The Bengals finally got the ball rolling against the Jets, picking up their first win of the season. It was a more polished game on both sides of the ball, something we hadn’t seen this year, with the offence in particular struggling out of the gate. Sunday’s win included several dominant performances, but also showcased some kinks that can still be ironed out.
The Good:
– Coaching
After coaching was heavily criticised in the first two weeks, good strides were made in week 3, en route to a dominant win over the Jets. Zac Taylor’s creativity was a lot better right out of the gate, as he opened with play action and soon after called a trick play. More of the same please.
Lou Anarumo also did a better job of rotating his defensive linemen. The starters played the vast majority of the snaps in week 2, and their effectiveness plummeted. Hendricson specifically. In week 3, there was more of a rotation and everyone seemed to perform better.
– DE, Trey Hendrickson
Speaking of the DL rotation, Hendricson had a much needed bounce back week. He was creating consistent pressure, and generated 2.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. It was a dominant performance.
– CB’s, Chidobe Awuzie & Eli Apple
The CB’s shut down the boundary, for the most part. Flacco tested Awuzie several times deep, and he allowed very little separation and broke up a couple of the passes. Apple, likewise, allowed very little in coverage.
– LB, Akeem Davis-Gaither
Davis-Gaither was filling in for the injured Germaine Pratt and played very well. The coverage talent he showed in college was on display, and he also led the team in tackles, with 13. It was a very encouraging step after we had only seen a few flashes last year.
– WR, Tyler Boyd
Boyd has largely taken a back seat since the additions of Higgins and Chase, but he is still an important part of the offence. On Sunday, he got his moment in the spotlight when he broke a tackle and got loose for a 56 yard TD. He totaled 4 catches for 105 yards and a TD on the day.
– QB, Joe Burrow
Joe Burrow had a nice bounce back game. While not perfect, his decision making was much better. Further, his presence in the pocket closely resembled the player we had become accustomed to. The star QB tossed 3 TD’s in addition to his 275 passing yards, and did not turn the ball over.
– RB, Samaje Perine
Perine scored the team’s opening TD when he was able to get open for a scrambling Joe Burrow on 3rd & goal. He also looked good running the ball later in the game. The significance of this is that Mixon did not look very good.
The Bad:
– RB, Joe Mixon
Continuing from the previous section, Mixon did not look good in this one, and has had a few struggles throughout the early parts of this season. In all fairness, the OL has not made things easy for him. However, people were already questioning his decisiveness, and Perine’s late game success seems to be adding to the questions.
– OT’s, Jonah Williams & La’el Collins
It was better than in week 2, but the bookends still have not performed to the expectations. Collins is playing hurt, but he is still needed to play at a higher level. He needed a lot of help from TE’s and RB’s on Sunday. Williams has also been very shaky. The hope is that he will improve once more chemistry with Cordell Volson is formed.
– LS, Cal Adomitis
Adomitis wasn’t that bad overall, but he did have a high snap late in the game, which led to a missed field goal. Luckily, the game was already out of reach. We can’t have this happening in a more important situation.
Modified Homescreen Image Via: All-Pro Reels (CC)