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 and developed further, or just how we feel in general.
You can watch our reactions in the video below:
First Reaction:
Frustration. Brandon Carr’s interception of an Andy Dalton pass intended for A.J. Green late in the first quarter was a bit of a letdown. It looked like we were about to score and get the season off to a nice start. Oh well, things like that happen, right? We’ll get them next time.
Second Reaction:
Deflation. With nine minutes left in the half, again, the Bengals were again about to score, only this time it was on Baltimore’s 9-yard line. Dalton tried to find Brandon LaFell in the back of the end zone, but threw into double coverage (and honestly, LaFell didn’t have much of a shot at catching it anyway). My excitement about the offense quickly vanished. But the score was only 3-0, so the defense could still win the game... right?
Third Reaction:
Degradation. Watching Darqueze Dennard run into George Iloka and allow Jeremy Maclin to score a 48-yard touchdown with two minutes left in the half was bad. But then with a minute and a half left, Terrell Suggs tipped a Dalton pass high into the air, allowing Lardarius Webb to secure the ball for yet another interception and return it to Cincinnati’s 2-yard line. The Ravens would score on the next play. At that point, down 17-0 to a team we were favored to beat at home, I felt embarrassed. It was not a good day.
Fourth Reaction:
Disbelief. Did Marvin Lewis really ask Kevin Huber to punt the ball, down 20-0 with less than 10 minutes to play in the game, from Baltimore’s 43-yard line? Did he think losing 20-0 as opposed to 23-0 would somehow look more dignified? What was the thinking exactly? And then did Dalton really throw the ball out of bounds on 4th and 5 from the Baltimore 13 with less than five minutes to play? Was he that rattled? What has happened to our team?
Fifth Reaction:
Pity. I felt this for a number of people:
1. Most of the defense. They did what they could despite being on the field for what seemed like the entire game, and dealing with terrible field position because of the five turnovers.
2. Joe Mixon. He looked fabulous early, and then didn’t get significant touches until the end of the game, when, for some reason, we were trying to run out the clock. Not surprisingly, he ended up with -9 yards on his last two carries, the last two plays of the game.
3. Everyone on the offense except Cedric Ogbuehi, Russell Bodine and Andy Dalton. Those three made the entire unit look bad. The offensive line play in general wasn’t good, but those two were apparently the biggest culprits. Of course, for a closer study of who did what upfront, we’ll have to wait for John Sheeran’s Weekly Linemen segment.