First look: Bengals vs. Seahawks

The Bengals are off to one of the best starts in franchise history following a 36-21 home victory over Kansas City last week. This is only the fourth time the Bengals have started 4-0 and the first time since 2005. The Bengals once again featured a balanced offense (26 rushes, 24 passes) and the defense produced five sacks and forced a turnover.

Seattle evened their record with a 13-10 prime time victory over Detroit at home on Monday Night Football – even without Marshawn Lynch. Lynch should be back this week, and he’s needed – the Seahawks have struggled to protect Russell Wilson and get any semblance of a passing game going. That said, Lynch hasn’t been totally able to make up for a poor offensive line with just 128 yards in three games at 3.4 yards per carry – a career low to this point.

Since Pete Carroll took over as head coach in 2010, Seattle is 10-6 in the Eastern Time zone. Good football travels, but considering the Seahawks are 84-51 overall under Carroll, they don’t win as much out East. And, Seattle is 2-3 in games played the Sunday after a Monday night.

Doc's TML: Looking forward to Bengals' O vs. Seahawks' D

Seahawks of note on offense

TE Jimmy Graham

The 6-foot, 7-inch Graham is the newest addition to the Seahawks offense, but it has taken a while for him to find a rhythm with Russell Wilson. Graham averaged 137.8 targets a year his last four years in New Orleans, but through four games he’s seen the ball just 23 times total (18 catches) in a run-first offense. It was a totally different offense, but last year the Bengals held him to 3 catches for 29 yards in a victory over the Saints.

WR Doug Baldwin

Seattle doesn’t have a typical “number one” receiver, but the 5-10 wideout is about as close as it gets. He bears watching namely because of the success other opponent's top pass catchers have experienced the last two weeks against the Bengals secondary. Steve Smith Sr. and Jeremy Maclin have combined for 25 catches, 334 yards and 2 TD.

WR/KR Tyler Lockett

The 5-10 rookie speedster out of Kansas St. will be looked at with longing eyes by many Bengals fans, who felt the team should have selected him before the Seahawks nabbed him in the third round. He isn’t much of a factor yet in the offense, but he’s made an immediate impact on special teams with a 57-yard punt return for a touchdown and a 105-yard kick return for a score.

Seahawks of note on defense

LB Bobby Wagner

He is the center of the Seattle front seven, and the Seahawks run defense is again in the top 10 (ninth). The All-Pro is the man most often around the ball. In the 11 games he played last year, the Seahawks allowed just 73.4 yards rushing per game on 3.1 yards per carry and three scores. In the five games he missed, opponents rushed for 99.4 yards per game at 4.0 yards per clip and scored five times.

DE Michael Bennett

First-year defensive coordinator Kris Richard is still bringing the pressure from all over with exotic pre-snap looks, but the 30-year-old Bennett remains a force off the edge of the line with two sacks, especially when additional pressure is brought on his side, either by a linebacker or defensive back.

S Kam Chancellor

The Seahawks allowed 61 points and 546 passing yards and went 0-2 during his holdout. They allowed 10 points and 266 passing yards and are 2-0 since he returned. Of course, those first two games were on the road and included a tilt with Aaron Rodgers and the last two were at home and included Jimmy Clausen. But, Chancellor isn’t just an emotional leader – he’s really good in all facets of the game, from coverage to run support to rushing on a blitz to blocking kicks. He also won the game on Monday by forcing a Calvin Johnson fumble.

Bengals Beat Podcast: Week 5

Quick facts

TV: FOX with Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (analyst), Erin Andrews (sideline).
Radio: WLW-AM (700), WCKY-AM (1530) and WEBN-FM (102.7).

Line: -3

Last week: Bengals beat Kansas City 36-21; Seahawks beat Detroit 13-10.

Scheduled uniform: Black jerseys, white pants.

Key numbers

18.1

Points allowed by the Seattle defense on the road since 2012.

1

Touchdowns the Seahawks have scored in the first half this year.

Connections

• Quarterback Russell Wilson was born was Cincinnati and spent two years here before his family relocated to Virginia, where he spent the rest of his childhood and attended high school.
• Wide receiver Chris Matthews played two seasons in Lexington, Kentucky playing for the Wildcats from 2009-10. In those two years Matthews caught 93 passes for 1,279 yards.
• Defensive tackle David King was signed off the Bengals practice squad on Dec. 11, 2014. He played in three regular season games for Seattle at the end of last year, along with the Seahawks’ playoff victory over Carolina.
• Running backs coach Sherman Smith is a Youngstown native and played at Miami University where he went 33-1-1 as a quarterback and helped win a Mid-American Conference title before going to the NFL to play running back for the Seahawks. He also coached at his alma mater from 1990-91.