Cincy Jungle - NFL Week 14 Chicago Bears at Cincinnati Bengals 2017Who Deyhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48495/cincyjungle_fave.png2017-12-14T09:00:02-05:00http://www.cincyjungle.com/rss/stream/165141972017-12-14T09:00:02-05:002017-12-14T09:00:02-05:00Bengals film room: Predictable defense sees predictable results
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<p>The Bears exploded for almost 500 yards against a Bengals defense that was missing a handful of key starters. Unfortunately, the Bengals’ poor performance wasn’t only due to those injuries.</p> <p id="HD6Knk">The <a href="https://www.cincyjungle.com/">Bengals</a> dropped a tough one at home against the struggling <a href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/">Bears</a>, and did so while giving up about 500 yards and getting handled both on the ground and through the air. It was a complete debacle for Cincinnati that had their hopefully soon-to-be former head coach, <span>Marvin Lewis</span>, “at a loss for words”.</p>
<p id="DMrE1S">Chicago was coming off a really bad loss to the <a href="https://www.ninersnation.com/">49ers</a> the previous week, but looked formidable in Paul Brown Stadium, gaining almost 100 more yards than in any other game they played this season.</p>
<p id="nHP9iC">Lewis said that his team had a lot of new faces on defense, as they were missing starters like <span>Dre Kirkpatrick</span>, <span>Shawn Williams</span>, <span>Adam Jones</span>, <span>Nick Vigil</span> and their leader, <span>Vontaze Burfict.</span> <span>Geno Atkins</span> was limited to less than 20 percent of the snaps, too, with a toe injury. But that alone can’t explain how poorly the Bengals’ D fared against <a href="http://www.footballoutsiders.com/dvoa-ratings/2017/week-14-dvoa-ratings">the worst offense in the NFL</a>. We went to the tape to find out more.</p>
<h3 id="OUmcri">Defense is predictable</h3>
<p id="RJt2Ca">This is an issue that has troubled me and anyone that has watched this team all season long. The Bengals are becoming easier to attack because opposing coaches and quarterbacks are ready and know where the soft spots will be. Cincinnati could have tried to spice things up a little bit - just like they did in the first half last week against Pittsburgh - but Chicago’s quarterback <span>Mitchell Trubisky</span> kept finding his tight ends wide open between zones.</p>
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<p id="RetbsQ">When the pocket is clean, and it is more often than not when you keep rushing only four, any quarterback can complete a pass.</p>
<p id="E3wRbi">It’s safe to say that missing both Burfict and Vigil, the team’s two nickel backs, didn’t help much, but Trubisky finished with 25 completions on 32 attempts for 271 yards. It was only the second time in his young NFL career that the Ohio native completed more than 60 percent of his throws.</p>
<p id="1Av6x5">How did he do it? The Bears attacked the Bengals’ zone defense horizontally, giving Trubisky easy reads down the middle and taking advantage of <span>Kevin Minter</span> and <span>Vincent Rey</span> on drag routes. That, coupled with a clean pocket, is always money in the bank.</p>
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<h3 id="RQaMb0">Injuries took a toll, to an extent</h3>
<p id="n2AvFw">Missing Atkins, Vigil and Burfict was probably big for Paul Guenther’s unit, but they weren’t playing the <a href="https://www.patspulpit.com/">Patriots</a>. The secondary was fine without Kirkpatrick, Jones and Williams, and in fact allowed William Jackson III to shine quite a bit.</p>
<p id="sbMI6K"><span>Jordan Evans</span>, the rookie, <a href="https://www.cincyjungle.com/2017/12/12/16759930/week-14-rookie-report-jordan-evans-brian-hill-debuts-blowout-loss">is still very green</a> and made a costly mistake on Sunday, for the second week in a row. He thought the Bengals were playing zone when they were in cover 1.</p>
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<p id="zBCVl7">Mistakes are going to happen for a rookie like Evans who is getting thrown into the mix late in the season. Though, with that said, we’d rather see him out there gaining experience than see a veteran at this point in a lost season.</p>
<p id="CfvCz4">Both Minter and Rey had equally poor performances and they’re neither new or rookies. Having to play one or two at the same time is a recipe for disaster for Cincinnati right now, and that is why Burfict’s absence hurt so much.</p>
<p id="gEEbvU">Minter was problematic all day, and he struggled mightily against the run, which supposedly was his calling card. He was tentative every time the Bears ran the ball and easily taken away by the fullback or an offensive lineman, when I suspect his role is more in line with Rey Maualuga’s when he was with the Bengals. Then, when he finally tried to wreak havoc inside he gave up his gap trying to cut underneath when he was never going to be able to make a play.</p>
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<p id="TvGGnm">The Bengals are lucky they only signed him for one year. The <a href="https://www.revengeofthebirds.com/">Cardinals</a> chose the aging <span>Karlos Dansby</span> over him for a reason. Don’t make the same mistake twice.</p>
<p id="KMDwhr">Rey simply didn’t help his team enough on Sunday.</p>
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<p id="t2AFKN">The Bengals coaches could have been more aggressive to take some pressure off their front seven, but they again went with the same gameplan we’ve seen all season long; just hoping their guys would execute better every time.</p>
<p id="UJOKpl">And as has been the case all season long, too, the opposing running game opened up their passing game and made Trubisky look like the second coming of <span>Aaron Rodgers</span>.</p>
<p id="CEHAdL">We’re getting used to this and it doesn’t look good. On offense, many have correctly said that the staff isn’t putting their receivers in the best position to succeed. We can make a case that the Bengals are not doing much to help their players on defense either.</p>
https://www.cincyjungle.com/2017/12/14/16770386/bengals-film-room-predictable-defense-sees-predictable-results-against-bearsmuertedeatenas2017-12-14T07:00:02-05:002017-12-14T07:00:02-05:00Weekly Lineman: How the Bears broke the Bengals’ rush defense
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<figcaption>David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Bears did everything and anything to the Bengals defense, including gashing their front seven to pieces. Let’s breakdown how they did it.</p> <p id="VKKnwo">The biggest issue the <a href="https://www.cincyjungle.com/">Bengals’</a> offense has had this year (and last year really) is an ever-unclear identity. </p>
<p id="reI1kv">They fired their offensive coordinator less than two calendar-weeks into the regular season. They’ve tried to be power-oriented some weeks and zone-focused other games. They don’t have the personnel up front to do whatever they desire any given week. </p>
<p id="tS6zS8">Their overall inconsistency has led to overall underwhelming results, specifically in the second-half of games when the play-calling goes off script. They’ve had minimal success because it took them so long to figure what they’re good at and utilize it. The Bengals defense, on the other hand, has had its strengths down from the get-go.</p>
<p id="9EpoRM">Up until recently, Paul Guenther’s unit on the other side of the ball was really good at bending and not breaking. They create a lot of pressure with just four rushers, they’re an extremely efficient pass defense, and they don’t allow big runs. </p>
<p id="qqUi1l">These have been the critical factors of a defense that was fourth in the league in points per play and third in yards per play leading up to this matchup against the <a href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/">Chicago Bears</a>. </p>
<p id="wZE9vn">For the first 11 weeks of the year, the most rushes of 10 yards or more the Bengals defense allowed in one game was four, against the <a href="https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/">Pittsburgh Steelers</a> in Week 7 and the <a href="https://www.musiccitymiracles.com/">Tennessee Titans</a> in Week 10. </p>
<p id="vYw6y4">They were tied for sixth in the league in limiting these runs. In Week 12 against the <a href="https://www.dawgsbynature.com/">Cleveland Browns</a>, they allowed a season-high of eight. They bounced against the Steelers the following week by only allowing two, but the proverbial camel’s back was broke this past Sunday against the Bears, as running backs <span>Jordan Howard</span> and <span>Tarik Cohen</span> had 11 rushes of 10 yards or more. </p>
<p id="1RamXI">The duo accounted for 227 of the Bears’ 232 rushing yards, the most the Bengals allowed this year by far. How were they able to do it? </p>
<p id="WM6rXs">The answers aren’t pretty:</p>
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<p lang="und" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/7mC9syxeLY">pic.twitter.com/7mC9syxeLY</a></p>— not kevin durant (@nevkinturand) <a href="https://twitter.com/nevkinturand/status/940671478076526593?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2017</a>
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<p id="Z2EZmj">It doesn’t get more simple than this. The Bears are in 21 personnel; two tight ends and one running back. The Bengals are in 4-3 under alignment with the SAM linebacker <span>Jordan Evans</span> playing just off the line of scrimmage. Each box defender has a gap to fill and a run fit responsibility upon reading the offense’s initial movement. </p>
<p id="FpulCp">The running back, Cohen, gets the handoff on a wide zone stretch and surveys his reads from the outside-in. If the edge is being occupied by the force defender, he makes his way back inside. </p>
<p id="1ypRcw">At the point where Cohen cuts back, Evans and MIKE linebacker <span>Kevin Minter</span> accomplish their run fits by getting out in front of their blocks and showing color in their gaps. </p>
<p id="gCPvPP">The two issues occur when Minter loses sight of the small tailback and Michael Johnson fails to fill his gap. Johnson managed to keep his outside shoulder clean while stacking the tackle throughout the play, but never got out in front of the block and was sealed off. </p>
<p id="HoDp6y">That gap was Johnson’s responsibility, but Minter could’ve scraped over the top of the play and filled it had he not gotten fooled by Cohen’s hesitation. </p>
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<p lang="und" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/G4DfhoCVAl">pic.twitter.com/G4DfhoCVAl</a></p>— not kevin durant (@nevkinturand) <a href="https://twitter.com/nevkinturand/status/940671658372861952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2017</a>
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<p id="wZpISa">The very next play, the Bears use an RPO as quarterback <span>Mitchell Trubisky</span> has an option to pull the ball back with double slants on the field side, and an inside zone run with a trap block from the right guard. </p>
<p id="YEU6r1">As left defensive end <span>Carlos Dunlap</span> is going to be in the passing lane, Trubisky hands the ball off to Howard. The point of attack is where defensive tackle <span>Ryan Glasgow</span> was pre-snap at 3-technique. </p>
<p id="qT6k46">Glasgow read the first steps of the left tackle and reacted accordingly. The Bears actually had a mix of zone and gap blocking which is what cleared the point of attack open. </p>
<p id="RhLh2e">The play is going for positive yards, that’s inevitable at this point, but <span>Vincent Rey</span> makes the play go from bad to worse, as he flows way too far out of his gap and ends up on the edge where <span>William Jackson</span> is already present. </p>
<p id="D3H8J4">The middle of the field is completely vacant and Howard scampers in for the score. </p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en">
<p lang="und" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/CmmeQmEJnF">pic.twitter.com/CmmeQmEJnF</a></p>— not kevin durant (@nevkinturand) <a href="https://twitter.com/nevkinturand/status/940671862140481536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2017</a>
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<p id="fTkMhY">The Bears had the advantage at the point of attack all game long and this may’ve been the most glaring example. Here they run split zone against a six-man box from the Bengals. Nose tackle <span>Pat Sims</span> is completely annihilated by the deuce block and Rey is reading where Howard is going. </p>
<p id="XmkR68">The deuce block generates so much movement off the ball that Sims is being run back into Rey. Howard wisely waits just a second before cutting into the A-gap Rey is responsible for, getting Rey to decide between both A-gaps as Sims is taken out of the play. </p>
<p id="k0uigF">Safety George Iloka is forced to come down hill and stop Howard past the first-down marker. </p>
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<p lang="und" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/E4EECD7pzq">pic.twitter.com/E4EECD7pzq</a></p>— not kevin durant (@nevkinturand) <a href="https://twitter.com/nevkinturand/status/940672041455366144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2017</a>
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<p id="jN5r8I">Here’s where you want your defenders to be more than just robots. Rey is responsible for the C-gap between Dunlap and Glasgow and upon reading the fullback, follows him to the edge. Dunlap sets a great edge and Glasgow fills his fit, a cutback is imminent from Cohen. Glasgow stacks the reach block but fails to shed back inside, the A-gap is wider than the Grand Canyon. </p>
<p id="YDCsjZ">But the MVP of the play was center Cody Whitehair. His task is to meet Minter in the second level, but knows his teammate at right guard is going to have to reach nose tackle <span>Andrew Billings</span>. </p>
<p id="SVqOfM">Off the snap with his snap-hand, Whitehair gives Billings a long arm shove that allows the right guard to turn him away. Whitehair manages to climb in time to Minter, who tries to cut behind Whitehair into the backfield. </p>
<p id="KHt03K">This tactic is dangerous because your only chance of making the play is if the point of attack is stonewalled. in this case, it isn’t, and Cohen blazes by Minter for another first-down.</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en">
<p lang="und" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/dd1yczD6lZ">pic.twitter.com/dd1yczD6lZ</a></p>— not kevin durant (@nevkinturand) <a href="https://twitter.com/nevkinturand/status/940672232824672256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2017</a>
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<p id="uoFEZA">More split zone from the first play out of half-time. Howard takes one step with the ball in his hand and every fill defender is sealed off in some way. Instead of taking on the kick out block head on like <span>Jadeveon Clowney</span>, he tries to swim around it, only clearing himself out of the play even more. </p>
<p id="RRwpro">The deuce block on Andrew Billings gives Howard room to manipulate Evans into one gap while he bounces back to the unoccupied gap where Rey is sealed off with ease. This is what movement at the line of scrimmage can give your running back.</p>
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<p lang="und" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/ELNiDbDtG5">pic.twitter.com/ELNiDbDtG5</a></p>— not kevin durant (@nevkinturand) <a href="https://twitter.com/nevkinturand/status/940691752473767937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2017</a>
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<p id="5dpQp1">If it ain’t broke, go back to it. Billings is completely washed out of his gap, and both second level defenders, Rey and <span>Josh Shaw</span> are sealed off. The Bengals really, really missed <span>Geno Atkins</span> at full strength with how easy they were getting blown off the ball.</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en">
<p lang="und" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/Nvbd8z8nAo">pic.twitter.com/Nvbd8z8nAo</a></p>— not kevin durant (@nevkinturand) <a href="https://twitter.com/nevkinturand/status/940672574920577025?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2017</a>
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<p id="bRCgzh">Atkins, <span>Aaron Donald</span>, <span>Gerald McCoy</span>, <span>Fletcher Cox</span> could do what Pat Sims attempted to do here because they all have an ounce of flexibility at the hips. Sims’s attempt to undercut the wide zone run in the backfield completely opened up his gap of which there was no one behind to fill it. </p>
<p id="eBF7Dh">The Bears would score four plays later that would extend their lead to three scores, effectively ending all hope for the Bengals if that point didn’t occur sooner. </p>
<p id="ayccP5">One of my favorite Bengals games I ever attended was the last time the Bengals and Bears played in Cincinnati back in 2009. The Bengals won 45-10 off five <span>Carson Palmer</span> touchdowns, but what I vividly remember was the Bears inability to stop Cedric Benson on the ground. He rushed for 189 yards on 37 carries and scored a touchdown as well.</p>
<p id="o8qIg5">It was such an imposing performance against a run defense that looked virtually helpless. This past Sunday was an exact case of role reversal, as the Bears physically dominated the Bengals on the ground and their passing game fed off that performance, and put on a clinic of how not to stop the run.</p>
https://www.cincyjungle.com/2017/12/14/16767946/weekly-lineman-how-bears-broke-bengals-rush-defenseJohn Sheeran2017-12-13T20:01:31-05:002017-12-13T20:01:31-05:00Watch: The Orange and Black Insider Bengals podcast, 12/13 live stream
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<figcaption>Photo by John Grieshop/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>On this week’s episode, Scott Schulze and Anthony Cosenza examine some peculiarities currently happening with the team, as well as ways to fix the team this offseason. </p> <p id="C91X9J">The <a href="https://www.cincyjungle.com/">Cincinnati Bengals</a> just can’t seem to get out of their own way. </p>
<p id="kvHJKG">Whether it’s losing a tight contest at home against a hated division rival on national television, or getting embarrassed by an inferior opponent on the same home turf, 2017 hasn’t brought any more positive vibes from the mess that was the 2016 season. </p>
<p id="O2IGsO">On this week’s episode of The Orange and Black Insider, Scott Schulze and I look at some of the peculiar comments and actions made by this embattled coaching staff. Are these lazy, last-ditch efforts from <span>Marvin Lewis</span> as he is on his way to retirement, or does he really believe these certain actions to be true and in the best interest of this football team?</p>
<p id="Hk0Tyd">There’s no doubt that a rebuilding process needs to take place this offseason in an effort to get the Bengals back to respectability. In the first installment of a mini-series we’re starting, we look at the steps the franchise needs to take if they want to be back in the club of the league’s winningest teams. </p>
<p id="pVtzI4">We’re also taking your questions and comments on the air, so leave them here, or join other Bengals fans in our live YouTube chat by clicking the embedded video above. Thanks for joining us!</p>
<p id="5z7DSU"><small><em><strong>If you’re unable to join us live, all Orange and Black Insider content is here on Cincy Jungle, as well as on our</strong></em></small><a href="https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fuser-608248362" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><small><em><strong>SoundCloud</strong></em></small></a><small><em><strong> and </strong></em></small><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVaXlewzr5_f-iEhxa6ij_g"><small><em><strong>YouTube channels</strong></em></small></a><small><em><strong>, and </strong></em></small><a href="https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fpodcast%2Fthe-orange-and-black-insider%2Fid1142320492" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><small><em><strong>on iTunes</strong></em></small></a><small><em><strong>! You can tweet us </strong></em></small><a href="https://twitter.com/BengalsOBI"><small><em><strong>@BengalsOBI</strong></em></small></a><small><em><strong> or get in touch with us via email at theobinsider@gmail.com. Thanks for listening!</strong></em></small></p>
https://www.cincyjungle.com/2017/12/13/16774614/watch-the-orange-and-black-insider-bengals-podcast-12-13-live-streamAnthony Cosenza2017-12-13T10:15:02-05:002017-12-13T10:15:02-05:00Bengals PFF report: Clint Boling and William Jackson are really good
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<figcaption>David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Despite the Bengals’ debacle vs the Bears, two players managed to play well as they’ve done all season. </p> <p id="84EyhR">As you can imagine, the <a href="https://www.cincyjungle.com/">Cincinnati Bengals</a>’ Pro Football Focus grades in Week 14 were pretty horrific, but it wasn’t all bad. </p>
<p id="tm0Hp5">Quarterback <span>Andy Dalton</span> had a passer rating of 26.3 when targeting <span>A.J. Green</span>, which ranked worst among wide receivers with more than seven targets in Week 14. It ranked eighth-worst out of the 111 wide receivers who were targeted.</p>
<p id="uOMVAG">In fact, Bengals receivers all graded average or below this week. <span>Alex Erickson</span> graded out at 70.9, <span>Brandon LaFell</span> at 60.5, <span>Tyler Boyd</span> at 47.4, Green at 45.5, and Malone at 45.2. </p>
<p id="krz7rD">Running back <span>Giovani Bernard</span> graded as the 40th=best running back this week with an overall PFF grade of 50.9. The good news is Bernard was efficient in the receiving game, finishing with 2.13 yards per route run, which ranked 12th-best in Week 14. </p>
<p id="usbS7k">The Bengals offensive line is now ranked 28th out of 30 teams in pass-blocking efficiency. However, the offensive line didn't allow pressure on 71.9 percent of their 40 passing snaps in Week 14. </p>
<p id="x6WLnH">Of the 14 total pressures allowed by offensive lineman, tackles <span>Andre Smith</span> and <span>Cedric Ogbuehi</span> allowed five and six total pressures respectively. <span>Smith</span> allowed five hurries, and <span>Ogbuehi</span> allowed two sacks with four hurries.</p>
<aside id="4C6joy"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"NFL Week 14 Bears at Bengals: The good, the bad and the ugly","url":"http://www.cincyjungle.com/2017/12/12/16763204/nfl-week-14-bears-at-bengals-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly"},{"title":"What they’re saying after the Bengals’ loss to the Bears","url":"http://www.cincyjungle.com/2017/12/12/16762686/what-theyre-saying-bengals-loss-bears"}]}'></div></aside><p id="4A6HqH">On a more positive note, <span>Clint Boling</span> has been on the field for 173 straight passing plays without allowing a pass rusher to pressure Andy Dalton. Boling last gave up a pressure in week nine. Boling is currently graded as the second-best guard with an 85.5 overall grade.</p>
<p id="wBAalS">Defensive tackles <span>Geno Atkins</span>, <span>Pat Sims</span>, <span>Andrew Billings</span>, and <span>Ryan Glasgow</span> rushed the passer a combined 47 times and only created three hurries this week. This was largely due to Atkins only playing ten pass-rushing snaps and accounting for a single hurry, the least pressure he's forced since week seven where he accounted for two hurries.</p>
<p id="fKbcFs">To be fair to Atkins, he was hobbled with a toe injury and barely played in the blowout. </p>
<p id="YO4JW3">Linebackers Jordan Evans, <span>Vincent Rey</span> and <span>Kevin Minter</span> ranked 65th, 66th, and 67th out of 69 ranked linebackers in Week 14. All three failed to break a 35.0 overall PFF grade. Evans graded out at 34.6, Rey at 34.3 and Minter at 33.0.</p>
<p id="75mUf0">Cornerback William Jackson continues to shine, earning a game grade of 83.2. Jackson played 34 snaps was targeted only two times, allowing one reception and 0.09 yards per snap.</p>
<p id="0J2NR0">Defensive lineman <span>Michael Johnson</span> had his second-highest overall graded game of the season, earning a 78.1 mark, good enough for 25th-best among defensive ends in Week 14. <span>Johnson's</span> highest graded game was Week 9 against Jacksonville, earning an 80.4 grade.</p>
<p id="HT61kP">As always, <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1641763&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.profootballfocus.com%2Fnews&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cincyjungle.com%2F2017%2F12%2F13%2F16761912%2Fbengals-pff-report-clint-boling-william-jackson-are-really-good" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">follow our friends at Pro Football Focus</a>. </p>
https://www.cincyjungle.com/2017/12/13/16761912/bengals-pff-report-clint-boling-william-jackson-are-really-goodJason Marcum2017-12-13T09:00:04-05:002017-12-13T09:00:04-05:00Power Ranking Roundup: Bengals on their way toward rock bottom
<figure>
<img alt="NFL: Chicago Bears at Cincinnati Bengals" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Pxc20mDwyWaVeu4WI2FhWm4sy0o=/0x0:2796x1864/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/57961049/usa_today_10472235.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Bengals are falling in the power rankings fast, and if they don’t show up the next few weeks they will finish among the lowest of the low.</p> <p id="G6sBAK">The <a href="https://www.cincyjungle.com/">Bengals</a>’ loss to the <a href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/">Bears</a> had a huge affect on their standing in the power rankings this week. The Bengals went from a team that was viewed as a bad team that was still a threat to a bottom dweller in a matter of six days.</p>
<p id="U6uhVp">This all started with the loss to the <a href="https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/">Steelers</a> where the Bengals blew their lead in the second half of the game. They followed that effort up by letting the Bears do pretty much whatever they wanted to do against them on both sides of the ball. </p>
<p id="xElyio">A lack of effort from both sides was evident, and it looks like this team just wishes the season was over. This led to the Bengals being one of the teams that dropped the farthest this week. Their biggest drop was eight spots, and writers let the team have it this week.</p>
<p id="ktZToJ"><a href="http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/page/NFLpowerrankingsx171212/nfl-2017-week-15-power-rankings-biggest-statistical-breakthroughs-all-32-teams-pittsburgh-steelers-unseat-new-england-patriots-no1-spot"><strong>ESPN: 23</strong></a></p>
<blockquote><p id="zy1BX9">It's rare for Bengals rookies to play in recent years, let alone make an impact, but that's exactly what <span>Carl Lawson</span> is doing. Lawson is the team leader in sacks (7.5) and the first Bengals defensive rookie to play 300 snaps since <span>Vontaze Burfict</span> in 2012.</p></blockquote>
<p id="OcxmDh"><a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-power-rankings-making-case-eagles-title-hopes-nick-foles-055431890.html"><strong>Yahoo Sports: 26</strong></a></p>
<blockquote><p id="xy0wZh">It’s hard to envision <span>Marvin Lewis</span> coming back in 2018. This isn’t a situation where the team just wants to play out his contract. Lewis’ deal is done at the end of the season. If the rest of the season looks like Sunday’s debacle, the fans would revolt if Lewis returned.</p></blockquote>
<p id="jme7PJ"><a href="http://www.nflcdn.com/news/story/0ap3000000892076/article/nfl-power-rankings-week-15-pittsburgh-steelers-hit-no-1-spot"><strong>NFL.com: 25</strong></a></p>
<blockquote><p id="ILGjRM">Days after the emptiness of another late loss to the Steelers in front of the home crowd, the Bengals made up for it by not showing up for their fans on Sunday. What can you say about that performance? Cincinnati lost 33-7 to a Bears team that -- wait, Cincy was throttled by a 3-9 team that, until Sunday, hadn't scored 30 points in a game all season. Hadn't come close, really, other than in an overtime game in Baltimore. <span>Andy Dalton</span> averaged less than 5 yards per attempt, which is just this side of awful. Chicago owned the ball for over 38 minutes. The David Shula Bengals at their worst looked better than this.</p></blockquote>
<p id="dfgXGD"><a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-power-rankings-steelers-on-top-for-now-but-still-must-take-patriots-down/"><strong>CBS Sports: 25</strong></a></p>
<blockquote><p id="Tt5wCi">Their season went bad after the loss to the Steelers last Monday night. That showed up in the terrible showing against the Bears.</p></blockquote>
<p id="x3UTEJ"><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2741759-nfl-power-rankings-where-does-every-team-stand-heading-into-week-15"><strong>Bleacher Report: 24</strong></a></p>
<blockquote>
<p id="R7CIQ0">The Bengals were a huge disappointment in Week 14. After nearly knocking off the Pittsburgh Steelers in a physical Monday night contest, they came back and got blown out by the Bears. Cincinnati was dominated on both sides of the ball, and it was embarrassing.</p>
<p id="bXSIc0">I never thought Chicago would run the ball down Cincinnati's throat the way it did—to the tune of 232 yards. I didn't expect the Bears defense to totally contain the Bengals offense either, but it did so all day long.</p>
<p id="fIvBgq">Now that the Bengals are out of the playoff race, I'm interested to see how the franchise handles Marvin Lewis and Andy Dalton in the offseason. The 2018 Bengals might look a lot different than this 5-8 squad.</p>
</blockquote>
<p id="UmcyP6"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2017/12/12/nfl-power-rankings-week-14-steelers-jump-past-patriots-and-into-the-top-spot/?utm_term=.148caabc9734"><strong>Washington Post: 26</strong></a></p>
<blockquote><p id="HQujyN">The physical and emotional toll of last Monday’s loss to the Steelers was evident in Sunday’s listless defeat to the Bears.</p></blockquote>
<div id="Nh9J0O"><div data-anthem-component="table:802552"></div></div>
https://www.cincyjungle.com/2017/12/13/16767858/nfl-week-15-power-ranking-roundup-bengals-toward-rock-bottomPatrickJudis2017-12-12T18:07:22-05:002017-12-12T18:07:22-05:00Week 14 Rookie Report: Jordan Evans struggles, Brian Hill debuts in blowout loss
<figure>
<img alt="Chicago Bears v Cincinnati Bengals" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xnyZld7BuFjOB6o09GcolCFhzi4=/0x0:4362x2908/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/57959143/889659310.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Jordan Evans and Ryan Glasgow were a part of a defensive performance they’ll likely want to forget.</p> <p id="go0BQp">Nine rookies played 198 total offensive and defensive snaps on Sunday against the <a href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/">Chicago Bears</a>, which is tied the most snaps the rookie class has played all year on both sides of the ball. It was a wake up call for most playing significant snaps in such an embarrassing loss, and we’ll go over it all in this week’s rookie report.</p>
<p id="Ayawpk"><strong>Active:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="AsWYoD">
<span>Jordan Willis</span> 33 snaps on defense; five snaps on special teams</li>
<li id="sIISn7">
<span>Carl Lawson</span> 19 snaps on defense; 13 snaps on special teams</li>
<li id="ow3YOS">
<span>Josh Malone</span> 26 snaps on offense</li>
<li id="52vXKZ">
<span>Ryan Glasgow</span> 40 snaps on defense; 14 snaps on special teams</li>
<li id="n5TWfk">
<span>Jordan Evans</span> 68 snaps on defense; 18 snaps on special teams</li>
<li id="01QaEJ">
<span>Brian Hill</span> seven snaps on offense; 17 snaps on special teams</li>
<li id="AJe2uR">
<span>Hardy Nickerson</span> 5 snaps on defense; 17 snaps on special teams</li>
<li id="3BZ5RW">
<span>Cethan Carter</span> 17 snaps on special teams</li>
<li id="6GqNDj">
<span>Brandon Wilson 2</span> snaps on special teams </li>
</ul>
<h2 id="WJ8oVI">Inactive:</h2>
<ul>
<li id="5LJj4M"><span>Joe Mixon</span></li>
<li id="bGBdYV">Joshua Tupou</li>
</ul>
<h1 id="KusPP2">Jordan Evans </h1>
<p id="uNiC8T">Evans didn’t notch an official “start,” but having played 89% of the defense’s snaps he may as well have. Evans was in Nick Vigil’s usual spot at SAM linebacker when the <a href="https://www.cincyjungle.com/">Bengals</a> were in 4-3 alignment, but linebackers <span>Kevin Minter</span> and <span>Vincent Rey</span> were on the field first in their nickel package. </p>
<p id="IBcIAM">Evans was graded the <a href="https://twitter.com/LanceMcAlister/status/940206886997188608">fifth-worst (or 65th best) linebacker per Pro Football Focus</a> this week, which on the surface, is horrendous. Rey and Minter were two of the four others with lower weekly grades, as it was a rough day for the banged-up second level of the Bengals defense. </p>
<p id="5Metlu">For Evans specifically, for every run play where he maintained gap discipline and stayed true to his fit, he was washed out and vacated his gap for a big gain for the Bears. He wasn’t <em>as </em>bad as advertised, but his inconsistencies in run defense and zone coverage were amongst the biggest issues the Bengals had all game. </p>
<p id="fcfcdk">If there’s a positive to take away from his outing, it’s that he’s making these mistakes now and not in a few years when he could be expected to start with no prior experience. He finished the game with nine solo tackles, which led the team. </p>
<h1 id="eFNIZZ">Ryan Glasgow</h1>
<p id="PiWsbv">While he was active, starting defensive tackle <span>Geno Atkins</span> only played 16% of the defensive snaps, which put much more responsibility on Glasgow’s shoulders, who played a season high 53% of the defense’s snaps. Out of all games where any pass rushing presence would be welcomed from Glasgow, this would’ve been the one. </p>
<p id="TqA3Vc">Unfortunately, the entire pass rush of the Bengals defense was essentially nullified outside of a few instances from <span>Michael Johnson</span> and <span>Carlos Dunlap</span>. Glasgow was handled in pass protection and for the most part, washed out in run defense. </p>
<p id="Oziv3G">Chicago, as they’ve done all year, attacked horizontally with a lot of wide zone runs and countered with bootleg play action passes. Glasgow had difficulties crossing the face of the Bears offensive linemen on zone runs, and as usual, had troubles getting penetration on standard drop back passing plays. </p>
<p id="f3YW0C">But, his effort never wavered, and managed to record a run stop early in the fourth quarter.</p>
<h1 id="D2O8VW">Jordan Willis and Carl Lawson</h1>
<p id="nSENCu">Similar to last week, Lawson saw more of the sidelines than he was getting accustomed to. With the level of dominance the Bears were having running the ball, the Bengals defense was in fail safe mode for nearly the entire game trying to stop it, putting Lawson and his pass rushing prowess to the side. Lawson never really got home on 3rd downs as a pass rusher, as left tackle Charles Leno won nearly all the reps they had against each other.</p>
<p id="U1L2aL">Willis saw his snap count jump from three to 33 from last week to this week, as he gave Carlos Dunlap breathers at left defensive end. He didn’t make much of an impact as for, himself Evans, Glasgow, Lawson and the rest of the Bengals defense, it was a day to forget.</p>
<h1 id="3rjFOz">Josh Malone</h1>
<p id="mktodY">Out-snapped by <span>Tyler Boyd</span> for the first time since Week 11 against Denver, Malone split time with Boyd in 11 personnel (three wide receiver sets) but was only targeted once in the 17 routes he ran. It was a dreadful day for the entirety of the Bengals passing offense as neither <span>Andy Dalton</span> or <span>AJ McCarron</span> found much success against the Bears pass defense. </p>
<h2 id="lcqmFx">The Rest</h2>
<h1 id="mc3yEE">Brian Hill, Hardy Nickerson, Cethan Carter, Brandon Wilson</h1>
<p id="g4wPYt">As the only other running back dressed for action, Hill saw his first snaps and touches in the NFL. He carried the ball twice for eight yards and caught a two-yard pass out of the backfield as the final play of the game. Nickerson saw some garbage time snaps at middle linebacker, and Wilson, despite the thin depth in the secondary, never saw the field on defense.</p>
<h2 id="V1LxUi">Coming up</h2>
<p id="gOtGrr">Joe Mixon is still in the concussion protocol so for the time being, Hill is still second in command to Bernard. And Evans still figures to be in line for significant playing time with both <span>Vontaze Burfict</span> also in the concussion protocol and Vigil on injured reserve. Expect similar playing time for all rookies against the <a href="https://www.dailynorseman.com/">Minnesota Vikings</a> this week.</p>
https://www.cincyjungle.com/2017/12/12/16759930/week-14-rookie-report-jordan-evans-brian-hill-debuts-blowout-lossJohn Sheeran2017-12-12T13:00:01-05:002017-12-12T13:00:01-05:00Bears at Bengals: The good, the bad and the ugly
<figure>
<img alt="Chicago Bears v Cincinnati Bengals" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RrXyS-ArTrTssmdSDQEeL137x5c=/0x0:4622x3081/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/57946593/889675532.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by John Grieshop/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Bengals let loose an embarrassing performance against a struggling Bears team to kill their postseason. </p> <p id="4DEuQK">If you were hoping for the <a href="https://www.cincyjungle.com/">Cincinnati Bengals</a> to make a quality rebound against the <a href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/">Chicago Bears</a> to keep their postseason pulse going this week, we can only apologize for your now-obvious disappointment. </p>
<p id="Avq4rd">Chicago came to Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday and thoroughly dominated Cincinnati in almost every facet of the game. </p>
<p id="6hrngP">Here are the best and worst performances from the Bengals in their 33-7 loss in Week 14. </p>
<h3 id="d7NBWR">The good:</h3>
<p id="xnRFJM"><span><em><strong>Michael Johnson</strong></em></span><em><strong>: </strong></em>There really only seemed to be two players who showed up for the Week 14 game and they both are in the “good” category this week. Johnson has been a target of ire from fans lately, but he has found a productive niche on the interior of the line in passing situations at the end of his career. </p>
<p id="Tgwgja">Johnson made quite a few nice plays on a day where the defense was totally dominated. The veteran had two sacks of <span>Mitchell Trubisky</span> and two other tackles for loss on Chicago running plays. </p>
<p id="VDg0Uf"><span><em><strong>Giovani Bernard</strong></em></span><em><strong>: </strong></em>The other player who actually seemed to have avoided the zombie-like virus the rest of the Bengals caught was Bernard. As usual, No. 25’s effort was among the best on the team, as we saw him block, catch and run with tenacity. </p>
<p id="9vAk5E">With Jeremy Hill (Injured Reserve) and <span>Joe Mixon</span> (concussion) sidelined, Bernard took the lion’s share of the touches. When the offense actually had the ball and called his number, he was productive. He finished with 11 carries for 62 yards and was the team leader with six catches for 68 yards. </p>
<p id="4ioe9K"><em><strong>A 2017 season mercy-killing and the likely ushering in of a new regime: </strong></em>Look, we all wanted the Bengals to make a storybook turnaround to end the year, sneak into the playoffs and see what would transpire from there. But, when you can’t close out games against quality opponents on primetime and then completely get steamrolled the subsequent week, it’s better to focus on the ensuing rebuild taking place this offseason. </p>
<p id="kazfLW">The game against Chicago taught us a lot about the Bengals and who they have been since their 2015 Wild Card loss. They have lost too much quality personnel (both players and coaches) the past two offseasons, they are weak in critical areas of the roster (offensive line), and the head coach has failed to inspire the team. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but a dosage we all needed right now to be able to move forward with realistic expectations. </p>
<h3 id="2nDiCy">The bad:</h3>
<p id="B4WmLn"><em><strong>The quarterbacks: </strong></em>Last week, Bill Lazor and <span>Andy Dalton</span> drew up a successful plan to get the ball out of his hands quickly. Dalton shredded the <a href="https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/">Steelers</a> defense in the rain, but when they tried it again this week, it was a completely different story. His passes were often batted away and it seemed as if No. 14 was sometimes throwing to receivers regardless of how the coverage was looking. </p>
<p id="O5zGUx">Dalton finished the day just 14-of-29 for 141 yards, one touchdown and one interception—his first in five games. <span>AJ McCarron</span> came in and went 4-of-8 for 47 yards, but it was just generally disheartening to see Cincinnati put in their backup because they were getting throttled. </p>
<p id="y64iPs"><em><strong>The linebackers and safeties: </strong></em>After vocalizing the importance of the Steelers game last week, <span>George Iloka</span> was part of a team-wide collapse on Monday Night Football. He ended that game with a head shot to <span>Antonio Brown</span> on the game-tying touchdown, and had to appeal a suspension to play this week. </p>
<p id="0gxOBP">One would have thought he would have been a reliable veteran to lean on with so many injuries this week, but he was seen to be a step behind many plays made by <span>Kendall Wright</span> and Adam Shaheen. Kevin Minter wasn’t much better, as the defensive unit let up 232 rushing yards, while he personally gave up both a pass interference play and a touchdown to Shaheen on consecutive plays. </p>
<p id="ygCnPC"><em><strong>The inability to cover a tight end...again: </strong></em>What’s it going to take? When Reggie Nelson and Mike Zimmer were in Cincinnati, this didn’t to seem to be as big of a problem as it has been over the past two seasons. </p>
<p id="5ScFky">Shaheen and <span>Dion Sims</span> combined for six catches, 76 yards and a score. The linebackers were ineffective in coverage, with the aforementioned Minter being a big culprit to Shaheen’s success. The safeties weren’t much help, either, and the team had to put <span>William Jackson</span> on Shaheen at one point to help remedy the situation. </p>
<aside id="sDV9Kr"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Marvin Lewis is either really clueless or a bad liar","url":"https://www.cincyjungle.com/2017/12/10/16759292/marvin-lewis-either-really-clueless-bad-liar-bengals-football-2017"},{"title":"NFL Week 14 Bears at Bengals: 2 winners and 5 losers in Cincinnati’s loss to Chicago","url":"https://www.cincyjungle.com/analysis/2017/12/10/16758736/nfl-week-14-bears-bengals-2-winners-5-losers-cincinnati-loss-chicago"}]}'></div></aside><p id="WjjVmG"><span><em><strong>A.J. Green</strong></em></span><em><strong>: </strong></em>Sunday had to be one of the most confusing and frustrating performances we have seen from Green in a Bengals uniform. Green still grabbed five catches for 64 yards, but it was a tough day at the office. </p>
<p id="Ujmfw3">There were a few contested throws that Green could have come down with, even if they would have been highlight-reel type of grabs, but coverage was consistently tight on the afternoon, regardless. With the Bengals clinging to life at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Green had an inexplicable fumble to put the proverbial nail in the coffin. He wasn’t a fan of his own performance on Sunday, either. </p>
<div id="EZ0CjA">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">AJ Green: “I️ played like s*** today.”</p>— Jeremy Rauch (@FOX19Jeremy) <a href="https://twitter.com/FOX19Jeremy/status/939970495579115521?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2017</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<h3 id="2EsUOB">The ugly:</h3>
<p id="Vqv2VE"><em><strong>An apparent hangover from Monday night: </strong></em>It’s understandable how the team was tired and emotionally drained from the loss to the Steelers, but they looked like they didn’t even want to be playing a game on Sunday. </p>
<p id="GLyRfN">Guys put forth little effort to tackle, while the offense appeared to either be not paying attention, or was going through the motions. A pretty fitting, albeit sad way to say goodbye to the 2017 postseason. </p>
<p id="3SPHux"><em><strong>A depleted team who seemed to have packed in the 2017 season: </strong></em>Despite Marvin Lewis’ best <a href="https://www.cincyjungle.com/2017/12/10/16759292/marvin-lewis-either-really-clueless-bad-liar-bengals-football-2017">effort to dissuade those</a> who actually watched this game, the effort level was almost non-existent by the Bengals. We knew this would be a tougher matchup for Cincinnati than what it looked like on paper because of injuries and their backs against the wall, but the team looked totally disinterested. </p>
<p id="0lcTSO">This was particularly shocking because, theoretically, the Bengals’ playoff hopes were still alive. They had a chance to redeem themselves in front of a home crowd against a team with just three wins and they fell flat on their faces. </p>
<p id="LA5bKd"><em><strong>The run defense: </strong></em>We knew that the Bears had an exciting running back duo, but they also employ a rookie quarterback. There’s no doubt that Paul Guenther’s unit should have been prepared to sell out on the run, yet they didn’t and Trubisky cruised to a win. </p>
<p id="VwKSNw"><span>Tarik Cohen</span> (80) and <span>Jordan Howard</span> (147) tore through the Bengals’ defense and often had chunk plays. The Bears also had three scores on the ground—two by Howard and one from Trubisky. </p>
<p id="Zj8xgn"><em><strong>Massive statistical differentials: </strong></em>Time of possession has been a major issue with the Bengals this year and this Sunday was a prime example. The beleaguered Chicago Bears offense hogged the football for 38:09 to Cincinnati’s usage of just 21:51 of the game clock. </p>
<p id="bfpWPL">Additionally, Trubisky and Co. had more than twice the total yardage than the Bengals’ offense on Sunday. Chicago netted 482 yards to Cincinnati’s 234. </p>
<p id="OCJRvO">Yikes. </p>
https://www.cincyjungle.com/2017/12/12/16763204/nfl-week-14-bears-at-bengals-the-good-the-bad-and-the-uglyAnthony Cosenza2017-12-12T10:00:02-05:002017-12-12T10:00:02-05:00Bengals’ snap counts vs Bears: Bench gets plenty of run
<figure>
<img alt="NFL: Chicago Bears at Cincinnati Bengals" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/J3o9M9sormBbkzvt2q98sFCrXbA=/0x0:4131x2754/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/57946541/usa_today_10472038.1513053536.jpg" />
<figcaption>Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>With all the injuries the Bengals had coming into the game, the Bengals defense was forced to play a lot of players who don’t normally get extensive snaps.</p> <p id="v4FoHF">It was no secret the <a href="https://www.cincyjungle.com/">Cincinnati Bengals</a> were shorthanded coming into their Week 14 matchup with the <a href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/">Chicago Bears</a>. </p>
<p id="ub7YSE">Several regular starters like <span>Vontaze Burfict</span>, <span>Joe Mixon</span>, <span>Shawn Williams</span>, <span>Dre Kirkpatrick</span> and <span>Adam Jones</span> were out for this game. This put a new meaning to the phrase “next man up.” </p>
<p id="dKHGUc">While injuries do happen, it is hard for a team to go out there and essentially replace more than half of their defense, and we saw just how hard that could be on Sunday.</p>
<p id="BA6cEU"><strong>Snap count takeaways:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="1APtQp">
<span>Giovani Bernard</span> (46) was the Bengals offense on Sunday. The running back touched the ball 19 times, and he gained 130 total yards of offense. Bernard was filling in for Mixon, and this was the first time he has been in the feature back role since the beginning of the 2014 season. Bernard has always been talented, but the team seems more comfortable with him in the change of pace roll. We should see plenty more of Bernard as the season goes on.</li>
<li id="8Qi3AN">
<span>AJ McCarron</span> (9) actually played. He didn’t enter the game until it was well out of hand, and he only played a handful of snaps. He finished four of eight for 47 yards. Nothing to write home about. <span>Andy Dalton</span> (45) had a rough day at the office. He only had 141 yards passing while completing just under 50 percent of his passes. He also saw his streak of games without an interception end. There isn’t a lot to make out of benching Dalton. It seemed more like a move to protect the quarterback against unnecessary hits. </li>
<li id="MqYI6v">
<span>Jordan Evans</span> (68) and <span>Vincent Rey</span> (70) handled most of the linebacker duties due to injuries. <span>Kevin Minter</span> (34) also helped. None of these guys really played that well. The highlights are littered with them failing to get to the ball carrier or biting hard on play action fakes. It was a very forgettable game for this unit, which is disappointing considering it was an opportunity to shine for all three of these guys. Especially Minter who is a free agent after this season. </li>
<li id="wSGitx">The Bengals were dominated by the Bears in snaps played. The Bengals ran a total of 54 offensive plays, and the Bears ran 76. The Bears held onto the ball for 38 minutes because of this. It seemed like the Bengals had fixed this the past two weeks, but they reverted back to the same issues that have plagued them for most of this season. The Bengals failed to convert third downs while the Bears converted them regularly. </li>
<li id="bI3YXF">
<span>Geno Atkins</span> (12) injury seemed serious enough to hold him out for most of this game. Apparently the team wanted to play him in pass rush situations, but those really never came up in this game. Meanwhile, <span>Ryan Glasgow</span> (40) and <span>Andrew Billings</span> (47) anchored the middle of the defense for most of the game, which isn’t really something to be proud of when the opposing team runs for over 200 yards. With the season over, the team could look to rest Atkins and allow him to heal from his injury and get playing time for these young guys. </li>
<li id="zjIgrj">
<span>George Iloka</span>, fresh off having his suspension erased, played all 76 snaps. He was really what held the Bengals secondary together. <span>William Jackson</span> (73) and <span>Darqueze Dennard</span> (69) were really the only other regular Bengals back there. <span>Clayton Fejedelem</span> (57) and <span>Josh Shaw</span> (50) filled out the rest of the secondary. Players like <span>Tony McRae</span> (5) and Keivarae Russell (18) also got playing time with all the injuries in the secondary. </li>
<li id="QiPQiY">Between Tyler Boyd (30) and <span>Josh Malone</span> (26) the two receivers combined for one catch for 15 yards. <span>Alex Erickson</span> (3) had one catch for nine yards. It may be time the Bengals actually try injecting Erickson into the offense. They literally only have a catch for 15 yards to lose. </li>
</ul>
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https://www.cincyjungle.com/2017/12/12/16761944/bengals-snap-count-distribution-vs-bears-bench-gets-plenty-of-runPatrickJudis