Cardinals Hope To Have Edge Against Bengals With Pass Rush

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The Bengals gave up eight sacks last game against the Steelers and have struggled to protect quarterback Andy Dalton all season. They also have Cardinals castoff Andre Smith starting at left tackle because of injuries.


But the Cardinals aren’t going to proclaim that they have a weak spot to attack when they play in Cincinnati Sunday. They have to make sure they’re even in a position to go after Dalton.


“Our job on Sunday is to first get (running back Joe) Mixon stopped,” defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said. “We have to earn the right to rush the passer.”


Joseph likes the pass rush. Veterans like outside linebacker Chandler Jones and nose tackle Corey Peters (who quietly has had a solid season rushing the passer inside) think it’s a strong part of the defense. Veteran Terrell Suggs leads the team with 3½ sacks and Jones has three through four outings.


Yet too many times the Cardinals haven’t done their job against the run, Peters noted. The pass rush is neutered when it is third-and-2. The Steelers succeeded because they nullified the Cincinnati run game early, and then built a lead.


“It’s nice to say, ‘This team has given up a lot of sacks, this is our opportunity to rush,’ ” Peters said. “But you have to force them to be in those situations where you know they are throwing it.”


The Bengals will be hyperaware, especially after their struggles in Pittsburgh. Now missing their top two receivers in A.J. Green and John Ross, Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor would probably prefer to lean on Mixon anyway. Knowing Jones and Suggs – who didn’t practice Thursday with a back injury – loom on pass plays is another reason.


“You have to make sure you’re aware of where those two guys are at because they’ve wrecked games,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “One of them (Suggs) has wrecked games over the last, I think, 30 years. … Those guys, when you think you’re in a good flow, they can disrupt it and wreck it for you.”


The Bengals have given up 19 sacks this season, second-most in the NFL. (The Cardinals, with rookie quarterback Kyler Murray, have given up a league-most 20.)


Jones, however, insisted preparation or mindset doesn’t change, regardless of how good the opposing line might be in a given week.


“Going against the best tackle in the NFL or the worst tackle in the NFL, I will prepare the same,” Jones said. “You don’t rush (a unit), you rush the quarterback, and you try to defeat whoever is in front of you.”

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