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KEY MATCHUPS
NOVEMBER 19, 2006
All signs point to another shootout. A former NFL club football executive (The Guru) and a current personnel director on a team not in the Bengals division (The Chief) break down Sunday's game and give the edge to the Saints because of home field and questions about the Bengals defense against another high-scoring offense. The Guru: The Bengals are coming off a very tough loss. They finally get the offense going and the defense couldn't stop the Chargers when they had to. What really hurts is that they did a pretty good job on LaDainian Tomlinsion and Antonio Gates, but then you can't let two backup guys (wide receiver Malcom Floyd and tight end Brandon Manumaleuna) hurt you like that. Certainly on paper it looks like their defense should be playing better than it is. It very well could be another high-scoring game. The thing Cincinnati has going for it is New Orleans isn't very big on defense. The Chief: I couldn't believe they lost when I saw the scores coming in. I figured here they go, their offense is back. And I think their offense is back, but the crowd noise is going to be a definite factor. I think the Bengals can outscore them. They won't score 41, but I think they can hit 30. So it's on the defense again. When you're scoring like that, all it takes is a couple of stops. All you have to do is be able to volley.
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