The Bengals lost their fourth straight game in week 12 against the New England Patriots. Their playoff hopes have essentially faded away, but the defence showed some signs of life that we haven’t seen, arguably, since week 1. The offence didn’t have the firepower that we have seen in recent weeks, partly due to Chase’s absence, but some depth guys also stepped up to help, at the very least, keep it close.
The Good:
K, Evan McPherson
McPherson was tasked with a couple of tough kicks in this one. He opened the scoring with a 54 yarder, before closing out the 1st half with a career long 63 yard field goal. Both of his extra point attempts were also successful. Quietly, it has been a very good season for McPherson, and a nice bounce back after last year’s disappointment.
S, Geno Stone
This season has been disappointing for Stone, but he has had some flashes mixed in. Week 12 could be considered a flash game. He didn’t allow much in coverage, and picked off a missed throw by Maye, taking it back to the house for a TD.
WR, Mitchell Tinsley
Tinsley stepped into a bigger role with Chase suspended, and then Higgins getting hurt. He only made 2 catches for 29 yards, but one of them was a 17 yard TD down the sideline. Tinsley ran a wicked route, toasting Gonzalez, New England’s top CB, to get open down the field.
TE, Mike Gesicki
Gesicki made 4 receptions for 35 yards, and some of them were enough to move the chains. He also could have had more but he was interfered with on a pass that could have kept the game going, late in the 4th quarter. Overall, it was nothing flashy, but a solid performance for his first game off of a stint on IR.
RB, Chase Brown
Brown was the brightest part of the offence. He went for 107 yards on the ground, averaging 5.6 yards per carry. The RB also added 23 yards on 2 receptions.
WR, Andrei Iosivas
Iosivas took on more responsibilities, given the situations with Chase and Higgins. He ended up leading the team in receiving, catching 4 passes for 61 yards, while adding 5 yards on his lone carry.
CB, DJ Turner
Turner was tasked with matching up against Diggs, and he did well for himself. Turner was only targeted once, and allowed the reception, but his coverage throughout the game was tight enough to prevent any more.
CB, Jalen Davis
Davis was elevated off the Bengals practice squad, and the veteran showed that he can still be a solid depth piece. He allowed very little in coverage, and was able to pick up a sack when sent in on a blitz.
The Bad:
LB, Barrett Carter
Carter’s struggles continue. He was picked apart in coverage for several big gains. New England’s TE’s were wreaking havoc, and were really the only thing that was consistently working against the Bengals defence. It spoiled what was otherwise a solid game from the unit.
LB, Demetrius Knight
Knight didn’t get exposed as much as Carter, but also wasn’t great in coverage. As well, he was out of position a fair bit when defending the run. He also missed a team high 2 tackles.
CB, Daxton Hill
Hill allowed a couple of big receptions, but his performance was even worse than the statsheet would suggest. On several occasions, he was called for pass interference after getting beat by his opponent.
QB, Joe Flacco
Flacco was lacklustre in this one. He kept the Bengals in it late, despite battling through multiple injuries. However, he missed quite a few throws throws, and his interception was a horrible decision on a look to the flat. It late and telegraphed, allowing the defender to jump the route and easily return it, untouched, for a TD.
G, Dylan Fairchild
Fairchild has been solid in recent weeks, but came back down to earth a little bit. It wasn’t a disastrous effort, but he had the most pressures given up, and also wasn’t great in the run game.
Thumbnail Image Via: All-Pro Reels (CC)