The Bengals, sitting at 2-2, returned home to take on the Detroit Lions, following a pair of embarrassing road losses in weeks 3 and 4. The Lions, entering the week, were looking like one of the league’s hottest teams. Despite injuries, they still work pretty well in the trenches, while the Bengals have been losing these battles. As well, the wheels have been falling off ever since Burrow was placed on IR with a turf toe injury.
Detroit got the ball to start the game, and quickly strung together a couple of 1st downs. Goff found Gibbs for 13, and then LaPorta for a 22 yard gain. After a few more plays, Goff again found his TE, this time for paydirt, as LaPorta nabbed the 10 yard TD.
7-0 Lions.
The Bengals punted on their opening drive, but a Trey Hendrickson strip sack got the ball back to the offence. Unfortunately, that only resulted in a 3 and out and another punt. Then, on their next drive, Browning was picked off on the first play. It was an errant deep pass where he was looking for Ja’Marr Chase.
The Lions capitalized on starting their drive inside Bengals territory. They were able to get inside the 5, and ran a trick play, something they seem to do more often than other teams. Montgomery was lined up in the wildcat formation and took the direct snap. He then opted to pass the ball, finding Wright wide open in the back of the end zone.
14-0 Lions.
Things improved a little bit defensively for the Bengals, as the first half progressed. They forced a couple of punts, and the offence, after a 2nd Browning interception, was finally able to get some points on the board. A 10 play, 60 yard drive ended with Evan McPherson kicking a 50 yard field goal to get them on the board as the clock expired to end the half.
14-3 Lions at the half.
Browning started off the 2nd half with his 3rd interception of the game. This one came on a pass intended for Mike Gesicki. It was another start inside Cincinnati territory for the Lions. On 3rd down, Goff found St. Brown for 10 yards to move the chains, and then capped off the drive with a 20 yarder to Gibbs.
21-3 Lions.
The dominance continued for Detroit, as their offence was able to again find the end zone on their next drive. Unlike a couple of the others, this was a long 80 yard drive. A 39 yard catch and run by LaPorta was the highlight, but Montgomery also sliced through the defence. He ripped off a 19 yard run, before, a couple of plays later, taking another handoff into the end zone from 8 yards out.
28-3 Lions.
It was an interesting 4th quarter for the Bengals, as now, after nearly 3 games, the offence decided to wake up. Browning ran for 11 yards on 3rd & 9 to move the chains. He then found Gesicki for another 15. A defensive pass interference call kept the drive alive after a 4th down incompletion, and a 15 yard pass to Andrei Iosivas then moved the ball inside the redzone. From 15 yards out, Browning connected with Ja’Marr Chase for the TD.
28-10 Lions.
For a second, the Bengals made it somewhat close. On their next drive, they hit the home run. It looked like there was a bust in the coverage, and Browning took advantage. He launched it deep and connected with Chase for a 64 yard TD. They opted to go for the extra point instead of 2, and cut the deficit to 11 points.
28-17 Lions.
Just as things were beginning to trend the other way, the Lions noticed that the door was ajar open, and slammed it shut. They were able to take a little more than 5 minutes off the clock, while still hitting on a big play. St. Brown caught a 26 yard pass, and they followed up with methodical progress after that. Goff capped off the 8 play drive by finding TeSlaa for a 12 yard TD.
35-17 Lions.
The game was out of reach by this point, but the Bengals added another garbage time TD. Browning found Higgins for 13 yards, and then connected with Andrei Iosivas for a big 30 yarder. A 13 yard scramble by Browning set them up with 1st & goal. On 2nd down, Browning found Tee Higgins from 2 yards out for the TD.
35-24 Lions.
The Lions, for good measure, added a safety at the end of the game. The Bengals had the ball on their own 7, and the leaky offensive line collapsed one last time, and the play ended with Browning getting sacked in the end zone.
37-24 Lions, Final.
The Bengals will be back on the road next week. They’ll head to Green Bay for a tough matchup against the Packers. For now, they sit with a 2-3 record, but are still 2nd in the AFC North. It will be interesting to see how they proceed, as chatter about the QB position is likely to heat up in the coming days.
Thumbnail Image Via: All-Pro Reels (CC)