype that T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett receive (both amazing players in their own right), but Hendrickson is right up there with them, in terms of productivity and wreaking havoc on offenses.

3.) If you were Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman, how would you go about attacking this Bengals defense? What are the unit’s weakest links? Are there any under-the-radar players that are worth highlighting ahead of Sunday night?

I would use Justin Herbert’s amazing skill set to what he does best. Cincinnati’s defense has had a couple of games wherein they play about 2.5 quarters of good defense and then it falls apart.

Corner Cam Taylor-Britt played at a Pro Bowl level last year, but has dropped off dramatically this year. Herbert has a somewhat underrated mobility aspect, so off-script plays wherein Bengals defenders are tasked to cover for long periods of time are effective.

If the Chargers are effective at limiting Hendrickson’s impact (a big ask), they’ll have success on offense.

4.) If you were Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, how would you attempt to stop this dynamic Bengals passing attack led by Ja’Marr Chase? Are there any other players besides Chase that Minter must be prepared for?

This is a tougher assignment for the Chargers than other teams in recent weeks because of the expected return of Tee Higgins. While Cincinnati put up points without him and found other avenues of success, the 6’4” Higgins is a difference-maker with tough catches over the middle and in the red zone.

Really, one of the best hopes is to limit the running game (which has been fairly easily for opposing defenses this year) and hope that Burrow commits the rare, timely turnover. Otherwise, despite the Chargers’ newfound physical nature, Cincinnati should make their share of plays with the weapons they employ.

5.) Go ahead and give us a few lines on how you see this game shaking out on Sunday night and don’t forget to top it all off with a final score prediction.

I kind of feel that this has a Chargers win written all over it, with the likelihood of a lot of points scored by both teams. I do think there’s an outside chance Cincinnati wins because they realize the gravity of this game for the rest of their season and Higgins’ return. The Bengals are 0-1 lifetime against Jim Harbaugh as a head coach.

I’ll say Chargers win by 3-4 points, but it wouldn’t be a total shock if the Bengals pull out a squeaker to turn the tide of their season.