Twitter reactions to Bengals vs. Washington Football Team

The Cincinnati Bengals made it through their second preseason game on the road. It didn’t feature quarterback Joe Burrow again. However, there were some really good things to take away from this game even if it wasn’t a win.

The defense continued to shine with plenty of pressure being put on Ryan Fitzpatrick. There was also a relatively clean bill of health/. Unfortunately, the offense without Burrow left plenty to be desired.

Struggles on offense

It is still just the preseason and the Bengals are still without Burrow. However, you’d still like to see the first unit offense perform a little more consistently when called on. The first one showing issues was first round pick Ja’Marr Chase.

It should be noted that Chase played his second live game since winning the National Championship with Burrow at LSU in 2019. It is a bit reasonable to expect some rust there. It isn’t ideal, but this is what the preseason is for.

There was also another target for the struggles on offense.

Allen finally got things going in the second half. You still expect more from a guy that this team thinks of as the clear backup to Burrow.

Defense dominates

The Bengals defense has been a huge point of emphasis the past two offseasons, and it appears we are finally seeing that show up on the field.

The first unit forced a punt, made a stop on fourth-and-inches and forced a fumble. The defensive line provided plenty of pressure and looked like a complete opposite from the past two seasons where pressure was rare to see. Fans have to hope this trend continues into the regular season.

Defensive longshots continue to impress

You always love to see guys make it hard for the Bengals to cut them. That kind of effort can be contagious through a team. Defensively, we have seen two guys clearly standout. The first is pass rusher Darius Hodge, who was highlighted last week as well.

Hodge got plenty of run with Joseph Ossai out with injury. Him showing up with the first team pass rushing unit says so much about his coaching staff feels about him. Him coming up with more pressures is huge for that going forward.

The second is defensive back Jalen Davis who had two passes deflected in Week 1 that resulted in interceptions.

He was tight in coverage again. His biggest highlight was blowing up a wide receiver screen. He also managed to hit a running back in the backfield after bursting through the trenches. Defensive back is a very deep unit, but Davis won’t make that decision easy.

Highlight of the night

This is a really easy one. Auden Tate is a human highlight reel on a normal day. When he gets to face backups, it just isn’t fair.