The Bengals snapped their losing streak in week 14 against the Cowboys, and followed it up with another win in week 15, against the Titans. It was a sloppy game in many ways, with turnovers being the story on both sides of the ball. But against a team that has been struggling mightily, they were able to get the job done, as they keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
The Good:
S, Geno Stone
After a horrendous start to his Bengals tenure, Stone has finally managed to string together a couple of good games. Sunday might have been his best one yet, as he was good in coverage throughout. As well, his pick 6 was a key moment in the game.
CB, Mike Hilton
Hilton also had a good game. He allowed very little in coverage, and his trademark plays near the line of scrimmage showed up multiple times. He also recorded an interception. The veteran, in a contract year, is making a strong case for himself in the offseason.
CB, Josh Newton
It wasn’t an outstanding game for Newton, by any means. However, the rookie was able to get in on the fun, snagging an interception of his own. It is definitely something to build on, going forward.
DE, Myles Murphy
Murphy saw more playing time after Hubbard’s injury, and responded well. He has quietly been one of the team’s better pass rushers lately, but hasn’t been able to get on the field much. Although he wasn’t able to get home for a sack, Murphy had success with his bull rush, and was able to put up a handful of pressures.
DT’s, BJ Hill & McKinnley Jackson
Hill has been solid all season, even while most of the defence has been a disappointment. He continued that on Sunday, pressuring the QB multiple times and getting home for a sack.
Jackson, the rookie, had his best game of the year. The NT was perfect in his role as a space eater and run defender. As a stylistically similar player to DJ Reader, hopefully Jackson can continue to progress, eventually becoming a legitimate option to be that guy on a regular basis.
CB, Cam Taylor-Britt
Taylor-Britt has bounced back in recent weeks, after being benched multiple times earlier in the year. In addition to picking off a pass, he only allowed a couple of short completions against the Titans. His coverage has been a lot tighter, and he hasn’t been biting on fakes as much. Consistency will be key moving forward, but his last couple of games have trended in the right direction.
C, Ted Karras
It wasn’t a great performance from the offensive line, but Karras played well on Sunday. In what has been a rare occurrence for a Bengals offensive lineman this season, he actually looked good in the run game and in pass protection. A complete game. Honourable mention to Amarius Mims too, who was also solid.
WR, Tee Higgins
Higgins’s 5 catches for 88 yards trailed Ja’Marr Chase, but it was #5 who was able to haul in a deep TD through traffic. With recent news that Higgins switched his agent, you have to wonder if things might be trending in the right direction for him to potentially re-sign with the team in the offseason.
RB, Chase Brown
Chase Brown had another big day on offence. He ran for 97 yards and a TD on 25 carries, while also contributing 16 yards and another TD through the air. Brown has taken hold of the top RB spot since Moss went down, and is the clear bellcow in this offence right now.
The Bad:
LB, Germaine Pratt
It has been a down season for Pratt, and things didn’t look any better on Sunday. He seems to have lost a step this year, and this has greatly impacted his ability in coverage. It was another week where he was exposed often over the middle.
G, Alex Cappa
Cappa had another rough game. He was responsible for several pressures let in through the middle. He wasn’t much better in the run game. The cherry on top was the nasty stiff arm he took from T’Vondre Sweat as he attempted to tackle the big defensive lineman after a fumble recovery.
OT, Devin Cochran
This is a light one here. Cochran made his first start after only finding out a half hour before the game. His worst moments came early in the game, when he let his opponent get by him pretty cleanly on a few occasions. He did settle in as the game went on, so I don’t want to be too hard on him here. Given the circumstances, the mistakes are excusable.
G, Cordell Volson
Volson had a good day as a run blocker, but continues to be a liability in pass protection. I didn’t think he was as bad as Cappa, but he has also been responsible for a lot of pressure getting to Burrow through the middle.
Joe Burrow Turnovers
Burrow put up good numbers, but also had 2 interceptions and a fumble. The fumble came deep in Tennessee territory, while one of the interceptions was deep in Bengals territory, and led to a quick Titans TD. Turnovers like this can’t happen this often.
Jordan Battle Fumble
Battle had a pretty solid game. His bad moment came at the tail end of a fumble recovery that should have resulted in a TD. As he was nearing the goal line, he attempted to switch the ball into his other hand, but fumbled it. The ball went out the back of the end zone and resulted in a touchback. It didn’t impact the end result, as the Bengals still got a double digit win, so hopefully the lesson has been learned without having to have a bigger consequence.
