The Bengals entered their week 7 matchup against the Steelers with their season on the line. Not mathematically speaking, but if we are being realistic about their chances in the playoff race, this game was a must. Despite having the bye to prepare, the offence ended up looking flat, even after having a good start to the game. Meanwhile, the defence, although improved, still gave up plenty of big plays. Overall, there were some positives from this one, if you are looking for a bit of a silver lining, but the holes throughout the roster were still very clear.
The Good:
DE, Myles Murphy
This is the kind of game that everyone has been wanting to see out of Murphy. 6 pressures, a sack, and a handful of stops against the run. It was, overall, a nice effort, and his disruptiveness was noticeable on a consistent basis. Over the past couple of years, he has had a few of these kinds of games, so I’m not going to be so quick to announce this as his arrival. But the potential is still there, and it would be great to see him build on this and take another step forward.
RB, Chase Brown
Brown was the most effective player on an offence that had a slow day. He picked up 99 yards on the ground, while averaging 5.5 yards per carry. Brown also made 6 catches for 28 yards. The run game has really turned a corner in the last few games, with Brown running hard and the offensive line having improved their run blocking.
CB, Daxton Hill
This season has been a bit lacklustre for Hill. He has had his poor moments, but overall, still hasn’t stooped down to the level of the defence as a whole. In week 11, he again was quietly solid in coverage, and I thought he was noticeable helping out down low against the run.
The Bad:
LB, Barrett Carter
Carter hasn’t had a good rookie season, but this game was especially poor. He was picked apart in coverage, having been targeted the most of any Bengals defensive player. He also missed a team high 4 tackles, and was consistently out of position while defending the run.
LB, Oren Burks
Burkes, who saw more playing time than Knight, wasn’t much better. He was also targeted somewhat frequently and was responsible for a good chunk of yards, The veteran LB also missed a couple of tackles, including one where he was stiff-armed to the ground by Pittsburgh TE, Darnell Washington.
S, Geno Stone
Another game, another pathetic effort as a tackler for Stone. He missed 3 tackles, but his technique and effort is much more embarrassing than the stat itself. The veteran often looks hesitant to engage, and he makes it easy for ball carriers to just brace themselves and bounce off the tackle. While coverage is supposed to be his strong suit, Stone didn’t have any redeeming moments in that area that would offset the tackling issues. He has been bad in an overall sense.
DT, TJ Slaton
On a day where the Steelers ran all over the Bengals, Slaton, the “run stuffer,” had 1 assisted tackle. He has been underwhelming, to say the least, and this game might have been his worst as a Bengal.
TE, Noah Fant
Fant was second on the team in receptions, but committed a fumble that was scooped up and returned for a TD. It was very reminiscent of a scoop and score that happened earlier this season against the Vikings, off a fumble also committed by Fant.
QB, Joe Flacco
I didn’t think Flacco was half bad, to be honest. The guys around him didn’t give much help. But his lone interception, which was returned for a TD, essentially closed the door on their chances at a comeback. It was a poor decision for any QB, let alone for a 40 year old veteran.
WR, Ja’Marr Chase
Chase was suspended 1 game for spitting on Jalen Ramsey. He obviously needs to be more disciplined, and this would be a lot worse if the season wasn’t already lost. But Chase doesn’t just make it for that. He also ends up here due to his overall ineffectiveness. 3 catches for 30 yards on 10 targets. It didn’t look like he was creating as much separation as usual. It also didn’t help that Flacco was being pressured a bit more, but it is still fair to expect more out of arguably the top receiver in the NFL.
OT, Orlando Brown
Brown’s struggles to protect the edge continued, as Pittsburgh’s rushers were able to disrupt Flacco frequently from the left side. He gave up 4 pressures, including a sack, and also performed poorly as a run blocker.
G, Jalen Rivers
As bad as Brown was, Rivers was worse, giving up more pressure and also underperforming in the run game. If Burrow is returning in the next week or two, it would be wise to insert Dalton Risner back into the starting lineup, as to limit the risk to Burrow’s health.
