Cincy Jungle - Week 6: Cincinnati Bengals at Buffalo BillsWho Deyhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48495/cincyjungle_fave.png2015-10-23T11:30:02-04:00http://www.cincyjungle.com/rss/stream/92929262015-10-23T11:30:02-04:002015-10-23T11:30:02-04:00Nelson shows improvement in tackling vs Bills
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<figcaption>Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>After the Bengals took a beating from Seattle's backup running back Thomas Rawls in Week 5, much was said about Cincinnati's tackling issues, and a couple of players were highlighted in an unflattering way. Reggie Nelson was one of those players, but he had a much better outing in Buffalo last Sunday</p> <p>The Bengals' defense is not by any means the shutdown defense we thought the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.cincyjungle.com/">Bengals</a> would need to win big with <span>Andy Dalton</span> at the helm. <a href="http://www.cincyjungle.com/2015/10/15/9531187/film-room-from-where-do-the-bengals-tackling-woes-originate?_ga=1.8780150.259074814.1441909167">One of the main issues has been tackling</a>, and <span>Vontaze Burfict</span> is dearly missed. Missing players aside, other guys like safety <span>Reggie Nelson</span> and cornerback <span>Dre Kirkpatrick</span> have been hurting the team as well with missed and poor tackles.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.cincyjungle.com/2015/10/7/9467545/film-room-reviewing-bengals-cb-dre-kirkpatricks-performance-through#comments">We already explored Kirkpatrick's issues</a> a couple of weeks ago, and he is still trying to figure it out. This past week saw a big play allowed on zone coverage, <span>Sammy Watkins</span>' touchdown at the end of the first half. Let's focus now on Nelson, who led the game against the <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Bills</a> in tackles and did not miss any, according to ProFootballFocus. This is a nice change after missing at least one tackle in every game this year, and whiffing three times alone against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/san-diego-chargers">Chargers</a> in Week 2.</p>
<p>When speaking with ESPN, Nelson said his <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/cincinnati-bengals/post/_/id/19665/bengals-reggie-nelson-push-better-tackling-missed-tackles">"biggest thing was just tackle and get us to the next down"</a>. Nelson added that "it always is the emphasis every week to tackle, though. That's how we get off the field on third downs and continue to play".</p>
<p>Nelson was better in coverage against hte Bills, but it is not technique that's the issue with Nelson's play so far. It is how old he's looked in the first games of the season. Buffalo did not test the Bengals down the field, and their biggest play was the very first one, in which star running back <span>LeSean McCoy</span> ran for 33 yards. If linebacker Vinnie Rey had not gotten to McCoy that would have been a touchdown. Nelson cannot make that play anymore. He still looks old and slow.</p>
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<p>When he had the one-on-one and his opponent in front, Nelson was again the same player who has anchored this secondary for five and a half years. He made some impressive plays down the stretch, and even when tackle numbers are sometimes misleading, this time it was not. Nelson still can tackle, just don't expect him to cover ground and make the plays we were used to seeing him make in his younger days.</p>
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<p>This stop at the goal line, where he tackled McCoy for a 1-yard loss, was one of the best defensive plays of the game for the Bengals' defense, in spite of Buffalo scoring quickly after that. You can see on this play that he is still very good and knows where to aim, but again, in Week 8 it is not going to be <span>EJ Manuel</span> but possibly <span>Ben Roethlisberger</span> and <span>Antonio Brown</span>, <span>Le'Veon Bell</span>, <span>Martavis Bryant</span> and <span>Markus Wheaton</span>.</p>
<p>Cincinnati could be in trouble if it allows Pittsburgh to hit the open field. <span>Jeremy Maclin</span> in the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.arrowheadpride.com/">Chiefs</a> game had a couple of big gains and in one of them he just ran past Nelson. Expect Brown and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/">Steelers</a> - if Big Ben is back - to give them more trouble than Kansas City.</p>
<p>You could credit him with an improvement, but his other stop down the hill last Sunday was made possible by defensive tackle <span>Geno Atkins</span> coming from behind.</p>
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<p>Nelson did not get worse at run support, and we saw why in Buffalo. But his age is finally catching up with him after some great years in Cincinnati. Hopefully the Bengals get gun shy offenses like this more often so their secondary is not tested.</p>
https://www.cincyjungle.com/2015/10/23/9600734/nelson-shows-improvement-in-tackling-vs-billsmuertedeatenas2015-10-21T12:00:05-04:002015-10-21T12:00:05-04:00Bengals vs Bills: What We Learned
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<p>Week 6 started slow but ended with the same result as the previous five games... the Bengals scoring more points than their opponent. We learned a lot on Sunday, including a bit too much about a few Bengals players after the game. </p> <p>For just the second time in the last 30 years, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.cincyjungle.com/">Bengals</a> left western New York with a ‘W' and as a result, they enter the bye week at 6-0, atop the AFC North. Here is what we learned in Week 6.</p>
<p><b>The Bengals are 6-0.</b></p>
<p>Honestly, that is really all that matters and I could just end this article right here...but that wouldn't be any fun for anyone, so I will entertain you a bit longer.</p>
<p><b>Through six games, <span>Andy Dalton</span> is a legitimate early candidate for MVP.</b></p>
<p>People will laugh. I will admit, I laughed a little when this was brought up last week. While six games is still a bit early in the season, it is a big enough sample of the season to start putting names out there for early consideration, and few have a better case than Andy Dalton. Take a look at where Dalton ranks in the major statistical categories for a quarterback:</p>
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<p align="center"><b> </b></p>
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<td valign="top" width="102">
<p align="center"><b>Dalton</b></p>
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<td valign="top" width="60">
<p align="center"><b>Rank</b></p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="156">
<p align="center"><b>Leader</b></p>
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<td valign="top" width="109">
<p><b>QBR</b></p>
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<td valign="top" width="102">
<p align="center">84.2</p>
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<td valign="top" width="60">
<p align="center">1<sup>st</sup></p>
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<td valign="top" width="156">
<p align="center">2<sup>nd</sup> = Rodgers (80.8)</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="109">
<p><b>Rating</b></p>
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<td valign="top" width="102">
<p align="center">116.1</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="60">
<p align="center">2<sup>nd</sup></p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="156">
<p align="center">Brady (118.4)</p>
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<td valign="top" width="109">
<p><b>Yards</b></p>
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<p align="center">1,761</p>
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<td valign="top" width="60">
<p align="center">2<sup>nd</sup></p>
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<td valign="top" width="156">
<p align="center">Rivers (2,116)</p>
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<p><b>TDs</b></p>
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<p align="center">14</p>
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<td valign="top" width="60">
<p align="center">t-2<sup>nd</sup></p>
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<td valign="top" width="156">
<p align="center">Rodgers (15)</p>
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<td valign="top" width="109">
<p><b>Int</b></p>
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<td valign="top" width="102">
<p align="center">2</p>
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<td valign="top" width="60">
<p align="center">t-2<sup>nd</sup></p>
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<td valign="top" width="156">
<p align="center">Brady (1)</p>
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<td valign="top" width="109">
<p><b>TD/Int Ratio</b></p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="102">
<p align="center">7/1</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="60">
<p align="center">3<sup>rd</sup></p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="156">
<p align="center">Brady (14/1)</p>
</td>
</tr>
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<td valign="top" width="109">
<p><b>YPA</b></p>
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<td valign="top" width="102">
<p align="center">9.12</p>
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<td valign="top" width="60">
<p align="center">2<sup>nd</sup></p>
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<td valign="top" width="156">
<p align="center">Roethlisberger (10.25)</p>
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<p><b>Comp. %</b></p>
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<p align="center">67.4%</p>
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<td valign="top" width="60">
<p align="center">10<sup>th</sup></p>
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<p align="center">Roethlisberger (75.3%)</p>
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<p>Oh, and his team is 6-0 and his offense is 4<sup>th</sup> in the NFL, averaging 30.3 points, despite playing three of the most talented and feared defenses in the NFL (Kansas City, Seattle, Buffalo). If those stats aren't worthy of MVP consideration at this point in the season, I don't know what is.</p>
<p><b>We can stop the "Good Andy/Bad Andy" talk, as well as the "Common Opponent vs Uncommon Opponent" nonsense. </b></p>
<p>Full disclosure here, I am as guilty as anyone because I have - on many occasions - used the "Good Andy/Bad Andy" terms, but in the past few seasons, that was really the only way to describe his up and down play. While six games does not make a season (or a career), it is enough to give Andy the benefit of the doubt that every time he has a bad throw or a bad game (and both will happen at some point), we don't start the "here's Bad Andy" talk. Four seasons after taking over a terrible team, the guy has a career record of 46-23-1 (.667), 16,519 yards, 113 touchdowns, 13 game winning drives, a career completion percentage of 62.1%, a career passer rating of 87.8 and is well on his way to being five for five taking his team to the playoffs. In other words, he is a good quarterback. Not great, good. So let's afford him the benefit of the doubt every other good quarterback gets. Let's stop trying to define him as a player throw-by-throw and game-by-game.</p>
<p>As for the "Common/Uncommon Opponent" talk, this can stop as well. As a result of the way the NFL does their scheduling, Dalton has now played every NFL team within the last four years, thus, all opponents (to some extent) are common. Plus, three of his "common" opponents every year are Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Cleveland, three teams that consistently have had top 10 defenses since Dalton entered the league - as a result, one would expect his "common" opponents record to not be as good as someone like <span>Andrew Luck</span> that has six games per year against the likes of Jacksonville, Tennessee and Houston.</p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b>The Bengals' offense is scary good.</b></p>
<p>Before the season began, many talked about the "potential" of this offense - so long as Dalton could step up his play. However, a lot of that "potential" was based off our own theory that the offense would click with all their weapons being healthy - something we had never seen. Well, Dalton has stepped up, all his weapons are working in unison and the offense is clicking to the tune of 30.3 points per game, fourth in the NFL. Imagine what things might look like if <span>Jeremy Hill</span> starts to get on track?</p>
<p><b>The NFL is quickly learning what Bengals fans already knew about <span>Carlos Dunlap</span>: he is good.</b></p>
<p>No one has benefitted from the return of a healthy <span>Geno Atkins</span> more than Dunlap. Through six games, Dunlap leads the NFL with 6.5 sacks and is on pace for 17.5. To give you an idea of just how good 17.5 sacks are, in 2014, only <span>J.J. Watt</span> (20.5) and <span>Justin Houston</span> (22) had more than 17.5 sacks. In fact, in 2014, the Bengals team only had 20 sacks as a unit! Imagine what the return of <span>Vontaze Burfict</span> could do for Dunlap?</p>
<p><b><span>Giovani Bernard</span> continues to be the proverbial "hot hand" in the Bengals' talented backfield.</b></p>
<p>As much as Bengals fans (and coaches) would love to see Jeremy Hill get going, how awesome has it been seeing the Bernard we thought we would see last year? Bernard (427) is on pace for 1,100+ yards and currently ranks third amongst running backs with a yards per carry (YPC) of 5.5. Add in his 18 receptions for 119 yards, and Bernard is on pace for nearly 1,500 yards from scrimmage in 2015.</p>
<p><b>When Jeremy Hill gets on track, this offense will be the best in the NFL.</b></p>
<p>Before the season began, there was talk (especially amongst Bengals fans/coaches/players) that Hill should be considered a top five back in the NFL and could make a case for the best running back in the NFL by the end of the year. While his six touchdowns are great, his 3.1 YPC and 232 yards are more than disappointing. If I were to tell you prior to the season that Hill's stats would be so miniscule after six games, yet the Bengals would be 6-0 and scoring 30+ points per game, you would have wanted my mental capacities checked - you may think I need them checked anyway, but I digress. Regardless, Hill won't stay in this rut all year long. Eventually he will get things going and when he does, this will be the best, most balanced, versatile and explosive offense in the NFL.</p>
<p><b>The Bengals' offensive line might be the team MVP through six games.</b></p>
<p>As great as Dalton has been, there's no doubt a big part of his improvement has been his protection. Despite facing three of the most feared defensive lines in football (Kansas City, Seattle, Buffalo), Dalton has been sacked just six times - no starting quarterback has been sacked less. Think about this for a moment, the combined contracts for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Bills</a> defensive line total more than a quarter of a billion dollars...and the Bengals line surrendered a grand total of zero sacks and one quarterback hit. If the MVP could be given to a group, the Bengals line would deserve it.</p>
<p><b><span>Darqueze Dennard</span> officially had his coming out party.</b></p>
<p>As a result of <span>Leon Hall</span> being inactive, Dennard logged the most <a href="http://www.cincyjungle.com/2015/10/19/9566463/bengals-vs-bills-snap-count-analysis">snaps</a> of NFL career (47) and he certainly made the most of them. Dennard has been playing well the last few weeks and his athletic interception was a great play which was well deserved. As the season wears on, expect to see Dennard's playing time increase.</p>
<p><b><span>Dre Kirkpatrick</span> has been disappointing thus far. </b></p>
<p>All offseason long we heard about how good Kirkpatrick looked and while I don't buy into the low grade that PFF has placed on him thus far, I have not been impressed. Sure, he has had some nice plays, but he has also had an equal number of poor plays and mental errors. The first play of the game in Buffalo was sprung by Kirkpatrick's weak tackling attempt and at least one or two touchdowns this season have seem to be the result of a miscommunication in the secondary on Kirkpatrick's guy. He has great athletic ability, range and drive, but if the Bengals want to make a deep run in January, he needs to clean up the mistakes.</p>
<p><b>The Bengals' linebackers still scare me...and not in a good way.</b></p>
<p>Coming into the season, the linebackers concerned me - especially without Burfict. Through six games, I have seen nothing to ease my concern. It feels as though every pass to running backs and tight ends is completed and missed tackles amongst the linebacking corps is beginning to become a weekly occurrence. Teams like the Bills and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.arrowheadpride.com/">Chiefs</a> may not be able to expose the Bengals linebackers as much as they could, but teams like New England and Green Bay will. Whether Burfict is back or not, the linebacker play needs to improve.</p>
<p><b>The NFL aired footage of Bengals players naked...yet little will be done about it.</b></p>
<p>I will delve into this deeper this week, but, how is it that live footage is rolled out and aired with naked players in the background? Media in the locker room immediately after games is bad enough, but live footage? This from the league that monitors everything from the length of a player's uniform towels, the height of their socks and the color of their chinstraps (and fines them tens of thousands of dollars for violations), they apparently are incapable of monitoring their own footage to make sure naked players aren't being aired? Apparently having your socks too high is a violation of the NFL's uniform policy, but baring one's backside is not. Oh, the hypocrisy of the NFL.</p>
<p><b>The Bengals hit the bye week at six and zero!</b></p>
<p>We have come full circle to the only thing that matters. Take this one into the bye week with you: when you are having a shitty day at work and all looks bleak, just remember, your Cincinnati Bengals are 6-0.</p>
<p></p>
https://www.cincyjungle.com/2015/10/21/9580929/week-6-bengals-vs-bills-what-we-learnedScott Bantel2015-10-21T10:00:09-04:002015-10-21T10:00:09-04:00Hewitt shows off pass catching, blocking ability
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<p>Ryan Hewitt is another versatile weapon this Bengals offense will turn to if needed. He was well-utilized during Sunday's win over the Bills, and answered the call when given the chance.</p> <p>The Bengal have received positive contributions from seemingly everyone on the 53-man roster at one point or another through six games this season.</p>
<p>During Sunday's win over the <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Bills</a>, it was h-back <span>Ryan Hewitt's</span> time to step up. Though he finished the game with only one catch, it came at a crucial point in the game. On the <a href="https://www.cincyjungle.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Bengals</a>' opening possession of the second half, they needed to retake momentum after Buffalo scored late in the first half to keep the game within striking distance.</p>
<p>A score here was needed for Cincinnati to retake control, and Hewitt helped make it happen with his first catch of the season. It came on a 2nd-and-10 pass from <span>Andy Dalton</span> as Hewitt made a contested catch over the middle with cornerback <span>Ronald Darby</span> all over him.</p>
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<p>Hewitt was signed as an undrafted fullback out of Stanford last season before going on to play in all 16 games with 11 starts. He has lined up as a fullback, h-back and tight end since then. It was his tight end skills that were on display during his catching play on Sunday, though it came from him playing mostly as a blocking end, which helped catch the Bills offense off guard.</p>
<p>With the Bengals not having a true blocking tight end on their roster like they typically have, Hewitt has been working more to fill that role, as he told the <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1641763&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cincinnati.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fnfl%2Fbengals%2F2015%2F10%2F20%2Fbengals-notes-ryan-hewitts-blocking-jeremy-hill-still-searching%2F74278790%2F&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cincyjungle.com%2F2015%2F10%2F21%2F9578333%2Fryan-hewitt-demonstrates-pass-catching-ability-while-continuing" target="_blank" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">Cincinnati Enquirer's Jim Owczarski</a>.</p>
<p><span>"It’s definitely a different skill set, a different style of block when you’re on the line of scrimmage versus in the backfield coming with a head start," </span><a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1641763&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cincinnati.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fnfl%2Fbengals%2F2015%2F10%2F20%2Fbengals-notes-ryan-hewitts-blocking-jeremy-hill-still-searching%2F74278790%2F&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cincyjungle.com%2F2015%2F10%2F21%2F9578333%2Fryan-hewitt-demonstrates-pass-catching-ability-while-continuing" target="_blank" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">Hewitt told Owczarski</a><span>. "You’ve just got to get used to the technique."</span></p>
<p>The only other tight ends on the Bengals' roster besides <span>Tyler Eifert</span> are rookies <span>Tyler Kroft</span> and <span>C.J. Uzomah</span>, neither of whom are ready for a significant role in this offense. It's still been a tough adjustment for Hewitt though, given most of his career to this point had seen him lining up in the backfield and paving the way for running backs to make plays.</p>
<p><span>"With fullback I get to build up and see what’s going to happen and end up hitting the guy," Hewitt said. "It’s just different on the amount of time until contact."</span></p>
<p>Offensive coordinator Hue Jackson loves what he has in the 6'4", 254-pound Hewitt, who can make tough contested catches like the one above while also laying some solid blocks, whether it comes from him lining up in the backfield or on the line.</p>
<p><span>"He can do it and our personnel groups have dictated that," Jackson said in a post-game press conference. "The teams we're playing, the defenses we’ve played, the best way to attack them is sometimes different than what we did a year ago. He’s very versatile that way. He can line up in the backfield, he can line up on the line. We can motion him out wide. We take advantage of his skill set as well."</span></p>
<p><span></span><span>Hewitt is just another versatile weapon this Bengals offense will turn to if needed. He was needed during Sunday's win over the Bills, and Hewitt answered the call on that opening third-quarter drive, which resulted in a touchdown and a lead that Buffalo would never overcome. </span></p>
https://www.cincyjungle.com/2015/10/21/9578333/ryan-hewitt-demonstrates-pass-catching-ability-while-continuingJason Marcum2015-10-21T09:00:09-04:002015-10-21T09:00:09-04:00Bengals vs Bills: Unsung Hero of the Week
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<p>There are always some lesser-touted players who contribute to wins in the NFL. This post honors those guys, so cast your vote and sound off on your winner!</p> <p>We've run down the list of our MVP nominees, but it's time to look at some of those guys you may not have looked at at first blush. We had a large number of choices for the MVP nod, so we'll try and come up with a solid list here. Cast your vote and sound off on your winner!</p>
<p><i><b><span>A.J. Green</span>, WR: </b></i>While he was bottled up for much of the game, Green still finished second in receiving yards for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.cincyjungle.com/">Bengals</a>' offense. One of his best plays was continuing a route for an absurd amount of time to get open and give <span>Andy Dalton</span> an open target for a first down. He finished with four catches for 36 yards.</p>
<p><i><b><span>Mohamed Sanu</span>, WR: </b></i>While Green and <span>Marvin Jones</span> have been getting the lion's share of catches, Sanu could be labeled as either the "Swiss Army Knife" and/or "The Chain Mover". Each of his catches seem to be clutch, and even though he had just two on Sunday, they went for 30 yards and two first downs. He also had a run for eight yards, which was a designed pass he wisely pulled down for the carry.</p>
<p><i><b><span>Andre Smith</span>, OT: </b></i>In reviewing the tape, whether metrics agree or not, Smith was awesome. He pulled often on run plays and help stifle an all-world Buffalo defensive front four to not lay a hand on Dalton. He's been an underrated tackle since entering the NFL, but is a valued member of the dominant Bengals' front.</p>
<p><i><b><span>Kevin Huber</span>, P: </b></i>The left-footer is on a mission for another Pro Bowl berth this year with solid and great performances in each game. All three of Huber's Sunday punts pinned the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Bills</a> inside the 20-yard line, while limiting Buffalo's returners to zero yards on punt returns. Field position was a big part of Cincinnati's victory, especially early on, and Huber was key to the facet.</p>
<p><i><b><span>Reggie Nelson</span>, S: </b></i>While it was a bit ugly in the aspect of the Bengals' defense guarding tight ends, Nelson made his impact felt. He made a couple of tackles-for-loss against <span>LeSean McCoy</span>, and led the Bengals with 12 total tackles. No Buffalo receiving option cracked the 65-yard mark and Nelson was a big part of the feat<i><b>.</b></i></p>
<p><i><b><span>Darqueze Dennard</span>, CB: </b></i>One of the facets we look at when pulling nominees for this weekly feature is a player's ability to step up in the wake of injury. <span>Leon Hall</span> was a late scratch with his back injury, so it was Dennard's time to step up as a third cornerback. His response was an interception, a tackle and a pass defensed on the afternoon.</p>
<p><i><b><span>Wallace Gilberry</span>, DE: </b></i>One adjective coaches love to use when describing a defensive lineman is "disruptive". That's exactly what Gilberry was on Sunday. He only showed up in the tackle stat column with three, but he seemed to frustrate <span>EJ Manuel</span> and LeSean McCoy throughout the afternoon.</p>
https://www.cincyjungle.com/awards/2015/10/21/9572847/bengals-vs-bills-week-6-unsung-hero-of-the-weekAnthony Cosenza2015-10-20T20:00:02-04:002015-10-20T20:00:02-04:00Bengals vs Bills: Most Valuable Player award
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<figcaption>Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>We rundown the list of the best individual Bengals player performances and ask for your votes. Cast them and sound off on yours in the comments!</p> <p>It's been almost 30 years since fans have seen the <a href="https://www.cincyjungle.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Cincinnati Bengals</a> shoot out to the kind of start we've seen in 2015. And, for those who were around in 1988 and/or have done their research, that season was a very special one. This year's team is taking the same steps toward another historical march to the postseason.</p>
<p>There were a number of big plays by Bengals players on Sunday--some by those known as complementary players. Cast your vote for the team's Week 6 Most Valuable Player and sound off on your choice in the comments!</p>
<p><i><b><span>Andy Dalton</span>, QB: </b></i>It's quite a stark contrast to years past to have Dalton on the weekly MVP List, isn't it? While his streak of three straight 300-yard passing games was broken, he still had three touchdown passes and 243 yards through the air. He hit seven different receivers on the day and each touchdown went to a different receiver, which is pretty impressive.</p>
<p><i><b><span>Jeremy Hill</span>, RB:</b></i> It wasn't a great statistical day for Hill, but he ground out tough yards and found the end zone once again. He had 56 rushing yards and a 13-yard acrobatic touchdown reception to aid the Bengals' offense.</p>
<p><i><b><span>Giovani Bernard</span>, HB: </b></i>It's been a bit of a role reversal for Bernard and Hill this year, but it's working. Bernard has been the spark plug in the running game in 2015. He had 50 yards rushing and a 6.3 per carry average, with a touchdown and 23 yards receiving.</p>
<p><i><b><span>Marvin Jones</span>, WR: </b></i>The awesome reunion tour of Jones came with a lot of fanfare on Sunday. He made two spectacular plays, including a 42-yard reception and another 10-yarder for a touchdown. He was the leading receiver on the day with nine catches for 95 yards and the score.</p>
<p><i><b><span>Tyler Eifert</span>, TE: </b></i>Like Jones, Eifert is enjoying an amazing renaissance after being injured for basically all of 2014. He had another touchdown, his sixth in as many games, and finished with four catches for 30 yards and the touchdown catch.</p>
<p><i><b><span>Mike Nugent</span>, K: </b></i>The embattled veteran kicker has bounced back nicely again this year, and had a solid game against the <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Bills</a>. He accounted for 10 points on the day, including two field goals--one of which was from 47 yards. With the increased difficulty placed on extra points this year, him adding two of those was impressive as well.</p>
<p><i><b><span>Carlos Dunlap</span>, DE: </b></i>The big guy off the edge is pacing himself for his first Pro Bowl berth in his sixth season. He had 1.5 sacks against the Bills, giving him 6.5 in 2015. He's been a great all-around defensive end against both the pass and the run this year.</p>
<p><i><b>CB/KR Adam Jones: </b></i>The multi-talented Jones brought his talents to Buffalo and put them all on display. He had five total tackles, while contributing to no Bills wide receivers cracking the 50-yard receiving mark. He also had a 49-yard kickoff return and another 18-yard punt return.</p>
https://www.cincyjungle.com/awards/2015/10/20/9572781/bengals-vs-bills-week-6-most-valuable-playerAnthony Cosenza2015-10-20T17:00:02-04:002015-10-20T17:00:02-04:00Carlos Dunlap continues playing like NFL's best DE
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<figcaption>Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>At some point, we may be calling Carlos Dunlap the NFL's best defensive end if he continues performing at this pace. </p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.cincyjungle.com/">Bengals</a>' defense finished as the <a target="_blank" href="http://espn.go.com/nfl/statistics/team/_/stat/passing/sort/sacks/position/defense/year/2014">NFL's worst team</a> when it came to sacking quarterbacks in 2014.</p>
<p>That's easily been the biggest improvement in this year's team and it's a big reason why the Bengals are 6-0 going into their bye week. After getting just 20 sacks in 16 games last year, Cincinnati is already up to 17 through six games this season, and a big reason why is <span>Carlos Dunlap</span>.</p>
<p>Now in his sixth NFL season, Dunlap is on pace for a career year with 6.5 sacks through six games after never reaching double-digit sacks in his first five seasons. He picked up 1.5 sacks on Sunday in a 34-21 win over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Bills</a> with his half sack coming late in the second half, shared with <span>Brandon Thompson</span>.</p>
<p>On the play, Dunlap went too far up the field and allowed <span>EJ Manuel</span> a lane to run, but Dunlap recovered very quickly and took Manuel down before he got back to the line of scrimmage.</p>
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<p>Dunlap's quickness and athleticism are what make him such a special player. Those skills were on display in the third quarter when Dunlap read Manuel's eyes and batted down his pass with relative ease:</p>
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<p>But Dunlap's best play of the game came on Buffalo's final offensive drive. Trailing by two scores with two minutes to go, Dunlap embarrassed <span>Cyrus Kouandjio</span> to take down Manuel as soon as he completed his dropback.</p>
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<p>Here, Dunlap impressively breaks Kouandjio's ankles before bulldozing over Manuel.</p>
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<p>Sunday's 1.5 sacks were enough to make Dunlap the NFL's leader in sacks, a full sack ahead of <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/">Packers</a> linebacker <span>Julius Peppers</span> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.patspulpit.com/">Patriots</a> linebacker <span>Jamie Collins</span> at 5.5. At his current pace, Dunlap will finish this season with 19 sacks, 3.5 shy of Michael Strahan's NFL record of 22.5 in a single season.</p>
<p><span>The Bengals' single-season sack leader is defensive end Eddie Edwards who had 13 takedowns in the 1983 season. Dunlap is on pace to break that by Week 12 against a <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/st-louis-rams">Rams</a> offensive line that will be ripe for him to get several sacks in that game. </span></p>
<p>Whatever Dunlap does the rest of the season, there's no denying he's been one of, if not the best defensive end in football over the first six weeks.</p>
https://www.cincyjungle.com/2015/10/20/9573563/bengals-carlos-dunlap-continues-playing-like-nfls-best-deJason Marcum2015-10-20T15:16:01-04:002015-10-20T15:16:01-04:00Week 6 Cincinnati Bengals Rookie Report
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<figcaption>Brett Carlsen/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The rookies, while not logging significant time, are still making history in Cincinnati. They are helping complete a roster that for only the third time in franchise history stands at 6-0. </p> <p>The beat goes on for the <a href="https://www.cincyjungle.com/">Bengals</a> as they convincingly thumped the <a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Bills</a> in Orchard Park on Sunday 34 to 21. The rookies, while not gathering significant time on the field, were able to peek their heads out occasionally during the game. Time will tell during the upcoming bye week if injuries could lead to more of a time stamp for the Bengals' rookies.</p>
<p>Let's go inside the limited snaps and see what newbies were able to do this past weekend.</p>
<h4>
<span>Jake Fisher</span> - Stock Even</h4>
<p>Our favorite big boy receiver threat was given a chance at making a catch on Sunday, but failed to haul it in as he dropped a first half Dalton throw on a short slant. Fisher continues to be a minimally used weapon in Hue Jackson's bag of tricks, but even minimal use for an offensive tackle is something. The playing time for Fisher overall continues to come in sporadically logging only eight snaps in the regular formation. But he is a part of a line that continues to dominate week in and week out as they held the fearsome Buffalo defensive line back and protected their quarterback to the tune of zero sacks on the day.</p>
<h4>
<span>Josh Shaw</span> - Stock Even</h4>
<p>Perhaps you would think with an absent <span>Leon Hall</span>, Shaw could see some more snaps, but you would be thinking wrong. <span>Darqueze Dennard</span> feeling the energy of his alumni Michigan State Spartans' win on Saturday filled in quite nicely and even snagged his first career interception. Shaw is at least in the conversation filling in occasionally for a somewhat under-appreciated Bengals secondary.</p>
<h4>
<span>P.J. Dawson</span> - Stock Up</h4>
<p>The high ankle injury for <span>Vincent Rey</span> looked bad as it went down, but <a href="http://www.cincyjungle.com/2015/10/18/9564677/bengals-vs-bills-marvin-lewis-optimistic-about-injured-players">Marvin Lewis believes in staying optimistic about his dinged up soldiers</a>. What we saw in reaction was Dawson became the first one off the bench after the injury. Number 47 was put in regular formation grinder and while it wasn't anything to write home about (I understand the irony of writing about this now) it was at least a shoulder pad in the door. It will be interesting to see if Dawson will get more snaps now, but he only received three defensive snaps even with Rey's injury. Rey's injury also happens to coincide with Vontaze Burfict's time on the PUP list potentially coming to an end. There are possibly going to be a lot moving pieces after the bye week.</p>
<h4>
<span>Tyler Kroft</span> - Stock Even</h4>
<p>We saw <span>Ryan Hewitt</span> with some targets down field on Sunday, likely a Hue Jackson trick to show that other tight ends not named <span>Tyler Eifert</span> can be offensive weapons for this team. Kroft wasn't able to snag a pass, but he continues to be in on plays in offense. Kroft played 14 snaps on offense, logging, once again, the most time of any rookie for the Bengals. Kroft needs to be winning over the hearts and minds of the Bengals' coaching staff. He's blocking tough and helping keep Dalton and Co. safe from defensive harm.</p>
<h4>
<span>Derron Smith</span> - Stock Even</h4>
<p>His time continues to be spent on special teams, taking his lumps as they come. He's putting in his stints and getting to know what it takes to be pro-football player. With the secondary healthy (ish) he's not going to crack quality playing time and we might not see him in the fold for the rest of the season. But when his team is riding a 6-0 high it's not a bad way to learn on the job.</p>
<h4>INACTIVES</h4>
<p>You guessed it, the same troop remains inactive for yet another week with <span>Mario Alford</span>, <span>Marcus Hardison</span>, and <span>C.J. Uzomah</span> all keeping the bench from flying away. The Bengals' regulars simply remain too talented and too healthy to warrant conversation on getting these unlucky rookies attention. While you always like to see a young crop of players getting their due diligence, we really can't be complaining about such a healthy and successful start to the season. <span>Cedric Ogbuehi</span>, the Bengals' first round draft pick remains on the PUP list with the ability to come off any day now. But, don't expect to see that happen just yet as someone else on the team would in turn need to be cut.</p>
https://www.cincyjungle.com/2015/10/20/9567697/week-6-cincinnati-bengals-rookie-reportArt Bidwell2015-10-20T12:15:02-04:002015-10-20T12:15:02-04:00Bengals vs Bills: Play of the Game
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<figcaption>Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>We rundown the list of the best Bengals plays in their 34-21 win over the Bills. Cast your vote and sound off on your winner!</p> <p>While the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.cincyjungle.com/">Bengals</a> had 31 points on the afternoon against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/">Bills</a>, it was a more methodical approach by the Bengals' offense that got them the victory this week. In games against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fieldgulls.com/">Seahawks</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/">Ravens</a>, the Bengals used a flurry of big plays at the beginning and end of the game to come away victorious.</p>
<p>While the Bengals had some big plays against Buffalo, they eschewed the way of the hare to pound their way to a win. Take a look at our list of the best Bengals plays of the week, cast your vote and sound off on your winner!</p>
<h3>Jeremy Hill's First Quarter Receiving Touchdown:</h3>
<p>After the Bills scored on their opening drive and the Bengals punted on theirs, the game had a different feel than it did in the first five weeks. Things settled down and <span>Andy Dalton</span> rallied the troops. Though it wasn't a particularly strong day running the football for Hill, he had a great catch and run to tie the game 7-7.</p>
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<h3>Giovani Bernard's Second Quarter Rushing Touchdown:</h3>
<p>In an early drive during which the Bengals utilized Bernard often, he answered the call. No. 25 had a 23-yard catch and run, and followed with a beauty of a touchdown run where he went untouched. The play gave the Bengals a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter.</p>
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<h3>
<span>Darqueze Dennard's</span> Interception:</h3>
<p>In the first quarter, the Bills were on the move again, making things uncomfortable for the Bengals. When Leon Hall was a late scratch for the Bengals, second-year corner Darqueze Dennard stepped in. He did an admirable job, especially when he nabbed an interception off of <span>EJ Manuel</span>.</p>
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<h3>
<span>Marvin Jones</span>' 42-Yard Catch:</h3>
<p>The team and fans alike are ecstatic to have Jones back in 2015, and he proved as much on Sunday. While Buffalo was clamping down on <span>A.J. Green</span>, Dalton had to look elsewhere. On the opening drive of the second half, the Bengals were clinging to a 17-14 lead and faced second and eight from their own 42-yard line. What initially looked like a prayer heave from Dalton, turned out to be a beautiful rainbow that Jones brought in between two defenders to set the Bengals up in the red zone.</p>
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<h3>Marvin Jones' Catch-And-Touchdown Run:</h3>
<p>Not to be outdone by his long distance circus catch, Jones had to get into the end zone. Two plays after the big grab, Dalton found Jones on a short route and let him do the rest. The result was a 10-yard touchdown that was both awesome and scary, given how Jones' arm landed over the end zone line.</p>
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<h3>Tyler Eifert's Third Quarter Touchdown Reception:</h3>
<p>The Bills seemed to keep nipping at the Bengals' heels, with Cincinnati looking for that knockout punch. While holding a 24-14 lead, Dalton and Co. put together a 12-play drive, capped by an Eifert touchdown. It was especially impressive given Eifert was lined up outside on Buffalo's best corner, Stephon Gilmore. Eifert won the matchup and nabbed a four-yard touchdown.</p>
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https://www.cincyjungle.com/2015/10/20/9572485/bengals-vs-bills-week-6-play-of-the-gameAnthony Cosenza