The Bengals had their home opener on Sunday against the Jaguars. They had to fight through adversity along the way, with Joe Burrow going down with an injury. Some issues were definitely evident on both sides of the ball, but there were also some standout performances that helped push them across the finish line.
The Good:
WR, Ja’Marr Chase
The entire offence ran through Chase in week 2. He caught the team’s first TD from Joe Burrow in the 1st quarter. Then, when Burrow went down, they relied on him even more. Browning targeted him often, especially on screens and quick hitters. On the day, he tallied 14 receptions for 165 yards and a TD.
DE, Trey Hendrickson
Hendrickson was the only member of the defensive line to really pressure the QB, and he was able to create a lot of it. He got a sack, but the play of the game for him might have been a hurry that forced an errant throw and an interception.
WR, Mitchell Tinsley
Tinsley only got a small moment to shine, but he made sure to take full advantage. It was an end zone target from Jake Browning, and the coverage was tight. Tinsley could only get one hand on the ball, but that was enough to reel it in. What arguably was more impressive was how he was able to stay in bounds to complete the catch. On his first career catch, Tineley ended up with a 13 yard TD.
CB, Daxton Hill
In all honesty, there were a few poor moments for Hill in this one. However, his interception on Jacksonville’s second drive likely stopped them from finding the end zone. It proved to be crucial in a one score game.
S, Jordan Battle
Battle has had two solid performances to start the season. For the second straight game, he was able to take advantage of a tipped pass and come away with an interception. And just like in week 1, his interception led to a Bengals field goal.
QB, Jake Browning
As I was thinking about this article during the game, I originally anticipated not including him on either side. Afterall, he did some good things to keep the team in the game, but also tossed 3 picks, 2 of which were not good at all. But then he proceeded to orchestrate a game winning drive that was more than 90 yards, and punched in the winning TD on the QB sneak. It wasn’t a perfect performance, but it was a gutsy one, as he had to come off the bench and put points on the board. He went 21/32 on the day for 241 yards and 2 TD’s passing. It wasn’t perfect all the time, but I’ll tip my cap.
The Bad:
Defensive Line Outside of Hendrickson
The Bengals defensive line had a lot of trouble generating pressure, and had it not been for Trey Hendrickson, nearly nothing would have been generated. BJ Hill played well last week, but didn’t do much in week 2. Murphy and Ossai had the odd flash, but nothing much, while Stewart got hurt. Kris Jenkins was also a no show.
Offensive Line
The Bengals run blocking has been atrocious through 2 weeks. Little push is created, and Chase Brown has had trouble finding lanes to run in. The silver lining before was that this unit was at least improved in pass protection. However, Burrow was running for his life frequently, and got hurt in the 2nd quarter. It was a bit better later on, but still not a great day for the offensive line.
G, Dalton Risner
Risner gets singled out here because he gave up the sack that led to Burrow’s injury. Pass protection is typically the area where he stands out, but he wasn’t anywhere close to par on Sunday. His run blocking leaves a lot to be desired, so performances like this as a pass protector will have to be few and far between.
CB, DJ Turner
The secondary as a whole had some blips, but Turner specifically caught my eye on multiple occasions, getting beat down the field. He also got beaten for a TD. Turner had a solid start in week 1, but it seems like the consistency issues may still be handing around.
