Coming off a rejuvenating win in Jacksonville, the Bengals returned home for a pivotal matchup against the Colts. Indianapolis entered the week sitting in the final Wildcard playoff spot, and only one game ahead of Cincinnati. So needless to say, there was a lot at stake in this one. With the pressure turned up, the team responded well, even after a quick spell of adversity.
The Good:
QB, Jake Browning
Browning followed up his good performance in week 13 with another in week 14. For the most part, he was accurate, and able to take advantage of the receivers’ ability to separate. Browning pushed the ball down the field, while also keeping mistakes to a minimum. He finished the day 18/24 for 275 yards, 2 TD’s and 1 INT. Additionally, Browning ran for 7 yards and a TD.
RB, Chase Brown
Brown got his first real taste of action last week, and earned himself more touches in week 14. With the ball in his hands, he looked explosive, and the speed really stood out. His speed was especially evident on a screen pass that he caught behind the line of scrimmage, and took 54 yards to the house. The rookie totaled 105 yards from scrimmage, and a TD.
RB, Joe Mixon
Mixon also had a solid game, even if the stats might not completely reflect it. He was able to stack together a few nice runs, contributing to the team’s balanced attack on offence. As well, he had an explosive play in the passing game. Mixon totaled 125 yards from scrimmage and a TD.
The Offensive Line
The offensive line has really picked things up in recent weeks, and their good play continued in week 14. Browning had a lot of time to go through his progressions and step into his throws. But what was even more encouraging was the run blocking, something that they have struggled with for much of this season. With the improved run blocking, the Bengals were able to establish a ground attack and keep their offence balanced. The Entire unit performed well. The veterans like Karras, Williams, and Brown have been solid for most of the year. Cappa struggled for a couple of weeks, but has since turned it back around. Volson is the one who I really want to shout out here. Early in the season, he was playing his way into being replaced for next season. However, he has done a 180, and looks to be locking himself into that spot. The Bengals offence can continue to have a lot of success, even without Burrow, if the o-line continues on at this pace.
DE, Trey Hendrickson
Hendrickson was the team’s main source of pressure on Sunday. His 2 sacks definitely stand out on the statsheet, but his consistent presence in the backfield led to other mistakes that might not always show up on the statsheet. Hendrickson continues to show why he is one of the best pass rushers in the NFL.
CB, Chidobe Awuzie
Awuzie has been a bit up and down this season, coming off the knee injury, but he was very solid on Sunday. He allowed little separation in coverage, and when he did allow the receiver to make a catch, the damage done was minimal.
CB, DJ Ivey
Ivey played in a handful of snaps, and showed flashes of the upside that he possesses. His pass breakup on a deep target turned some heads, and he was later able to come up with a big fumble recovery deep in Colts territory after a muffed punt.
LB, Germaine Pratt
Pratt was all over the field in this one. He showed sideline to sideline ability when making plays against the run. As well, he had a good game in coverage, allowing little damage to be done when targeted. It was a good bounce back, after a couple of shakier performances in recent weeks.
Coaching Staff
The coaches on offence and defence both deserve a lot of credit. On offence, Zac Taylor and Brian Callahan have done well to completely overhaul things. Burrow’s LSU style offence has been ditched for Taylor’s McVay style of offence. We are seeing more bunch formations and more plays run from under centre, as this scheme better suits the style of Jake Browning. Comparing the last two games to Browning’s first start against the Steelers, the difference is night and day.
On the defensive side, Lou Anarumo has done well to settle down a unit that has been giving up a lot of big plays in recent weeks. There were still a few given up against the Colts, but overall, it was much better. The defence only allowed 7 points in this one, and shut out the Colts in the 2nd half.
The Bad:
CB, DJ Turner
While the defence as a whole was good, Turner had a few struggles. He allowed a reception on all of his targets, and gave up more yards than you would like to see. Though it wasn’t a catastrophic performance by any means, it is worth mentioning in the “bad” category, for a game that didn’t feature much else that is worth including here.
DE, Sam Hubbard
Hubbard has a good matchup, with the starting RT out for the Colts. However, with high expectations, Hubbard was pretty quiet in this game, and the team relied heavily on Trey Hendrickson to put pressure on the QB.
P, Brad Robbins
Robbins continues to have some struggles, which is concerning for a punter that was selected in the draft. His inconsistencies when tasked with flipping the field have led some to call for his replacement. The rookie will have to pick it up, or replacing him might be an idea that the Bengals entertain at some point.
Last Bit of the 1st Half
After getting out to a 14-0 lead, a sequence late in the 1st half gifted the Colts a tie ballgame at half time. An undisciplined roughing the passer call on Hendrickson extended a drive for the Colts, which would eventually result in a TD and missed extra point. Then, one of Browning’s only bad passes resulted in what was still a very lucky interception for the Colts. Hudson tried to make a one handed catch, but the ball kind of just sat there, and the defender returned it for a TD. After a successful 2 point conversion for the Colts, the game was tied.