The Bengals entered week 14 with a chance to really spark some hope for their playoff chances. They needed a win against the Buffalo Bills, one of the Super Bowl favourites. But with a high flying offence and snowy weather, the conditions set up favourably. The offence did not disappoint, but as usual, poor defensive play put them in yet another shootout. And while things looked promising, it was a couple of mistakes that really torpedoed their efforts.
The Good:
WR, Tee Higgins
Higgins set the pace on offence, leading the team in targets, and tying for the team lead in receptions, with 6. He did have a drop or two, but he made several tough catches in key moments, and also caught 2 TD’s, while totaling 92 yards. In his first game back from a concussion, Higgins hit his head on the ground twice, and had to go through the protocol. He returned to the game, but re-entered concussion protocol the next day, making his strong performance even crazier.
TE, Mike Gesicki
Gesicki tied Higgins with 6 receptions, but he was only targeted 6 times. He also made some big plays and moved the chains when Buffalo was looking for a stop. Gesicki totaled 86 yards and a TD on his 6 receptions, and seems to be higher up in the pecking order than Noah Fant, at the moment.
The Offensive Line
The run blocking was about average, but the unit had another stellar day in pass protection. In both games since Burrow returned, he has been kept clean, with minimal pressure coming his way. Given how much the unit struggled in the first half of the season, the 180 degree flip is quite shocking.
S, Geno Stone
Stone had some missed tackles, but I’ll cut him some slack this time because he was good in most other areas. His coverage was solid, and his sack put the Bengals defence in position to get a crucial late game stop, even if they ended up being unable to do so.
The Bad:
TE Coverage
It seems as though this team cannot cover TE’s. Every week, it is a similar story. Dawson Knox put up 93 yards on 6 receptions, while Dalton Kincaid put up 41 yards and a TD on 4 receptions. With Jackson Hawes also catching his lone target for a 3 yard TD, it brings the total to 11 receptions for 137 yards and 2 TD’s given up to Buffalo TE’s. Barrett Carter gets a lot of the blame, as do the likes of Demetrius Knight and Oren Burks.
LB, Barrett Carter
Of the LB’s, Carter is the one I’m going to single out here. He gave up by far the most, both in terms of receptions and yardage. He was definitely responsible for over 100 yards on his own. As well, he often looked lost when defending the run, and had a missed tackle, just for good measure.
Joe Burrow Interceptions
Burrow had a great game, for the most part. However, he threw 2 picks on two consecutive passes. The second one was a bit unfortunate, as it got batted at the line. However, the first one was an attempted screen pass where he failed to get enough height on it. This one was returned for a TD, and completely flipped the momentum of the game. In a more general sense, the defence is still to blame for the loss, and it is tough to expect your QB to be perfect. But without this mistake, the Bengals probably win the game.
Chase Brown Efficiency
Brown scored 2 TD’s for the Bengals in this one, including an impressive catch at the goal line. But as a runner, he had a hard time getting going. He averaged a horrible 1.9 yards per carry, and Perine’s downhill style seemed to be having more success. The numbers backup the eye test, too, as Perine averaged 5.2 yards per carry, albeit on just 6 attempts.
Thumbnail Image Via: All-Pro Reels (CC)