Kelsey Conway
Cincinnati Enquirer
The Cincinnati Bengals (5-3) loss to the New
York Jets (2-5) was surprising and disappointing in many aspects.
Several
players on the defensive side of the ball didn't tackle well as the Bengals
missed 15 tackles and were unable to generate a pass rush like we've seen in
previous weeks. On offense, although Cincinnati was able to score 31 points,
the unit could have played better in the following areas: Third down
(4-of-10), red zone ( 4-of-6), fourth down (0-for-1) and rushing yards
(41).
In order
to improve to 3-0 in the AFC North and beat the Cleveland Browns (4-4) on
Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium, the Bengals collectively need to play a much
cleaner game.
Here's a look at who stood out and who
didn't in the Week 8 loss to the Jets at MetLife Stadium:
Top defensive player of the game: D.J. Reader
The
Bengals weren't able to see the full impact D.J. Reader could have in their
defense in his first season with the team. Reader suffered a season-ending quad
injury in the fifth game of the 2020 season. Not only has Reader shown his
importance to Cincinnati's defense, he's playing as good as any defensive
tackle in the NFL this season. Per Pro Football Focus, Reader recorded five
quarterback hurries, the most of any player on the Bengals' roster, and
was given the second-highest defensive grade for the Bengals against the
run. Not only is Reader important in the run game, he's evolving as a pass
rusher also and it's a big reason Cincinnati's defensive line is playing at a
high level.
Good days for: Jonah Williams, Riley
Reiff
Cincinnati's offensive line problems
aren't coming from their tackles this year. Third-year left tackle Jonah
Williams and veteran right tackle Riley Reiff were Cincinnati's two
highest-graded offensive line players against the Jets, according to Pro
Football Focus. To show just how solid Reiff and Williams were, let's take a
look at the disparity in the numbers: Reiff earned an 81.2 grade and Williams
with a 73.8 grade in pass blocking. The next best offensive lineman, Quinton
Spain, earned a 66.0 grade in pass blocking.
X-Factor: Tyler Boyd
Typically,
when Tyler Boyd touches the ball, good things happen for the Bengals. That was
certainly the case in New Jersey as Boyd not only made plays catching the ball,
he also threw a pass that resulted into a game-changing momentum play for
Cincinnati. Boyd recorded five catches for 69 yards and one touchdown. He threw
a 46-yard pass to running back Joe Mixon on a trick play. Boyd earned 71.2
grade overall for his performance and was Pro Football Focus' second-highest
graded Bengals player on offense.
The not so
good
A rough day on offense for: Jackson Carman, Trey
Hopkins
The
second-round pick, Jackson Carman, and the veteran, Trey Hopkins, have been a
liability at times for the Bengals' offensive line. Most of the time when
quarterback Joe Burrow is getting pressured, it's coming from up the middle
where those two sit. Carman and Hopkins were the two lowest-graded
offensive linemen for the Bengals in pass blocking. Burrow was sacked three
times in the loss. Hopkins was also particularly bad in the run game as well as
he earned a 48. 3 grade for his performance and was the lowest-graded player on
the Bengals' roster in the run game.
A rough day on defense for: Logan Wilson, Akeem
Davis-Gaither
After
Sunday's game, it became evident what teams view as Cincinnati's weak spot on
defense is: The linebackers. The Jets attacked the the Bengals at the second
level all game. The Bengals gave up 511 yards of total offense to a quarterback
who had never started a game before, Mike White, and a rookie running back in
Michael Carter. Logan Wilson led the team in missed tackles with three. Akeem
Davis-Gaither recorded two of the 15 missed tackles also. Wilson was also given
the Bengals' second-lowest grade in run defense, according to Pro Football
Focus.
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