Five Things to Watch: Bengals at Jets

3. Bengals Offensive Line

After facing some of the best pass rushers in the league, Cincinnati takes on a Jets defense that has produced just three sacks in two games. The new-look offensive line continues to develop its chemistry and communication. RT La’el Collins is listed as questionable, but Taylor is optimistic about him playing this week.

“Those guys are working hard to get it right,” Burrow said. “I can do a lot more to help them, too, and we can do more with play calling to help them as well. We’re getting this thing right — no one is panicking. We’re not too worried about the excuses of why (the sacks) are happening, we’re just worried about getting it fixed.”

Geoff Hobson’s “Matchup of the Game” this week features Bengals Pro Bowl defensive end Trey Hendrickson and Jets DL Carl Lawson. Though they won’t be lining up against one another, Hendrickson and Lawson are both game-breaking defensive linemen who are hungry for big plays after a relatively quiet first two weeks.

Hendrickson is still seeking his first sack of the season. The 2021 free agent signee recorded a career-high 14 last season, ranking fifth in the NFL and second in team history. He bulldozed through the Cowboys’ O-line to bring Ezekiel Elliott down for a five-yard loss last week, but if the Bengals are going to make Flacco uncomfortable in the pocket, their star edge rusher will need to fill the stat sheet.

Lawson, a former Bengals standout who amassed 20 sacks over four seasons in Cincinnati, missed the 2021 campaign with an Achilles injury. He has started on the edge in both of New York’s games this season and in Week 2 picked up a half-sack. As the former Bengals fourth-round pick continues to find his old form, much of the Jets’ impact at the line of scrimmage will depend on Lawson’s pass rush.