The Bengals got a break entering week 16, with the announcement that Dorian Thompson-Robinson would be starting at QB. Jameis Winston was benched due to an excessive number of turnovers. However, their offence is still clearly better with him at the helm. Despite a few blips, it was generally a good day for both sides of the ball, as the Bengals went on to win, and keep their season alive.
The Good:
DT, Kris Jenkins
The rookie has slowly but surely been progressing after a slow start to the season. He has been flashing more as a pass rusher in recent weeks, and the trend continued against the Browns, where he was able to get home for 2 sacks.
S, Vonn Bell
Bell’s role on defence is limited at this point, but he made his snaps count. After the Browns ripped off a huge run on the first play of the game, they were eventually able to get to the 1 yard line. It looked like they had punched it in, but Bell actually punched the ball out before it crossed the goal line. This turnover changed the feel of the game, and the Bengals were able to control it from that point forward.
DE, Trey Hendrickson
Hendrickson was good, as usual. He was able to put pressure on Thompson-Robinson from around the edge, making things easier for the interior guys. He also added a sack to his tally.
DE, Joseph Ossai
Ossai, quietly, has been another solid contributor in recent weeks. Though maybe not as much of a standout as some other guys, he has been able to get to the QB in flashes, and picked up another sack on Sunday.
CB’s, Mike Hilton & Cam Taylor-Britt
Hilton had a good day in coverage, but it was his trademark plays near the line of scrimmage that again caught the eye. A good all around day for the veteran.
Taylor-Britt, meanwhile, also had a good day in coverage. With Thomson-Robinson at QB, their passing attack was expected to be much less potent. However, the strides in recent weeks have still been encouraging, given his rough start to the season.
QB, Joe Burrow
Burrow had to deal with his fair share of pressure, but made several nice plays after maneuvering his way around or out of the pocket. His TD pass to Higgins as he was falling to the ground was something special. He did have the one mistake on the fumble, but Burrow’s stat line of 23/30 for 252 yards and 3 TD’s is nothing to complain about.
RB, Chase Brown
Another day over 100 scrimmage yards for Brown. He had 91 yards on the ground, averaging an efficient 5.1 yards per carry. As well, Brown added 18 yards on 3 receptions.
Starting WR Trio
The WR’s all did their part in this one. Chase had 97 yards and a TD on 6 catches. Higgins, meanwhile, had 58 yards on 8 catches, while also adding a TD. Not to be left out, Andrei Iosivas racked up 53 yards on 3 catches. He was a downfield threat in this one, when he saw the ball thrown in his direction. Iosivas also got in on the fun by catching a TD pass of his own.
OT, Amarius Mims
Mims was the bright spot on the Bengals offensive line. Facing a tough matchup, he held up well in pass protection. As well, he was great in the run game. Complete performances, such as this one, haven’t been common among Bengals offensive linemen in recent years. But the rookie 1st rounder is showing why he was a high selection.
The Bad:
LB, Akeem Davis-Gaither
The defence, as a unit, had one of its best games of the year, facing a struggling offence. However, Davis-Gaither was one of the spots they were able to pick on when they did have some success. Though he is usually solid in coverage, he did struggle in this area on Sunday.
OL Outside of Mims
Burrow was running around for much of Sunday’s game. Outside of Mims, nobody on the offensive line played well. Burrow praised Cody Ford for his work against Myles Garrett. But really, Ford wasn’t good. He gets a bit of a break for facing one of the league’s best, but I’m not going to spin it. Cappa continued to struggle like he has all year and Volson wasn’t much better. Karras has been solid this year, and wasn’t terrible in this game. However, he also wasn’t great.
Thumbnail Image Via: Dinur (CC)