Andre Smith benched vs. 49ers

The Bengals had a terrible first half against the 49ers, and part of that was because of their starting left tackle.

Andre Smith was responsible for two consecutive penalties to end the first quarter and was subsequently benched for John Jerry. The open the game, Smith gave up an Arik Armstead sack that ended the offense’s first drive. It was perhaps the worst quarter of football Smith ever played for Cincinnati.

Jerry became a noticeable upgrade over Smith without really doing anything special, and he ended the preseason on an awful note, so much that the team cut him before the final roster was set.

To be fair to Smith, it was later reported he has a groin injury that he’s been playing through today, but it’s unclear when the injury occured.

Aside from who is playing left tackle, The Bengals still have a plethora of issues to deal with if they want to come back from their 24-10 halftime deficit and win. Their defense is getting eaten up by Kyle Shanahan’s play-calling and the skill players he has at his disposal.

Smith has only been starting because Cordy Glenn has been out with a concussion for the past month. Hopefully, this is the last week Smith or Jerry has to play this year.