The Bengals just got BAD news...

The Bengals just got some bad news. Last Sunday, the offense with the fewest yards in the NFL walked into Paycor Stadium and put up 36 points on the Bengals. Tennessee came in at 1-6 and left with 440 yards of offense. It was the most points the Titans had scored in a game in five years. The Bengals still won in overtime, but that's the whole season in one game. They win, But it never feels safe. Five of their seven games have been decided by a touchdown or less. Tomorrow morning, they play the Falcons in Madrid, and Atlanta is coming off a 16-0 loss in Tampa. A team that just got shut out should be the game that the Bengals control. Miami was 0-4 and Tennessee was 1-6, and those games got scary too. Quick thing first, Bengals Digest just got over 6,000 subscribers and the goal is 7,000 by the end of the season, so if you watch these, hit subscribe. Let's start with the fourth quarter, because that's where most of these games got close. It started in week one. They led Tampa Bay 27-10 in the third quarter, and it was 27-20 going into the fourth. The Bengals have allowed 48 points in fourth quarters this season. In Miami, they led 28-10 going into the fourth against a Dolphins team that was 0-4. Miami won that quarter 14-3 and scored with 45 seconds left to make it a one-score game. In Pittsburgh, they led 27-24 in the fourth, and Chris Boswell kicked two field goals to beat them 30-27. Jacksonville is the one loss where they never led at all. It was 22-10 in the 4th before they scored. Last week, Tennessee scored 15 in the 4th and took a 36-29 lead with 3 minutes and 46 seconds. Joe Burrow had to drive 81 yards to tie it and then run it in himself in overtime. He threw for 462 yards and 5 touchdowns and it was barely enough. Burrow even said it himself after After the game, we lose that game for the last three years And that's great and works. Up until the week the offense doesn't show up and that's how the people trading on this game see it too. This video is brought to you by Kalshi. On Kalshi you're trading directly against other users not the house like a traditional sports book. So you're buying yes or no contracts on the outcome of events across sports, politics, even the weather. For example the Bengals and Falcons game. Right now people have the Bengals at 61% to win the Falcons Hawkins at 39. That line jumped around early and is settled at 61% for Cincinnati, so you can trade it either way depending on how much you trust this defense. If you're interested in trying out Cal, you should use the link in the description and pin comment and use code DIGESTNFL to get $55 added to your account instantly when you trade your first $25. Now here's why 61% is not a lock. Atlanta is going to run the ball because Two teams already ran all over this defense. Miami ran for 217 yards on the Bengals in Week 5, and Tennessee ran for 158 last week. In the other five games, nobody ran for more than 140, so this isn't every week, but it's the weeks that they get worn down. Tony Pollard alone had 117 of those yards, including a 40-yard touchdown run. Jordan Battle didn't hide from it after the game. He said, missed tackles, that's not our standard. He also said the Titans' run pass options gave the defense bad eyes. Guys reading the wrong thing at the wrong time. And now they face Bijan Robinson. Atlanta's other back, Brian Robinson Jr., is out with a hamstring, so we expect Bijan to carry most of the load. Bijan has 780 rushing yards in eight games this season. In September, he ran for 194 yards and two touchdowns against Green Bay. Even in the shutout at Tampa, he got 19 carries for 76 yards, so Atlanta keeps feeding him no matter the score. As a team, Atlanta runs for 135 yards a game, and the Bengals give up 122. So you gotta stop Bijan on 1st and 2nd down, and Atlanta has to throw on 3rd down, which is the next problem. 3rd down has been a mess for this defense all year. Opponents have converted 43 of 91 3rd downs against the Bengals. 47%. Baltimore went 9 of 16 on 3rd down in a game that the Bengals won by 22. Pittsburgh went 7 of 12, and that one they lost. The one week they shut it down was Houston, 5 of 17 on 3rd down, and the Texans scored 6 points all day. Now the good news? Atlanta's offense converts just 33% of its 3rd downs. In Tampa last week, Michael Penix completed eight of his 24 passes. He threw four interceptions, and the Falcons didn't score a point. Get Penix into third and long, and the Bengals should win that matchup. The question is, who's covering? The back end has been shuffled a lot lately. Kyle Duggar is out for Madrid with a quad injury. DJ Turner hurt his heel against Tennessee, and Zach Taylor called him day-to-day with a good chance to play. Rookie edge rusher Cassius Howell had wrist surgery and went on IR. Cedric Johnson, who has two sacks, is questionable with an ankle. And against Tennessee, Takario Davis got benched, Dax Hill sat out a drive, and Josh Newton played most of the snaps. Cam Ward threw for 304 yards, a career high, and his fourth quarter touchdowns came against DJ Ivy and Josh Newton. Atlanta has Drake London with 624 yards receiving this season. He had a career-high 194 receiving yards against Green Bay in September. And Kyle Pitts, the tight end the Falcons took over Jamar Chase in the 2021 draft. Chase said this week there are no hard feelings. I'd still bet he wants that one. Fix the fourth quarter, the run, and third down, and this game opens wide up. There's also one thing this defense keeps doing right, and Atlanta keeps feeding it. This defense takes the ball away. The Bengals have 11 takeaways in 7 games this season. Atlanta has given the ball away 16 times in 8 games. Even when Tennessee was up 13-0, the defense came up with a red zone stop to keep it close. The pass rush has 23 sacks, and Boye Mafe leads the team with 5.5. Dexter Lawrence's sack on third and three with 32 seconds left is a big reason last week got to overtime. The Bengals are favored by about three and a half points and the total is around 51.5. A total that high says that people are expecting points. The defense is what turns this into a comfortable win. Kickoff is at 9 30 in the morning eastern at the Bernabeu and both teams have been in Madrid all week long. Atlanta's defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said this week in Madrid We have not played up to our potential, not even close. My take, the Bengals win in Madrid, but the real test is whether they close it. Keep Bajon under 100 yards and everything else follows. Penix threw four picks last week. Take it away early, make him chase. And I've heard, we'll fix the fourth quarter before. Show me. Moffay and Lawrence have to keep winning up front. Three sacks and this game is over. So here's my guess. Bengals by seven. First game since Baltimore without a scary last five minutes. So let me know in the comments, does this Bengals defense hold the Falcons under 20 points on Sunday? I'll see you guys after the game.