The Bengals were on the road in Chicago to face the Bears in their second preseason game. Almost no starters played. The only exceptions were Daxton Hill and DJ Turner, who are still battling for one starting spot. The score line was rough — a 27-3 loss. However, for a team of backups facing starters for a large portion of the game, there ended up being some positive takeaways.
Winners:
Second Team Defence:
The second team defence (aside from Daxton Hill and DJ Turner, who are battling for one starting spot) went up against the Chicago starters for a large portion of the 1st half. In a matchup where you obviously would expect the starters to dominate, the Bengals defence held firm. They forced three 3 and outs on their first three drives, and allowed only a field goal on their fourth drive. There was good pressure, and the CB’s, including Hill, Turner, and Jalen Davis, were solid. It wasn’t until Chicago’s fifth drive when they finally put a TD on the board, and it was a drive that took several spectacular plays from Caleb Williams to put those points up. Overall, it was an impressive showing.
DT, Kris Jenkins
Jenkins had a rough preseason debut, to say the least. However, he followed it up with a nice bounce back effort against the Bears. He especially stood out as a pass rusher, with some pressure in the pocket, and a sack off of a spin move.
LB, Shaka Heyward
The battle for the LB5 job is heating up. Maema Njongmeta stole the show in week 1 of the preseason, but Heyward came back with a great performance of his own. It was in coverage, especially, where Heyward stood out. Njongmeta, meanwhile, continued to stuff the statsheet, but had a few struggles in coverage. Stylistically, they are pretty much polar opposites, which really makes this decision interesting. But in week 2, it was Heyward who stood out most.
OL, Jaxson Kirkland
You may have noticed that Kirkland got an OL designation here, instead of his usual G designation. This is because he actually played OT in this one, something he hasn’t done much, if at all, since joining the Bengals. With Jackson Carman coming off a poor performance, and D’Ante Smith out injured, Kirkland took advantage of the new opportunity. Though his run blocking is still a work in progress, he was stellar in pass protection, especially with it being a position that he hasn’t been working at in the NFL. For someone who entered camp battling for a practice squad spot or *maybe* a roster spot, he now has a chance to be the OT4 behind Orndao Brown, Trent Brown, and Amarius Mims. That is quite the trek up the depth chart, in such a short time.
OT, Eric Miller
The rookie UDFA has also been solid in pass protection through 2 preseason weeks. Quietly, he has also been impressing this offseason, while more experienced players, like Carman, have been falling down in the pecking order. We will see if it is enough to land him a spot on the roster, but Miller is at least entering the conversation.
C, Matt Lee
Lee has not allowed a pressure in either of his 2 preseason games, and continues to impress as a 7th round rookie. At this point, he seems to be squarely ahead of Trey Hill in the battle for the backup C job. His work, stonewalling starters on the Bears defence did not go unnoticed. The Bengals seem to have gotten a steal on day 3 of the draft.
TE, Tanner McLachlan
McLachlan only made 2 catches for 19 yards, but he is fighting for a depth position, and continues to stand out in his limited chances. He looks electric with the ball in his hands, and is showing that he can be someone who contributes big plays.
Losers:
C, Trey Hill
After week 1 of the preseason, Hill lost ground to C Matt Lee in the battle for the backup C job. After week 2, the deficit might be too large to overcome. Lee again performed well, while Hill had yet another day to forget. Not only was he subpar as both a pass protector and run blocker, but he was also called for 4 penalties.
OL, Cody Ford
Ford, who had primarily worked at G as a Bengal, played OT in this one. While it wasn’t a horrible outing, he did allow a couple of pressures and a sack. Further, Kirkland’s positive performance has threatened to push Ford further down the depth chart.
WR, Shedrick Jackson
Jackson caught 2 of 3 targets, but for only 10 yards. He also dropped what would have been a nice long bomb completion.
QB, Logan Woodside
Woodside actually had some good moments. However, there were multiple times where he completely failed to recognize the blitz, which led to some costly turnovers and sacks. For a veteran QB, this is tough to excuse.
CB, Josh Newton
Newton had a nice play early in the game, but then proceeded to get picked on quite a bit. It is a learning experience for the Bengals rookie, who will look to bounce back in the preseason finale on Thursday.
DT, Jay Tufele
After a weak performance from the iDL in week 1 of the preseason, there was hope that Tufele’s return could give them a boost. However, Tufele failed to make an impact. He was washed out as a pass rusher, and could not make an impact as a run defender.
