The Bengals entered their week 18 matchup against the Browns already eliminated from playoff contention, making the season finale less about winning and losing, and more about the evaluation of younger players. With Higgins out, and Chase limited, opportunities were there. And in many cases, the young guys put up a positive performance to take with them into the offseason.
Winners:
S, Jordan Battle
Battle, since taking over as the starter, has been not only one of the best defensive players on the team, but one of the best rookies in the league. His steady play as a tackler and against the run has been combined with consistent improvement in coverage. In week 18, the rookie was rewarded with his first career interception.
RB, Joe Mixon
Going up against backups, Mixon made sure to take advantage. On 14 carries, he piled up 111 yards, going for chunk gain after chunk gain. Mixon also added 2 TD’s, one rushing and one receiving.
WR, Andrei Iosivas
With Tee Higgins out, and Ja’Marr Chase playing a limited amount, Iosivas got an extended run, and made an impact. He caught 2 TD’s from Jake Browning, and totaled 36 yards on 5 total receptions.
WR, Charlie Jones
Like Iosivas, Jones got more playing time in week 18. He made a nice catch early on down the middle of the field for a big gain, and picked up a couple of 1st downs on some jet sweeps. Jones totaled 49 yards on 3 receptions, while adding 13 more on 2 carries.
LB’s, Logan Wilson & Germaine Pratt
Wilson and Pratt have both had down years, but they ended it on a high note. Wilson looked more in control against the run, and was able to pick off a tipped pass. Pratt, meanwhile, was excellent in coverage, looking more like the version that we have seen in past years.
QB, Jake Browning
Browning, outside of his interception on the team’s opening drive, picked apart the Browns defence, while making a number of tight window throws. His 156 passing yards, 18 rushing yards, 2 TD, and 1 INT outing doesn’t look anything more than solid on the statsheet, but he also was removed from the game at the end of the 3rd quarter. Further, the Bengals big day on the ground needs to be factored in. Overall, Browning made a good impression in his run as the Bengals starting QB.
DE, Joseph Ossai
After a strong preseason, Ossai’s injury in the final preseason game may have played a part in what ended up being a pretty quiet year for him. He was facing backups, but Ossai showed some flashes in week 18, including a sack, that after showing little all year, can provide at least a little optimism about his future. The hope is that with a healthy offseason, he can get things back on track next year.
Losers:
CB, DJ Turner & S, Daxton Hill
For the most part, the Bengals played well all across the board, including Turner and Hill. Turner had especially been locking up his opponent pretty well, up until the 4th quarter. That said, they were facing a Browns squad that more closely resembled what you would see in the preseason. And their good performance was somewhat unraveled late in the 4th quarter when they were beaten over the top for a 31 yard TD by David Bell on 4th down.
CB, Sidney Jones
After Turner and Hill were beaten deep for a TD, Sidney Jones was beaten deep on the Browns second TD of the game, this one from 24 yards out. Jones had been on the practice squad for most of this season, aside from a couple of standard elevations. In his limited snaps against Cleveland, a play like this did not do him any favours. In fact, the practice squaders became free agents at the conclusion of the team’s season, and the Bengals have already signed several of them to reserve/futures deals. But Jones was not among the ones signed. That could change, but it seems as though the team will be moving on.
P, Brad Robbins
Robbins had a few solid punts, but also shanked one for 33 yards. Consistency has been a big issue for the rookie punter. Though it would have seemed unlikely 6 months ago, despite using a draft pick on the position in this past year’s draft, the Bengals may again be looking for an upgrade at punter.
Homescreen Image Via: Erik Drost (CC)