The Bengals returned home after a road win in New Orleans. They were facing a Falcons team that can be deceptively good when allowed to play their game. It was a chance for them to build some momentum and rise up above .500 for the first time this season. Aside from a few blips, it was the team’s most dominant performance of the year, as they would go on to win 35-17.
The Good:
– QB, Joe Burrow
Burrow had a monster performance. He was firing down the field often to all three of his receiving options. The star QB went 34/42 for 481 yards and 3 TD’s. He also added 20 rushing yards and another TD via a QB sneak.
– WR, Ja’Marr Chase
Chase was on the receiving end of 8 of Burrow’s 34 completions. He turned those catches into 130 yards and 2 TD’s. His first TD was a nice catch over the shoulder, and the second was a long catch and run. Chase’s burst is incredible, and it showed on his second TD when he was able to outrun everyone on his way to the endzone.
– WR, Tyler Boyd
Boyd got things going with an early 60 yard TD catch. He remained involved afterwards, adding another 7 catches. His total yardage on the day was 155. Boyd has really come alive over the past couple of weeks, after the Bengals noted that they wanted to get him more involved. He has been as reliable a target as ever, when it comes to moving the chains, and the deep catches have been nice to see.
Honourable mention to Tee Higgins as well. Not quite as big a day as his fellow wideouts, but 5-93 is no small number.
– The Offensive Line
The o-line continues to make positive strides. Burrow had plenty of time in this one, and this contributed to the amount of downfield success they had passing the ball. Rookie Cordell Volson continues to improve, and the chemistry seems to be getting a lot better. Hakeem Adeniji had to fill in at RT for La’el Collins at one point, and even he looked pretty solid. Ted Karras continues to be one of the vocal leaders on the team, and the addition of Alex Cappas is really starting to pay dividends.
– CB, Chidobe Awuzie
Awuzie hasn’t allowed a TD this year, and his tackle just short of the goal line was one of his best highlights. He has stifled everyone he has faced in coverage this year, and this was no different against the Falcons.
– DE, Joseph Ossai
Ossai has performed pretty well in his somewhat limited playing time this year. On Sunday, he was able to get his first sack. He was quietly very disruptive for the Bengals, and his athleticism was on full display.
– DT, Jay Tufele
How a 2nd-3rd round talent from last year’s draft ended up making it to the Bengals via the waiver wire, I’ll never know. Over the past two weeks, Tufele has seen a jump in playing time, and the flashes he showed in college continue to show in Cincinnati too. The game against the Falcons was another step forward for him, as although he still played a somewhat limited number of snaps, he showed more consistency among them. He made 6 total tackles and was generating good push a lot of the time. His tackle for a loss was another example of how disruptive he can be.
The Bad:
– CB, Eli Apple
Apple was burned deep for a second consecutive week. This one was about as clear cut as it gets. It seemed like he was sitting on the underneath stuff, as Atlanta hasn’t shown much in terms of downfield passing. However, Byrd, who has 4.30ish speed, was able to run right by him for a 75 yard TD. Byrd has played extremely sparingly to this point for the Falcons, so perhaps it caught Apple off guard. But getting beat that bad isn’t a good look, regardless.
– Punt Return Coverage
After the long Falcons TD, the Bengals offence was forced to punt late in the 1st half. A big return for Atlanta put them at the Bengals 25 yard line with 3 seconds left, leading to a field goal. The Bengals ended up winning handedly, but that play could have served as a big momentum shift in favour of the Falcons.
– KR, Chris Evans
Evans has had limited return opportunities this year. On Sunday, he got two, and didn’t look particularly good on either of them. On both, he failed to get back to the 25, and seemed slow to reach his top gear. And regardless of that, the kick coverage for the Falcons was in good position on both of them. Probably should have settled for touchbacks.
Modified Homescreen Image Via: Maryland GovPics (CC)