NFL Cincinnati Bengals

Carlos Dunlap Will Be X-Factor For Cincinnati Bengals In Week 5

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By @AndrewPappas24

Carlos Dunlap Bengals

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL’s Week 5 Sunday Night Football game is full of storylines. The Cincinnati Bengals are 3-0 and coming off a bye week. The New England Patriots are 2-2 and reeling on a short week after a Monday Night Football embarrassment against the Kansas City Chiefs. All that said, it should be a dogfight when these two teams meet on Sunday Night Football.

These two teams met in last year’s fifth week as well. The Bengals won 13-6 and ended Tom Brady‘s streak of 52 games with at least one touchdown pass. Cincinnati has outscored their opponents 80-33 in their first three games, boasting a youthful, fast, aggressive defense that has allowed only three first-half points. They’ve trailed for under 50 seconds total all season. All of the numbers show a Bengals blowout, but we all know what Bill Belichick and Brady tend to do when people start doubting them.

That’s why the Bengals’ defense must show up to play, namely Carlos Dunlap.

Dunlap has recorded one sack in each of Cincinnati’s first three games. The 6-foot-6 University of Florida product must pressure Brady this Sunday if the Bengals’ defense is to continue their success. The Bengals lead the NFL in turnover ratio at plus-six, and if Dunlap can pressure Brady and chase him out of the pocket, that trend will continue.

The Patriots’ offensive line has struggled this season. Following the head-scratching trade of Logan Mankins, Belichick has shuffled his offensive line more often than any team should. The Pats opened Monday night’s game with a different combination of linemen than the week before, and they rotated throughout the night because of an assortment of bad play. Nate Solder, Dan Connolly, Bryan Stork, Cameron Fleming and Sebastian Vollmer were the starters from left to right, while Marcus Cannon and Ryan Wendell also got in on the action. Belichick’s starting O-line continues to be unknown for Sunday, but Brady has been sure to spend extra time with the group during practice this week.

The Bengals’ defensive line got to Brady last season, sacking him four times and forcing one interception. They also held the Patriots to 1-for-12 on third down that game. They’ve carried that into this season and have been the best third down defense in the NFL. The combination of a shoddy New England offensive line and a hungry and streaking Dunlap will result in a big game for the fifth-year defensive end.

The AFC East is a mess, so this isn’t necessarily a must-win game for New England, but Brady and the offense will have to get it together sooner rather than later. Unfortunately for them, Dunlap and the Bengals’ defense will not be the ones to let that happen.

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