NFL Week 3: 5 winners and 3 losers from Bengals’ OT loss to Packers

The Cincinnati Bengals put forth their best effort of the year, but it wasn’t enough as the team faced future Hall of Fame quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. Despite a disappointing overtime loss, quite a few Bengals impressed in the contest and deserve some appreciation for their efforts.

The Winners:

Carl Lawson:

Between Michael Johnson underwhelming and the team needing overall changes, No. 58 was awesome. He had an offsides penalty late in the fourth, but the rookie constantly harassed Aaron Rodgers on Sunday,

He had had 2.5 sacks against a beleaguered Packers offensive line and really made his presence known. The rookie showed that he can get to the passer from even the less-traditional looks. Aside from the sacks, Lawson constantly harassed Rodgers all afternoon.

William Jackson III:

The Bengals have been looking for big plays and their 2016 first round pick ended up providing the most explosive play of the night. Jackson, after struggling with injuries, made a gigantic play to swing the momentum of the game.

The former first round pick had a great pick-six against the Packers’ signal-caller, streaking down the sideline for a touchdown on an interception. While he donned No. 22, he looked oddly reminiscent of Johnathan Joseph.

Joe Mixon:

Bill Lazor made a bit of a commitment to the running game and Mixon was his guy on Sunday. Cincinnati has a trio of talented running backs, but Lazor made the commitment to the rookie.

Though the former Oklahoma Sooner had trouble finding avenues for big plays, he still contributed in a big way to the Bengals. He had 62 yards on the ground and another 39 through the air.

Bill Lazor:

On their first drive with Lazor as their offensive coordinator, the Bengals looked like a much different team. Andy Dalton looked more confident for the most part and things were clicking. Still, the Bengals stalled in the second half and seemed predictable. We wish the momentum carried into the last two quarters, but the offense ended up stalling.

Andy Dalton:

Andy Dalton badly needed a good game this week to help take the heat off him, both from fans, media and possibly teammates. As he often does, Dalton responded with a big bounceback game, completing 21-of-27 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns, which should have been enough for Cincinnati to go into Green Bay and win.

The Losers:

The Fans:

If you’re a Bengals fan, my condolences. After it seemed like the Bengals were about to put forth a big upset, they pulled the rug out from all of us. Cincinnati seemed to do everything right in the first half, but couldn’t do much in the more important quarters.

This is a fan base that deserves much more than an 0-3 start and seems to be a roster that is far more talented than their record shows. Even though the Bengals were vast underdogs, this was a game that seemed winnable—even in the wake of poor play.

Stats:

Rodgers has never beat the Bengals and was 0-7 in overtime when entering Sunday. Fortunately, he faced Lewis and the Bengals, who are dubious-streak-beaters. Rodgers not only broke these stats, but also had 313 yards and three touchdowns.

I’m tired about other teams having their “firsts” at the hands of the Bengals, how about you?

Adam Jones:

The veteran corner had a rough game on Sunday afternoon, including some penalties against him. Even though it didn’t seem like Rodgers used a bunch of receivers to carve up the Bengals, No. 24 was victimized at times.

Once unknown Geronimo Allison had 122 receiving yards Sunday and the team couldn’t find an answer for ancillary weapons. Jones also let up the game-tying touchdown, with a couple of seconds left.