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Redskins vs. Bengals: Preview, matchups to watch, score prediction for NFL Preseason Week 2

By Jacob Camenker

CLEVELAND, OH - AUGUST 8: Dwayne Haskins #7 of the Washington Redskins looks up at the scoreboard while sitting on the bench during the third quarter of the game against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on August 8, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - AUGUST 8: Dwayne Haskins #7 of the Washington Redskins looks up at the scoreboard while sitting on the bench during the third quarter of the game against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on August 8, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /
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CLEVELAND, OH – AUGUST 8: Jimmy Moreland #25 of the Washington Redskins knocks the football out of the hands of Dontrell Hilliard #25 of the Cleveland Browns during the first quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium on August 8, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – AUGUST 8: Jimmy Moreland #25 of the Washington Redskins knocks the football out of the hands of Dontrell Hilliard #25 of the Cleveland Browns during the first quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium on August 8, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /

Redskins defense vs. Bengals offense

The Bengals offense should provide a good test for the Redskins. Though Andy Dalton isn’t likely to play much, the team has a couple of intriguing backups.

Jeff Driskel started when Dalton was hurt last season while Ryan Finley was a fourth-round pick out of NC State. Finley showed well in the team’s preseason opener and his short to mid-range accuracy truly was reminiscent of Alex Smith‘s, much like his college tape. That should give the Redskins defense a goal: contain the short-to-intermediate game when Finley is on the field and make him beat you deep.

The big positions to watch against Cincinnati will be the Redskins’ safeties and linebackers. The Bengals have some solid receiving weapons, and they will have some good route runners, like Alex Erickson and Stanley Morgan Jr., who will have a chance to find space over the middle of the field. That was a major weakness for the team against the Browns, so it will be important to watch how players in these spots fare.

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The safety battle is particularly interesting, as former fourth-round pick Troy Apke could have some serious competition in the form of Jeremy Reaves. While many thought undrafted free agent JoJo McIntosh could challenge Apke, it’s the unheralded Reaves who has stepped up so far. Reaves was very good in the preseason opener and played well in space and as a tackler. Apke, conversely, still showed some issues in tackling particularly with angles. He’s still a great athlete, but it’s possible that Reaves could overtake him.

At linebacker, the team’s four-man group of Shaun Dion Hamilton, Jon Bostic, Cole Holcomb, and Josh Harvey-Clemons will be in the spotlight. Hamilton and Bostic looked a step slow in coverage early against the Browns while Holcomb and Harvey-Clemons were solid in that area. If that trend continues, mixing and matching these duos may make sense.

Of course, Hamilton and Bostic’s underwhelming performance may have been more about facing a very good quarterback (Baker Mayfield) in the first game and having to run a two-minute drill out of the gate. It will be interesting to see if they can play a bit better in this contest and show that they were just shaking off the rust in the opener.

One more thing to watch: the Bengals have little to no depth at the tackle position, so that could give Cassanova McKinzy and Ryan Anderson a chance to further separate themselves from the pack in the backup edge rusher battle. If McKinzy, in particular, has another big game, that should officially lock him into the roster, if he isn’t locked in already.

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