The week 5 defeat to Baltimore was a deflating one. Despite the offensive firepower, the defence could not make a stop in the second half, which played a heavy role in what ended up being the final result. After holding a players only meeting during the week, and getting Sheldon Rankins back from injury, the Bengals were hoping to show improvement against a Giants team that was without some of their starters.
The Good:
DT, BJ Hill
Hill looked like a man possessed on Sunday Night. He was a constant presence in the Giants backfield, making things uncomfortable for Daniel Jones for much of the game. It was a nice boost for a pass rush that had been struggling in earlier games. Hill also played the run well in this one.
CB, Mike Hilton
Hilton had a solid day in coverage. Gave up some passes, but was generally in good position. On one, he read the play nicely to sit on an underneath route and breakup the pass on 4th down.
DE’s, Trey Hendrickson & Sam Hubbard
Hendrickson, like Hill, had a good day as a pass rusher. The 2 sacks on the stat sheet are impressive. When you include the fact that he was matched up against one of the league’s better OT’s, in Andrew Thomas, it really shows just how well he played. Hubbard, meanwhile, looked a lot better than he had in the first few games. Hopefully things continue to trend this way for him.
DT, McKinnley Jackson
There were some ups and downs, but Jackson is progressing at a fine rate, so far. He played more snaps and was noticeable against the run, forcing some displacement of the OL, which caused multiple runs to go nowhere.
LB, Germaine Pratt
With the Giants driving and in scoring position, Pratt was able to make a play. The ball was popped up after some pressure got to Daniel Jones. Pratt got underneath it, coming up with a pick before then adding some yards on the return.
CB, DJ Turner
Turner is the new CB2 on the boundary with Daxton Hill now out for the season. He got hit with a pass interference penalty that was costly, but Turner wasn’t phased by it, and went on to have a good game. He had some nice pass breakups in key moments.
QB, Joe Burrow
Burrow passed for 208 yards, but it was actually what he did on the ground that was of note on Sunday. The star QB had 4 rushes for 55 yards. Of course, the highlight was his 47 yard TD run on 3rd & 18. Burrow quickly identified the open space to his right, and claimed the open field in front of him before beating a defender to the pylon.
WR, Tee Higgins
Higgins was a reliable target, as usual. It seemed like when they needed a play, he was the one that was called upon. He led the team in both receptions and yards, with a 7-77 statline.
S, Tycen Anderson
Anderson was a standout player on special teams. After suffering a season ending injury last season, he looks fluid this year, and showed it on punt coverage. He was able to get down the field on multiple occasions to make a tackle.
The Bad:
The Offensive Line
The offensive line wasn’t horrendous, given that they were facing a tough defensive line. However, Burrow was running around more than he had to in previous weeks, and they were able to sack him a couple of times.
Stalled Drives
The pressure given up by the offensive line contributed to a lot of stalled drives. As well, penalties and other mistakes lingered on. Chase had a bad drop at one point. There was a lot of sloppiness, overall, which needs to be cleaned up.
RB, Zack Moss
Moss was inefficient as a runner in this one, and wasn’t able to generate as much as he probably should have. He also lost a fumble. Chase Brown saw more volume, and Moss may continue to see his workload decreased if Brown continues to outplay him.
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