Week 3 was arguably the worst edition of this series. As for week 4, the turnover troubles were eliminated, but not much else went right against the Broncos. The Bengals had a promising start on their first two drives, respectively, but it was almost all downhill from there. Even when they found a lifeline or two, they were wasted pretty quickly.
The Good:
LB, Demetrius Knight
Knight was able to find one of those lifelines. Facing 4th & 1 on the Bengals 2 yard line, the Broncos decided to go for it. Nix’s pass into the end zone was picked off by Knight, not only preventing a score, but also getting the touchback to bring the ball out to the 20. The Bengals ultimately did nothing with it, and punted the ball away, but this play could have been a momentum shifter.
The Bad:
QB, Jake Browning
Browning went 14/25 for 125 yards on the night. The good news, I suppose, is that he didn’t turn the ball over. But truth be told, he didn’t do much of anything. The receivers were getting open, but Browning opted to hold onto the ball on many of these occasions, inviting pressure his way. And when he did attempt some of these passes, his accuracy was spotty. The QB questions in Cincinnati are heating up. It doesn’t seem like a trade is in the works for right now, but another bad performance or two, and things could change in a desperation attempt at saving the season.
HC, Zac Taylor
Taylor, for a second straight week, is the biggest culprit. His team looked completely unprepared, to the point where it goes beyond just a team having injuries. Pre-snap penalties wiped out big plays, and put the offence in unfavourable situations time after time. Nobody was prepared and, ultimately, that falls on Taylor.
DC, Al Golden
I didn’t include him the last few weeks, but this week, Golden isn’t making it out clean either. His defence has looked like Swiss cheese for most of this season, even at times where they weren’t allowing points. The eye test has never been good. In fairness to him, there are areas where the talent is highly questionable. But still, we needed to see some improvement. I’m also not happy with his unwillingness to blitz.
CB, Cam Taylor-Britt
Taylor-Britt got waxed early in the game, and the coaches had seen enough. He was benched in favour of Josh Newton. Newton wasn’t particularly great, but he ended up being a bit more serviceable than Taylor-Britt. The former 2nd rounder’s dip in form during 2024, and so far in 2025, is a big concern.
DT’s, BJ Hill & Kris Jenkins
Hill is a veteran who the Bengals just paid. Jenkins is a 2024 2nd round pick. With those pieces of information, you’d think the Bengals would have at least some kind of pass rush from the interior. However, both were invisible, failing to generate any sort of pressure on the QB. The interior pass rush is arguably the team’s biggest weakness.
DE’s, Myles Murphy & Joseph Ossai
Murphy and Joseph were decently solid last week, all things considered. However, they were ineffective on Monday Night Football in Denver. Both have the talent and draft pedigree, but the flashes have only been flashes. Never have they been able to follow it up with consistency. Right now, Trey Hendrickson is shouldering most of the load at the edge position, and the ineffectiveness of Murphy and Ossai allows Hendrickson to be double teamed more often.
OT’s, Amarius Mims & Orlando Brown
Mims gave up a couple of sacks and several pressures around the edge. He was arguably the team’s worst offensive lineman in week 4. Brown also gave up a sack. Though he didn’t allow as much pressure as Mims, that only speaks to how bad Mims was, as Brown gave up quite a bit, himself. OT was supposed to be an area of strength, but the bookends are struggling this year.
G’s, Dylan Fairchild & Jalen Rivers
Fairchild didn’t allow a sack, but was responsible for a lot of pressure. Rivers, meanwhile, did allow a sack, and gave up a lot of pressure too. It was a tough one for two rookies starting at G, especially with the OT’s next to them struggling as well.
OL Coach, Scott Peters
Another coach finds himself on the list. At various points, all of the starting offensive lineman have looked awful. Part of it is certainly on them. However, the unit looks confused and poorly coached. Peters’ hands-on approach was praised in the preseason, but as an OL coach, all of his units in the past have ranked poorly. This season has been more of the same, and it is time to question his status.
CB, Marco Wilson
Wilson was only on the field for a few snaps. However, on one, he gave up a big play that allowed the Broncos to move the chains on 3rd down. Not the best impression for someone who doesn’t get many opportunities.
