Bengals awards from their Week 3 tie against the Eagles

It’s hard to describe what to feel with a tie, though overall dissatisfaction has to be a major theme. While the Cincinnati Bengals are still figuring out ways to win, there were ups and downs from individual players this week.

Cast your vote and sound off on your votes for the various weekly Bengals awards in their tie versus the Eagles!

Most Valuable Player

Joe Burrow:

What more is there to say with the No. 1 overall pick? In just three games, Burrow has shown everything a franchise quarterback should exude, which is really something in a preseason-less offseason.

Burrow was 31-of-44 with 312 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. It led to a quarterback rating in the 105 range and he once again had the team in position to win on the road.

Tee Higgins:

The rookie has taken some nice steps over the past two games. He caught both of Burrow’s touchdowns and may have begun to ascend to a bigger role with John Ross being a healthy scratch this week.

Higgins had the two touchdown grabs, but finished with five for 40 yards in total. It’s quite possible he continues to become one of Burrow’s favorite targets as the year progresses.

Tyler Boyd:

If Higgins is becoming an emerging threat, Boyd is cementing himself as the go-to guy. He finished with 10 catches for 125 yards and was a consistent drive-sustainer.

Of his 10 catches, went for first downs, which is a theme for the Burrow-Boyd connection. Boyd could be on pace for his third-straight 1,000-yard receiving season.

Carl Lawson:

The former fourth-round edge defender has had one of the most enigmatic Bengals careers in recent memory. It’s seemingly feast-or-famine for Lawson in the gaudy stats, but pressure numbers show he’s effective when healthy and utilized.

He absolutely destroyed the Eagles’ offensive line to the tune of two sacks and a forced fumble. He also contributed eight total tackles and was an omnipresent force on an afternoon in which the Bengals’ defense was inconsistent.

Unsung Hero of the Week

Logan Wilson:

There were a couple of occasions where the rookie linebacker was out of position, but he also had a couple of high-impact plays. The biggest, of course, was the interception at the onset of the game. Wilson also had five solo tackles, a couple of which greatly limited any damage.

Sam Hubbard:

The third-year defensive end saw Wentz through his grasp once on Sunday, but he brought him down another time. Hubbard also had four total tackles—two of which went for losses.

LeShaun Sims:

The free agent acquisition had a rough end of summer, having to leave the team for a bit for personal reasons. But, with Trae Waynes on I.R., it’s been a bit of “cornerback by committee”, pressing Sims into further action.

He had an important interception in the third quarter that led to a Bengals field goal. Sims also had two tackles in the contest.

Randy Bullock:

Since the critical Week 1 miss, Bullock has been perfect on all extra point and field goal attempts. Bullock had 11 total points in the contest, nailing all three field goal attempts, including a 48-yarder, and both extra point attempts. He did have a big no-no in kicking a ball out of bounds

Carlos Dunlap:

Cincinnati needed a big game from Dunlap, who had been quiet the first two weeks. He stepped up with nine solo tackles, including one for a loss, and one of his trademark batted passes.

Giovani Bernard:

The ultimate team player had the Bengals’ longest play from scrimmage on Sunday, which was a nifty 42-yard scamper on a dump-off pass from Burrow, setting up a critical fourth quarter field goal. He had three catches for 55 yards, making him Cincinnati’s second-leading receiver in the contest.

Goat of the Week

Jonah Williams:

Williams played better as the game wore on, but he allowed a sack to Josh Sweat after being beaten badly off of the edge on the first drive of the game. Cincinnati is also having massive trouble running the football, pointing to issues along the line as a whole.

Bobby Hart:

We don’t like to keep piling on one particular player, but the team’s starting right tackle has allowed the most pressures by any offensive linemen this season with 15 through three games, per PFF. It was more of the same on Sunday, where Hart was a big culprit in the allowance of eight sacks to the Eagles’ defense.

Akeem Davis-Gaither:

The rookie provided sound coverage on one wheel route from a back late in the game, but was torched on what should have been a touchdown on a similar route by Miles Sanders a little earlier. Davis-Gaither had a sub-30 rating by Pro Football Focus this week.

Alex Erickson:

Isn’t there an unspoken NFL special teams rule that, for the most part, you shouldn’t fair catch the ball inside your own 10-yard line? Erickson did it twice on Sunday, leading to poor field position for the Bengals.

Of course, there exceptions to rules, but aside from a 19-yard punt return, Erickson isn’t popping the big plays that made him an undrafted hero a few years ago.

Fred Johnson/Billy Price:

We’re lumping these two together since they tag-teamed the right guard position on Sunday. Johnson continued his struggles from the previous Thursday night, causing the coaches to bench him at halftime.

Meanwhile, the third-year offensive lineman from Ohio State continues to bring a roller coaster of film. At the onset of the second half, protection held up and, not coincidentally, the Bengals were scoring points. However, Price fell into old habits and had two critical penalties late in the game (holding and false start).

Play of the Game

Randy Bullock’s 48-yard, second quarter field goal:

As mentioned previously, Bullock hit a long field goal to give the team its first points after the offense punted in their first four drives. A kick from this depth on the road isn’t an easy feat, by any stretch.

Joe Burrow’s 1-yard touchdown pass to Tee Higgins:

Nothing flashy, but it was a nice design for the Bengals to get the rookie’s first score of the season. This likely points to a nice building rapport between the team’s first and second-round picks from this year.

Joe Burrow’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Tee Higgins:

When looking at the play, one would have thought Burrow would have led Higgins and floated the ball beyond defenders. Instead, the rookie showed off his pinpoint accuracy threading the needle between two Eagles in the area, giving both Higgins and Burrow their second touchdowns of the day.

Giovani Bernard’s 42-yard reception:

We referenced it above, but the Bengals had a huge play on a bad situation. Whether or not this went all the way for a touchdown (it didn’t), the points gained from it should have been the nail in the coffin for Philadelphia.