No. 3: Wide Receiver A.J. Green vs. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey
In order to win crucial divisional bouts, teams need their star players to get involved early and often. Such will be the case for the Bengals with No. 1 wide receiver A.J. Green.
Green was a force in Week 1, hauling in six catches for 92 yards and a touchdown up against an up-and-coming Colts secondary. But he’ll have his hands full going up against one of Baltimore’s top cornerbacks, Marlon Humphrey.
Humphrey turned heads his rookie 2017 season after the Ravens took him at No. 16 overall in that year’s NFL Draft. And while he started just five games, Humphrey managed two interceptions and an impressive 11 passes defended. He gave up two receptions on six targets in Week 1 versus the Bills, but those were for a mere six yards combined.
True, that performance was against an anemic Bills passing attack, so one should take it with a grain of salt. And Green does have the size advantage too, standing at 6-foot-4 over the smaller 6-foot-0 Humphrey.
Either way, Andy Dalton’s favorite target will be lining up against one of the more promising cornerbacks in the league today. Whoever wins this particular matchup likely winds up being on the winning team by the end of the contest.