The Bengals opened the season at home against the Minnesota Vikings in what turned out to be a hard fought battle. They emerged victorious in the end, showing significant improvements in areas that were weaknesses last year. While there were plenty of good things to talk about, there were also some bad ones. Let’s take a look at both.
The Good:
– The Front 6
The front 6, consisting of the 4 DL and 2 LB’s, really held strong for the Bengals. Kirk Cousins was under pressure early and often. New addition BJ Hill picked up 2 sacks in the contest and Larry Ogunjobi also had himself one. As well, Trey Hendrickson was a nuisance in the backfield.
While the pressure was nice, it can only take you so far if you are not effective against the run. Well, the Bengals defence came to play in that department as well. DJ Reader was very disruptive and Ogunjobi led the Bengals DL in tackles, with 6.
The LB’s also did their part to help out. Germaine Pratt and Logan Wilson both had strong games. They were tracking the ball well for most of the game, not allowing Dalvin Cook to get out into space.
If the front 6 can continue to work this well as a unit, the defence should continue to have success.
– CB Chidobe Awuzie
Awuzie was a bit of a gamble by the Bengals, when they signed him in the offseason. They let a proven player in William Jackson go, for a cheaper option in Awuzie. In past seasons, he has shown great flashes, but hadn’t been able to put it all together consistently.
Through the preseason and week 1, Awuzie is definitely rewarding the Bengals for their faith. He had a strong camp and preseason, and was able to carry that success over into the first game of the season. He had a tough task, as he was asked to shadow dynamic receiver Justin Jefferson. For the most part, Awzie held his ground and had a nice breakup or two.
– WR Ja’Marr Chase
Chase drew a ton of criticism throughout the offseason for a big case of the drops. The criticism hit its peak when Chase dropped three passes in the preseason finale.
Well, Chase did everything he could in week 1 to silence those critics. He showed sure hands throughout, looking more like the WR we saw at LSU. His highlight of the game came near the end of the first half when he got behind the secondary and Burrow hit him for a 50 yard TD. Chase finished the game with 5 receptions for 101 yards and a TD.
– RB Joe Mixon
Mixon had himself a day. He was used early and often, and he consistently showed his ability to run with physicality and create ways to pick up extra yards. Mixon ran the ball 29 times, picking up 127 yards and a TD in the process. He also caught 4 passes for 23 yards.
– OT’s Jonah Williams & Riley Reiff
The bookends on the OL were stellar on Sunday. Going up against a solid pass rush unit, the OT’s did not even allow a pressure. Williams is looking like he will continue to build on his good season last year, while Reiff already looks like a big upgrade over Bobby Hart.
– K Evan McPherson
McPherson was perfect in the preseason and was perfect on Sunday. The rookie kicker went 2/2 on field goals, with one being from 53 yards, and the other being the game winner in OT. He was also 3/3 kicking extra points.
McPherson put his leg strength on full display and also showed that he can kick under pressure.
– The Fans
While it is not always apparent when watching on TV, the attendance and atmosphere at Paul Brown Stadium seemed to be at a low, over these past few years.
However, the atmosphere on Sunday was great. Seats were filled and the crowd was roaring. I don’t know if it has been like that since 2015. The Bengals got back their home field advantage and it played a big part in the game. The Vikings offence had some trouble with communication, and there were several false start penalties called on their OL.
The Bad:
– Communication in Pass Protection
The Vikings had a ton of issues here, but the Bengals had theirs as well. Not good when considering that they were the home team.
Most of the issues came between the interior of the line and the RB’s. There was a play where Joe Mixon was blocking the same guy as Xavier Su’a-Filo. On another play, Samaje Perine missed his assignment.
Trey Hopkins also made a few mistakes, as he seemed to be shaking off some rust from that ACL injury. The Bengals will need to get some of these issues sorted out as the season goes on.
– Offensive Play Calling
It was hard to put Zac Taylor’s play calling here, as there were some bright spots. However, there were some questionable decisions. The obvious one that people will think of is the 4th down call from their own 30. Zac Taylor kept the offence on the field and Mixon tripped, failing to pick up the 1st down.
Now, after years of complaining about Marvin Lewis’ conservative nature, I don’t have a huge issue with that particular call. Was it the wrong one, given the circumstances? Probably. But I can live with it.
I thought that Taylor was far too conservative at other parts of the game. The play calling at times just looked bland. To start the game, there were consecutive runs up the gut and they seemed hesitant to push the ball down the field. That improved later on, but then picked back up in the 2nd half. This was especially the case after Burrow got up liming on one play. Are the two related? Possibly. It would definitely be a better excuse if that was the reason. But nevertheless, it would have been nice to see them keep powering forward, instead of playing conservative, which contributed to the Vikings getting back into the game.
– CB Eli Apple
His game as a whole wasn’t actually that bad, but there was a two or three play stretch in the 1st half that lands him on this list. His missed tackle led to the Vikings converting a 3rd & 24. It was followed by him getting beaten for a TD.
– DE Sam Hubbard
Hubbard didn’t really play a *bad* game, so maybe he doesn’t deserve to be on this list. That being said, with how everyone else on the DL played, Hubbard’s average performance made him look like the weakest link of the bunch. The Bengals will be looking for him to step it up after giving him a big contract extension over the summer.