Cowboys vs. Bengals preview: Is there room for two more contenders?
The Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals will be looking to create their own space as contenders when they meet on Sunday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
The league isn’t sure what to make of the Cowboys (3-1). They’ve been winning with rookie quarterback Dak Prescott, who hasn’t been intercepted in 132 pass attempts, and a mix-and-match defense which ranks 18th in the NFL.
Dallas is on a three-game winning streak, which includes a come-from-behind 24-17 road win at San Francisco last week.
Cincinnati (2-2) has made five consecutive playoff appearances, but has lost in the first round each season.
The Bengals dipped below.500 for the first time in 50 games when they won their opener at the New York Jets then lost games at Pittsburgh and at home against Denver. They beat Miami last week to even their record.
TCU ex Andy Dalton has a passer rating of 93.8, but it includes 1,234 passing yards and 8.45 yards per attempt. Wide receiver A.J. Green already has 32 catches for 468 yards.
The season is only at the first-quarter mark, but the league is taking notice of the plight of the Cowboys and Bengals. The Cowboys have postseason thoughts. The Bengals are looking for more than a first-round exit.
Here are some other notables:
▪ Dallas leads the series 7-4, including 5-1 as the home team.
▪ Sunday’s game will be Cincinnati’s first regular-season visit to AT&T Stadium in Arlington. The Bengals played a preseason game there in 2013.
▪ Marvin Lewis is in his 14th season and is the longest tenured coach in Bengals history. Paul Brown (1968-75) and Sam Wyche (1984-91) each coached eight seasons.
▪ Dallas has scored a touchdown on 66.7 percent of their red zone trips. Cincinnati has scored a touchdown on 30.8 percent of their red-zone trips.
▪ Dallas is first in the NFL with 99 first downs.
Statistical comparisons
Cowboys | Bengals | |
Record | 3-1 | 2-2 |
Scoring average | 25.3 | 19.5 |
Opp. Scoring average | 19.3 | 20.5 |
Total offense | 395.8 | 371.8 |
Rushing | 149 | 80.8 |
Passing | 246.8 | 291 |
Total defense | 358.3 | 322.8 |
Turnover margin | +3 | +1 |
Penalties/yards | 22-179 | 12-95 |
Dallas Cowboys regular-season schedule | |||
Sept. 11 | Giants 20, Cowboys 19 | ||
Sept. 18 | Cowboys 27, Redskins 23 | ||
Sept. 25 | Cowboys 31, Bears 17 | ||
Oct. 2 | Cowboys 24, 49ers 17 | ||
Oct. 9 | vs. Cincinnati | 3:25 p.m. | KTVT/11 |
Oct. 16 | at Green Bay | 3:25 p.m. | KDFW/4 |
Oct. 23 | Bye | ||
Oct. 30 | vs. Philadelphia | 7:30 p.m. | KXAS/5 |
Nov. 6 | at Cleveland | Noon | KDFW/4 |
Nov. 13 | at Pittsburgh | 3:25 p.m. | KDFW/4 |
Nov. 20 | vs. Baltimore | Noon | KTVT/11 |
Nov. 24 | vs. Washington | 3:30 p.m. | KDFW/4 |
Dec. 1 | at Minnesota | 7:25 p.m. | KXAS/5, NFL Net. and Twitter |
Dec. 11 | at NY Giants | 7:30 p.m. | KXAS/5 |
Dec. 18 | vs. Tampa Bay | Noon | KDFW/4 |
Dec. 26 | vs. Detroit | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
Jan. 1 | at Philadelphia | Noon | KDFW/4 |
This story was originally published October 6, 2016 at 10:07 AM with the headline "Cowboys vs. Bengals preview: Is there room for two more contenders?."