The Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys are both coming off convincing Week 4 wins, and both teams will look to separate themselves from the pack when they meet up at AT&T Stadium this Sunday.
After a couple of concerning defensive performances, the Bengals got back in the saddle Thursday night, dominating a Miami Dolphins team that had trouble moving the ball all night. Cincinnati forced two critical turnovers from Ryan Tannehill in the 22-7 win, which wasn't nearly as close as the score looks. A.J. Green destroyed Miami's secondary with 10 catches for 173 yards and a touchdown. The Bengals improved to 2-2 with the win.
However, the Bengals are still struggling to score from the red zone, forcing to settle for five field goals in the win. They were hoping to get back tight end Tyler Eifert this week, but he suffered a back injury in midweek practice and will be out for at least one more game. Cincinnati badly needs to get the run game going -- 80.8 rushing yards per game is not going to cut it with Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard in the backfield.
The Cowboys are 3-1 after a convincing win over the San Francisco 49ers. Moreover, they're starting to get Ezekiel Elliott hot. After a slow NFL debut, the No. 4 overall pick leads the NFL with 412 rushing yards. He cut through the 49ers' defense like a knife through hot butter, racking up 138 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries.
With Elliott cooking and the offensive line still playing at an elite level, Dak Prescott's job has been fairly easy so far. The fourth-round rookie has yet to throw an interception and is doing enough to keep the Cowboys in a winning position without Tony Romo or Dez Bryant.
Despite going on the road, the Bengals are generally favored among experts in this game. At ESPN, six of nine writers are going with Marvin Lewis' team, and CBS Sports writers favor them by a 7-1 margin. It's a more even split here at SB Nation -- six writers pick Cincinnati and three writers, plus the OddsShark computer, pick Dallas.
| Game | RVB | Stephen White | Thomas George | Jeanna Thomas | Adam Stites | Tyler Tynes | Louis Bien | Joel Thorman | Fooch | OddsShark computer |
| CIN vs DAL | DAL | CIN | CIN | CIN | DAL | CIN | DAL | CIN | CIN | DAL |