The Bengals showed a lot of improvement against the Chiefs in week 2, after a bad loss to the Patriots in week 1. There were more big plays, on both sides of the ball, and the feeling about the team moving forward has to feel better than it did a week ago. Still, bad mistakes in big moments ended up being costly, with the Bengals ultimately losing by a point after a last second field goal.
The Good:
DE, Trey Hendrickson
Hendrickson was a force for most of the game. His 2 sacks look nice on the stat sheet, but the number of times he was creating a massive disturbance in the pocket threw a big wrench into the KC plans on offence. Hendrickson’s play also led to holding calls and hands to the face calls on the Chiefs, which were able to negate some big plays.
CB, Cam Taylor-Britt
Taylor-Britt had a great day in coverage, even while up against a high powered offence. His one handed interception was spectacular, and will end up being one of the plays of the year, league wide.
LB, Akeem Davis-Gaither
Davis-Gaither played a rotational role on defence, but made the most of his limited snaps. He played well in coverage, with his highlight being a great read to jump into the middle of the field and pick off a pass by Mahomes.
LB, Germaine Pratt
Pratt had a solid game overall, but his highlight was forcing a fumble on Pacheco that the Bengals were able to recover. Another part of a big defensive effort when it came to turnovers.
TE, Mike Gesicki
Gesicki led the team in catches and yards, going 7 for 91. He was a consistent target for Burrow, who was missing Tee Higgins, and dealing with the Chiefs double and sometimes triple covering Ja’Marr Chase.
TE, Erick All
All wasn’t quite as involved as Gesicki, but it was good to see the rookie making contributions this early in the season. He made 4 catches for 32 yards, but for me, it was his blocking that really stood out.
WR, Andrei Iosivas
Iosivas only made 2 catches for 7 yards. So why does he end up here? Both catches went for a TD. The 2nd year receiver was able to get open in some key moments, including on a 4th down.
WR, Jermaine Burton
Burton only made one catch, but it was a long bomb that went for 47 yards. The rookie is talented and has the ability to be a threat down the field, which he showed in the preseason, and then again in week 2. Hopefully he can earn a bigger role going forward.
The Bad:
S, Daijahn Anthony
This one is pretty obvious Anthony only played a handful of snaps on defence, but he made a costly mistake on one of the game’s final plays. In position to breakup a pass on 4th & 16, the rookie panicked and committed a pass interference penalty due to early contact. This negated what otherwise would have likely been the game winning stop.
WR, Ja’Marr Chase
It was a quiet day for Chase, who only put up 4 catches for 35 yards. In fairness, he was double teamed often. Anyways, the statline isn’t actually why he has been included here. The reasoning is to do with his boneheaded 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that he got for arguing with the ref. This penalty prevented the Bengals from having the chance to convert on a 3rd & medium. Instead, they had 3rd & long, and completed a short pass just to get back into field goal range.
WR, Trenton Irwin
Irwin was on the field often, but only made 1 catch for 5 yards. Like in the 2022 AFC Championship, he had consistent trouble creating separation against the Chiefs defence. A Tee Higgins return will push him back into a rotational role. But in the event that Higgins is still out, I would like to see Burton eat into more of Irwin’s snaps.
G, Cordell Volson
Volson had a great start to his season, and I was optimistic that he had taken a step forward and would turn the peaks and valleys into consistency. But if last week was a peak, this one was certainly a valley. On several occasions, he allowed his opponent to pressure the QB. He also allowed a sack.
DT, Sheldon Rankins
Rankins ended up leaving early due to injury, but before that, he was close to invisible for the second straight week. He was one of the team’s biggest free agent additions in the offseason, and had high expectations based on his pass rushing ability shown in the past. But so far, he hasn’t shown any of that in a Bengals uniform.
K, Evan McPherson
McPherson makes the “bad” list, but this is a light one. Credit to him, he was 4/4 on field goals with a long of 53. But he missed an extra point in what ended up being a 1 point loss. Didn’t want to do it, but I had to.
Run Defence
The Bengals had another poor day defending the run, allowing over 150 yards on the ground. Strangely, it seemed to be slightly better when their two starters in the interior, Rankins and Hill, left due to injury. But overall, it was still a big issue.
Modified Home Page Image Via: Eli Marshall