by Chris Asbrock

The Bengals now control their destiny in the AFC North. Yes, it is only week two but the Bengals are the only team in the division with a win. Obviously the playoff talk is extremely premature, but what we saw from the Bengals in Oakland this past weekend brings a lot of optimism and excitement. Next up is the home opener against the 1-0 San Diego Chargers. Let’s take a look at each of the groups ahead of the week two matchup against the Chargers.

Offense

This is a great matchup between two offenses that put up some points in their opener. Philip Rivers is one of the better quarterbacks the Bengals will face this season. Rivers tossed for 404 yards and two touchdowns against the Lions. Receiver Keenan Allen benefited greatly from Rivers chucking it up 42 times, as he hauled in 15 receptions for 166 yards. The Chargers rushing attack is led by first round pick Melvin Gordon and Danny Woodhead. Those two were held to 93 yards rushing combined.

Bengals’ Offensive Coordinator Hue Jackson did a great job of using all of the weapons that were at his disposal and you can expect more of that against the Chargers. Andy Dalton played very well against Oakland as he threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns. Tight End Tyler Eifert was healthy for the first time in a year and was the premier weapon. The duo rushing attack of Gio Bernard and Jeremy Hill lead the Bengals on the ground. Expect the Bengals to toss in a few more wrinkles in the offense and with a healthy Tyler Eifert, the Bengals could once again toss up some points.

Advantage: Push

Defense

The Bengals defense stood strong against a Raiders team that could not simply get anything going offensively. The defense shut out the Raiders for three quarters until they gave up some garbage time touchdowns. The Bengals defense follows the lead of Geno Atkins. Geno has been the talk of the preseason and came out like the old Geno last week. The Bengals secondary was led by Adam Jones. Jones played what could have been his best game as a Bengal. The Bengals defense will be the group that carries the Bengals this season and if they can stay healthy, they will be one of the top units in the league.

The Chargers have some names on defense that can cause some problems. Safety Eric Weddle is one of the top at his position while corner Brandon Flowers helps lock down the secondary. The defensive unit is one of the weaker parts of this team. The Chargers were getting hammered by the Lions before the offense exploded for 30 straight points. They could get exposed by this explosive Bengals offense and will be vulnerable to some big plays.

Advantage: Bengals

Special Teams

The special teams battle could really go either way in this game. Both teams have punters that have been in the league for a while and can change field position rather quickly. Chargers kicker Josh Lambo is a rookie who made his first two attempts last week. Bengals kicker Mike Nugent is a veteran who has made some big kicks in his career.

Advantage: Bengals

Coaching

Marvin Lewis is the clear veteran between these two. Lewis is 101-96 in his 12 NFL seasons. Lewis has yet to win a playoff game, he clearly holds the advantage. Mike McCoy is in his third season in charge of San Diego. During his short reign, the Chargers have not been better than 9-7 and haven’t finished higher than third in the AFC West.

Advantage: Bengals

Prediction: Bengals 27-17 The Cincinnati Bengals come into this game riding high. They bucked the trend when they won in Oakland. They now head home with an offense that looked good and a defense that was almost flawless. The key will be Andy Dalton and his play. He has playmakers around him that can and will get the job done against the Chargers. The Bengals defense will look to stay strong and shut down Rivers and the offense. If Atkins and the line can get pressure on Rivers, the Bengals secondary could have a big day.

Other Predictions: 

Chiefs over Broncos
Houston over Carolina
Pittsburgh over San Francisco
New Orleans over Tampa Bay
Detroit over Minnesota
Arizona over Chicago
Buffalo over New England
Tennessee over Cleveland
Atlanta over New York Giants
St. Louis over Washington
Miami over Jacksonville
Baltimore over Oakland
Philadelphia over Dallas
Green Bay over Seattle
Indianapolis over New York Jets

Chris Asbrock is a staff writer and analyst for FTI Sports and can be followed on TwitterÂ