As usual, we try to ask a blogger of the weekend’s opposition some questions about their team.  This week, the good folks of Stripe Hype were kind enough to give us their thoughts.  Check out their great site for more information on the Bengals, and the answers to their questions about the Jets.

TJB: If Fitzpatrick starts, what can the Jets expect from him?

Stripe Hype: Fitz started two weeks ago against Cleveland and looked terrible: 21/35/156 with 1 TD, 3 picks and a fumble. He can move a lot more than Palmer can, though I wouldn’t call him a “mobile quarterback.” He had four rushes for 35 yards against the Browns. Notably, Palmer was a last-minute scratch from the Cleveland game and so Fitz had few snaps with the No. 1’s the week before. This past week, he has pretty much gotten all the reps, so I would expect him to play better.

TJB: Will Cedric Benson see an increased role this weekend considering Chris Perry’s struggles this fall?

Stripe Hype: I would be very surprised if that weren’t the case. Perry’s had 5 fumbles in just 85 carries, which is completely unacceptable under normal circumstances, and even more so when you are averaging just 2.8 yards a lug. Benson looked decent against the Cowboys, but the Bengals’ real problem in the run game (and with the offense overall) is that the offensive line has gone downhill fast. In particular, the weak links have been center Eric “The Pushover” Ghiacuic, and Levi “False Start” Jones.

TJB: What did the Bengals do to hang on against the Cowboys?

Stripe Hype: Probably the biggest factor was that Carson Palmer, Chad Ocho Bozo and T.J. Houshmandzadeh were finally starting to get back on the same page. The three didn’t work out together all offseason because Chad was acting like an ass and T.J. pulled his usual “spend time with the family” routine. Then, Chad got hurt in camp and T.J. claimed a hammy injury very early on (which some accused him of faking so he could get out of camp and preseason). So they pretty much didn’t work together in August, either. The result has been a passing game that was completely out of sync the first two weeks and that had just started to get better versus the Giants — and then this elbow thing crops up for Palmer.

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