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Eli Apple is confident and competent

The sixth-year cornerback has cemented his place in the starting lineup.

Syndication: The Enquirer Albert Cesare / The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

There he was, once again. Eli Apple ended the Denver Broncos hopes with a pass breakup on third and 24. In fact, he almost had a game-sealing interception (again).

The uninitiated would think Apple dropped a pick. But the reality is that receiver Jerry Jeudy stripped the ball from the corner’s hands. This after Jeudy had done literally nothing the rest of the game (zero catches on four targets). Just check out Apple’s sass in the tweet below.

This is precisely what we want from Apple, who had a huge pass breakup on a pass to Courtland Sutton in the endzone earlier in the game; he is making big plays and beaming with confidence. (Check out the Mutombo at the end.)

Both about his own play and the team in general. He has the receipts for anyone that picks against the Bengals.

So there should be no doubt left that Apple is the team’s best corner only after the outstanding Chidobe Awuzie. While we’d all love to see Trae Waynes get his act together, at this point in the season, he simply can’t be relied on as much as Apple, who is competent in coverage and, in recent games, has shown a knack for coming up clutch.

Now the team should have Awuzie back to pair with a rising Apple for this week’s AFC North showdown with the Baltimore Ravens. We preview that critical game with former Raven Daniel Wilcox in the video below:

You can also listen on iTunes or using the player below:

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