After getting blown out in weeks 3 and 4, the Bengals were in danger of having the same thing happen in week 5. After all, they were going up against a Lions team that generally does well in the trenches, which is something that does not typically bode well for the Bengals. They were able to take advantage of some injuries to Detroit’s offensive line, and the offence put up some 4th quarter points to make the score look respectable. That said, the Lions had this one under control from the get-go, and handed the Bengals their third straight loss.
The Good:
WR, Ja’Marr Chase
Chase put the offence on his back, especially in the 4th quarter, where he caught 2 TD passes. The first one was a nice throw as well, but Chase’s proximity to the sideline and amount of separation made a completion near impossible. However, he somehow snagged the ball while keeping his toes in bounds. His second TD was off a double move where he completely burned his opponent. There wasn’t anyone near him by the time he caught the ball. It is the kind of stuff you expect from an elite WR. On the day, Chase caught 6 passes for 110 yards and the 2 TD’s.
DE’s, Trey Hendrickson, Myles Murphy, & Joseph Ossai
The Bengals edge rushers were able to take advantage of some injuries to Detroit’s offensive line. If we’re looking at the game as a whole, Hendrickson was probably the team’s best player. He was consistent with his pressure, and got home for 2 sacks.
Murphy and Ossai were also decent enough, and both got home for a sack of their own. Murphy, in particular, looked pretty solid. However, he only played a small handful of snaps. He seems like someone who should see an uptick, preferably at the expense of Cam Sample.
WR, Andrei Iosivas
Iosivas has been quiet this season, but had his best game of the year against the lineup. He was able to make a couple of tough catches down the field for some nice pickups. He made 5 catches for 82 yards.
CB, DJ Turner
Turner got a full snap count with Cam Taylor-Britt benched, and he responded well against a tough WR unit. He did not allow a catch, and even had a pass breakup to put the cherry on top. Hopefully this is a sign of more to come.
LB, Barrett Carter
The rookie got a surprising amount of snaps, but did well with them. He looked a lot quicker than Wilson, and did well tracking the run. Perhaps we see his role slowly continue to increase. The traits are there, and with Logan Wilson looking a bit on the slow side, the timing of a new rookie emergence would be good.
The Bad:
QB, Jake Browning
Browning had a good 4th quarter, but that doesn’t negate the other three. He was beyond awful, missing wide open targets, underthrowing guys, and trying to fit the ball into nonexistent windows. He went 26/40 for 251 yards and 3 4th quarter TD’s on the day, but his 3 interceptions all were very costly, giving the Lions great field position, and putting the defence in some tough spots. As a result, the Bengals went out and traded for 40 year old Joe Flacco on Tuesday.
LB, Logan Wilson
Wilson looked a step behind against the Lions. He missed multiple tackles, and seemed to struggle keeping up on outside runs. The Lions were also able to expose him in coverage, and go for some chunk gains.
OT, Orlando Brown
Brown’s brutal season continues. His run blocking was below average, but he really struggled in pass protection. He gave up a sack, and also had a lot of pressure coming from his side. In fairness, it was a tough matchup, but Brown isn’t being paid as much as he is to be giving up consistent pressure. He did not resemble anything close to a starter.
G’s, Dylan Fairchild & Jalen Rivers
Fairchild and Rivers gave up slightly less pressure than Brown, but both also were losing their matchups too often, and Fairchild was charged with giving up a sack. Both are also rookies, so it is tough to fault them completely, but with Flacco’s lack of mobility now something to consider, the pair will have to show some improvement.
C, Ted Karras
Karras was slightly less bad than the other three offensive lineman who ended up on this list, but slightly is the keyword. His struggles in both phases have also continued. As well, he took a couple of penalties.
DT, Kris Jenkins
It has been hard for Jenkins to find any kind of consistency this season. He flashes at times, but then has games where he is invisible. This was one of those games. Jenkins put up no pressure from the inside, and also had his struggles against the run.
DE, Cam Sample
Sample played a decent chunk of snaps, as part of the edge rotation. However, the output was nothing. He didn’t do anything to pressure the QB, wasn’t good against the run, and took away valuable snaps from Myles Murphy.
DC, Al Golden
Golden’s defence continues to underperform. And as bad as the results have been, the process is just as questionable. Having to watch guys like Cam Sample and Joseph Ossai dropping into coverage against dynamic TE’s as often as they had to on Sunday was just painful. Dropping your DE’s into coverage this often is a malpractice, and the bigger issue is watching them get burned constantly, yet still having them do it.
