Who Won: A.J. Green or Johnathan Joseph

by Jason Garrison on Dec 12, 2011 4:30 PM EST in Game Recaps

CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 11: A.J. Green #18 of the Cincinnati Bengals catches a pass while defended by Johnathan Joseph #26 of the Houston Texans during the NFL game at Paul Brown Stadium on December 11, 2011 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

One of the more anticipated matchups of the Bengals Week 14 game against the Kansas City Chiefs was former Bengals cornerback Johnathan Joseph against Bengals rookie wide receiver A.J. Green.

Joseph left the Bengals in the offseason after five years and signed with the Houston Texans. He is the team's top cornerback and is having one of the best years of his career. Green replaced Chad Ochocinco as the Bengals' No. 1 receiver and has been nothing short of amazing so far this year. He's in the conversation for Offensive Rookie of the Year and has either scored a touchdown or had more than 80 yards receiving in every game but two.

So, who won that matchup?

Quarterback Andy Dalton targeted Green seven times on Sunday. Green caught five of the seven passes thrown to him. Those five catches went for 59 yards including one 36-yard catch. Green had 17 total yards after catches which averaged out to be 3.4 yards after each catch.

Joseph covered Green throughout the entire game. Green's 36-yard catch was the second longest play that Joseph has given up so far this season. He did have two passes defensed (likely the two that Green didn't catch) and Dalton had a 89.1 passer rating when throwing to a receiver Joseph was covering (which was Green except for one play), which is the third highest passer rating that he has allowed so far this season.

Green didn't score a touchdown and this was the only time, other than the team's Week 3 game against the 49ers, in which he played that he was held to less than 80 yards without a touchdown. However, Green's 59 yards is the second most amount of yards that Joseph has allowed one receiver to accumulate while he was covering him so far this season.

Considering all of this, who do you think won the matchup between Green and Joseph?

Poll

Who won?

A.J. Green

436 votes

Johnathan Joseph

132 votes

They tied

211 votes

779 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

I want to see Dalton hit Green in stride one time

I dont think its happend all season

by Bigcatdaddy on Dec 12, 2011 4:34 PM EST via mobile reply actions

RE:

Fourth down reception was a perfect connection.

Managing Editor at CincyJungle.com -- SB Nation Cincinnati Bengals blog.

by Josh Kirkendall on Dec 12, 2011 4:54 PM EST up reply actions

Probably meant on a long pass

What do you do when there's no way out? Find a way to get deeper in it.

by jimbasa on Dec 12, 2011 5:16 PM EST up reply actions

I agree...doesn't seem to happen enough

by M Shop on Dec 12, 2011 4:58 PM EST up reply actions

The long TD passes (i.e. +35 yards) againt Jacksonville and Seattle were both on the money - an extended handoff essentially.

I agree that recently it seems that A.D. is just launching it up, and while he certainly has been, he has also been pretty accurate on deep balls for the most part. He also had a nice (accurate) pass to Simpson on last drive of the Baltimore game too.

As far as Green’s personal battle with JJo, I think A.J. earned a solid B (JJo was also solid). Green did have one costly “drop” (rather surprising by his standards) on a 3rd & 11 play in the 4th Quarter that would have put the Bengals in the red zone, and likely iced the game. The pass was in stride, and Green timed his jump perfectly, but the ball seemingly went right through his arms. Not blaming A.J. at all – because he is a beast and phenomenal receiver – but it was a rather surprising “drop” by his standards ( I guess more of an incomplete pass, but with Green I’ve come to expect he’ll catch anything).

by The_Black_Stripes on Dec 12, 2011 9:48 PM EST up reply actions

green didnt find the endzone

jojo hasnt allowed a td in 11 games straight now?

" Mike Brown is the owner that Cincy doesn't deserve, not the one it needs..."

by palewook on Dec 12, 2011 4:35 PM EST reply actions

oh, and the texans cut mason today for the way he played yesterday

" Mike Brown is the owner that Cincy doesn't deserve, not the one it needs..."

by palewook on Dec 12, 2011 4:35 PM EST reply actions

J Jo because

Houston won and thats all that really matters.

by moebball on Dec 12, 2011 4:37 PM EST reply actions

+1

that was a heart breaker of a game and brought back similar feelings of disappointment from years past. Hard to argue anyone on the Bengals won much of anything on Sunday.

by M Shop on Dec 12, 2011 4:49 PM EST up reply actions

Exactly

There are no relevent individual victories in a team loss. There were no Bengal victories of any kind yesterday.

by BamaBengal on Dec 12, 2011 5:16 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

werd

AJ might’ve gotten a few nice catches w/ J-Jo on him, but it really matters who won the game. Plus, I didn’t see AJ doing much of anything in the 4th, so J-Jo definitely won by unanimous decision.

We Believe!!!

by crossphaded on Dec 12, 2011 8:12 PM EST up reply actions

Green got some catches and yards on him

No one can say Green is not a STUD

by Bigcatdaddy on Dec 12, 2011 4:44 PM EST via mobile reply actions

I say Green won only because J Jo got away with some P.I. more than once. I dont think J Jo can hold Green. Actualy I dont think anybody can hold Green if Dalton would hit him when he gets past the defender insteade of making him come back every freaking throw.

by Terrell Keith Renaker on Dec 12, 2011 4:45 PM EST reply actions

When he's double covered, that short throw is a bonus.

AJ can be double covered (as he often is) and come back to the ball and make the grab. If Dalton leads him, he has to split the corner and safety and that hasn’t always happened. If he underthrows, AJ can just use his freak catch radius to come back and attack the ball, the coverage has no idea how to defend that. It’s a very bizarre but effective technique.

However when Andy see’s single coverage he definitely needs to be able to hit the receiver (not just AJ) in stride, and I’m confident that will come with time.

by Cry on Dec 12, 2011 4:54 PM EST up reply actions

5 of 7

nuff said

by Oregonbengalsfan on Dec 12, 2011 5:06 PM EST reply actions

TJ YATES won that one....

Neither AJ nor J Joe impressed me much that game….

I love AJ don’t get me wrong and he has been super clutch for us…..but in all I think J Joe made some good plays and I think AJ did too.

AD to AJ = TD!!

by Toasted_Orange_Monster on Dec 12, 2011 5:26 PM EST reply actions

Off topic but......

I was at the game so obviously wasn’t watching the game on TV or streaming it. Everyone in our section was talking about how B. Scott and Jerome Had just got into a fist fight on the sideline (4th quarter I think) I didn’t hear anything else about it in post-game stuff so I wasn’t sure if the cameras caught it on the sideline during the game or if anyone heard anything else about it.

by n8dogg on Dec 12, 2011 6:02 PM EST reply actions