Every week, we’ll post five reactions to each Cincinnati Bengals game this year. Our reactions could be about the promising/saddening signs on the field, the bigger picture that may have come into focus with the most recent game, what we hope to see changed or developed further, or just how we feel in general.
This week’s segment features the reaction of Twitter phenom Joe Goodberry.
You can watch our reactions in the video below:
Reaction #1: Bittersweetness - John Sheeran was sad to see what he believes will be DeShawn Williams’ last game as a Bengal, due to his poor play on the opening drive, in which he committed two penalties, one that negated a sack by Jordan Willis. However, John is glad that Jordan Evans continued his outstanding play in the preseason.
Reaction #2: Existential confusion - Though he watched the game, Joe really didn’t understand why. What is the purpose of watching a low scoring preseason game? Injuries to John Ross and Jeff Driskel (who we interviewed last week, and is an outstanding young man) just added to his uncertainty.
Reaction #3: Disappointment - Braden Whited was not very pleased with Cody Core’s performance, including a strange sequence on a screen pass late in the first quarter. Core decided to run right into cornerback Quincy Wilson, who Josh Malone was blocking toward the boundary, instead of cutting inside to gain more yards. As a result of his poor decision making, Core was tackled almost immediately.
Reaction #4: Pure joy - It was great to see Ross get his first catch, and then look like exactly the player the Bengals need on a 25 yard reverse. On that second run, Ross showed not only his speed, but his solid decision making and creativity. He burst through a small gap, broke one tackle, used a blocker and almost broke another tackle before going down.
Reaction #5: A new sense of spirituality - When Ross went down on the aforementioned run, we put all our energy toward hoping it wasn’t anything serious. After storing him in bubble wrap the entire preseason, it would be absolutely devastating to lose the ninth pick in the draft on just his third touch, especially after injury concerns have dogged him so far.