Already three games into Week 12 of the 2015 NFL season due to the Thanksgiving-day slate, there's still plenty of football to go around on Sunday and Monday. One of the more important noon games is the St. Louis Rams (4-6) at Cincinnati Bengals (8-2) contest. Both teams are trying to recover from a rough couple of weeks, and here are five key matchups to watch for that will decide the outcome of this game.
5. Tavon Austin vs. Bengals Defense, Special Teams
The Bengals' defense has been stout in most games this year, and the special teams coverage even better. However, they can't lose focus for even one play in this game, as Tavon Austin can be such a game-breaker. If those two units aren't on top of their game at all times in this one, Austin could burn them, and that could be the difference in the game.
4. Andy Dalton vs. Himself
This may seem strange to say, considering how well Dalton has played this year, but he's had two bad performances in his past four games. He needs to bounce back strong, starting in this one against a good Rams defense, and prove that he isn't going to fall back into his old ways and throw games away as the season winds down.
3. A.J. Green vs. Janoris Jenkins
With Trumaine Johnson potentially out for the Rams in this one, the assignment of covering Green falls almost solely on the young and feisty Jenkins. The Florida product is going to have his hands full as Green has been kept relatively quiet for three games in a row, and that usually means he's ready to bust out and score a couple of touchdowns. If Jenkins allows him any space, he'll do just that and give the Bengals a big edge.
2. Todd Gurley vs. Bengals Defense
The Bengals have had the benefit of being up in games a lot this year, forcing teams to throw more. If that weren't the case, their run defense numbers might be much worse. While they're 13th in rushing yards allowed at 100.4 per game, Cincy is giving up 4.5 yards per pop -- way down at 26th in the NFL. The Rams' ticket to victory generally rests on Gurley's success, and there's a good chance they'll get him going early and often as they try to upset the Bengals.
1. Bengals OL vs. Rams DL
Finally, we have the biggest deciding factor in this game: the Bengals offensive line vs. the Rams defensive line. The Rams DL might be the best in the NFL -- most weeks -- with Robert Quinn, Aaron Donald, Michael Brockers and Chris Long manning the front four. Now Quinn is questionable with hip and back injuries, and that would be a big lift. If he can't go in this one, I'd give the edge to a Bengals OL that has been solid all year long.
Prediction: Bengals 26, Rams 19
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