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Should the Bengals Select a Cornerback in Round 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft?

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For the first time in three seasons, the Cincinnati Bengals’ first round selection is not set in stone as the NFL Draft approaches. In 2020, Joe Burrow was the sure-fire number one pick, and while there was some lively debate around the fifth overall selection last season, Ja’Marr Chase became the betting favorite as draft day grew closer. Thanks to a Super Bowl run in 2021 followed by a busy offseason of key free agent signings, there are a few different directions the team could go at pick 31. In this series, we will make a case for the Bengals attacking specific position groups with their first round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

The Case for Drafting a Cornerback

The Bengals defense was a strength overall last season, even if they finished middle of the pack in points allowed per game, and allowed the 7th most passing yards in the league. Chidobe Awuzie was exceptional replacing William Jackson, scoring the third-highest coverage grade according to PFF (among cornerbacks that played at least 300 snaps). Eli Apple was a lightning rod for criticism throughout the season, but was solid starting opposite Awuzie. Mike Hilton was steady in the slot, per usual, and contributed some exciting moments throughout the season. 

With all three starting corners returning in 2022, why is cornerback a potential option at pick 31? For one, Eli Apple signed just a one-year deal this offseason at replacement-level salary. If he plays as well as he did last season, that’s great, but it’s unlikely that the 7th year pro is a key part of the defense for years to come. Secondly, while Awuzie was excellent last year, it did represent a career-year for him from a coverage grade perspective. Chido is unlikely to further progress into a lock-down corner in his sixth season, but more likely remains a good to sometimes great defender for the remainder of his contract. Mike Hilton has never played more than 28 snaps at outside corner in his career. A need exists for another reliable outside corner to at worst challenge Apple this season, and hopefully claim the starting role sooner rather than later.

The Possible Options

With top cornerbacks Ahmad ‘Sauce’ Gardner and Derek Stingley certain to be off the board long before 31, the most likely considerations at that position are Andrew Booth Jr. (Clemson), Kaiir Elam (Florida), Roger McCreary (Auburn), and Kyler Gordon (Washington) among others. Snagging one of those players would set up the defense nicely for a CB2 camp battle with the hopes of a long-term solution emerging.

Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert face off for the first time in the NFL

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The Cincinnati Bengals host the Los Angeles Chargers Sunday in a critical AFC matchup with many playoff implications riding on the outcome.

This will be the first time former first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft takes on Justin Herbert, who was the 6th pick in that same draft. Last season, When Joe Burrow made his NFL debut in Week 1, it was against the Chargers although, Tyrod Taylor was the starter. Not Herbert yet.

This Sunday will be their first head-to-head matchup in the NFL, and with both teams playing meaningful football in the first week of December, this has the chance to be the biggest game of each team’s season up to this point.

Herbert and Burrow have set themselves apart from all the other quarterbacks. They were each selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft and not only have they had remarkably consistent and astounding play, but they have turned around two franchises who each were bottom ten teams in a year and a half and have led each team into playoff contention with a few more victories this season.

In 11 games this season, Burrow has 22 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 2,835 passing yards, 69.3 competition percentage, and 76.8 quarterback rating. 

Herbert has 24 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 3,230 passing yards, a 66.0 competition percentage, and a 65.8 quarterback rating.

Regardless, if there is a rivalry between these two, they will always be compared to each other, coming out of the same class. With their early success, it is easy to pick these two out of a hat and judge them against each other even though they are both off to incredible starts to their careers.

If the Bengals lose, they could switch places with the Chargers and fall to the 7th seed while Los Angeles moves into the 5th seed. However, if the Bengals can escape with a victory, they could create a sizable lead for the top wild-card spot or sit atop the AFC North if the Ravens lose to the Steelers.

With a Chargers loss, they would fall to 6-6 and could potentially fall out of the top seven if the Denver Broncos can get a Sunday night win over the Chiefs. The fact of the matter is that the importance of who wins is vital.

For each of these young quarterbacks to be playing in important games this late in the season is eye-opening considering where these teams were last season and considering Burrow’s coming off a severe knee injury. But here we are and this has the potential to be an extremely competitive game with a lot of people tuning in.

The Cincinnati Bengals Path To The Playoffs

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This question could be answered simply with “win football games,” and that’s true; the Bengals will have to turn this next stretch of games into wins, but what is the process in doing that? How can the Cincinnati Bengals put themselves in the best position possible as a team to make a playoff run in one of the tightest and most challenging divisions in football.

The Bengals have one of the toughest schedules coming up through the second half of the season, but that is no excuse because the Steelers, Ravens, and Browns have extremely tough schedules as well. Luckily, the Bengals are already 2-1 within the division, which gives them an upper hand in tiebreakers. But with division games still to play against all three teams, it only goes a long way if they can pull out wins again against these opponents.

This past week, the Bengals defeated the Las Vegas Raiders to improve to 6-4 in a very critical conference matchup. The Raiders, a lot like the Bengals, have been a very inconsistent team this year. Some weeks they look as if they can hang with and beat anybody in the NFL, and other weeks, they look like an average team who isn’t ready to compete yet. Both teams were on two-game skids, which means the motivation from each side was high. Down the course of the year, the Bengals winning this game could play a profound role in how the wild card and playoff race shake out if records remain as close as they are right now.

The Bengals stretch of games to end the season now include

– Pittsburgh Steelers (5-4-1) 

– Los Angeles Chargers (6-4) 

– San Francisco 49ers (5-5)

– at Denver Broncos (5-5)

– Baltimore Ravens (7-3) 

– Kansas City Chiefs (7-4)

– at Cleveland Browns (6-5)

Every team on the Bengals upcoming schedule currently has a .500 or better record and still presents a lot of talent on both sides of the ball.

The Bengals need to get back to some of what they were doing through the first seven weeks. Forget about Week 8 and Week 9. Instead, do the little things, play for one another, wrap up and tackle, make intelligent decisions, stay disciplined, and most importantly, stay level-headed. No win is more significant than the next one.

As a young football team, that will be the biggest key for the team to remember. A big win against a good team or a win against a lousy team results in the same outcome. It puts a W in the win column and helps the team get closer to reaching their goals. And as we’ve seen countless times this year, any team can be beaten on any given day or night regardless of record.

The Bengals have seen it first hand losing to the lowly Jets. The Titans, Bills, Ravens, and other teams have also experienced it. Cincinnati will need to show up each week and put on a stellar performance and find ways to win games even when adversity puts its back up against the wall. Good teams find ways to win. If the Bengals want to be considered a top team in the AFC, they will need to beat other top teams in the AFC.

Currently standing at 6-4 overall and 2nd in the AFC North, the Bengals will be in critical battles with the rest of the division and the rest of the conference through the final eight games. Bengals currently are only one game back to the Baltimore Ravens for 1st in the AFC North. The Ravens still have to play the Browns and the Steelers twice, leaving them with a critical division matchup this week and more in the future as well.

If the Bengals can find a way to get themselves into the postseason, it would be the first time since 2015. The Bengals have not won a playoff game since 1990. Over 30 years. This team has a chance to end that streak but first will have to play the best football of their season to have the opportunity.

The Cincinnati Bengals Have Put The League On Notice

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The Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) defeated the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday 41-17 in a blowout road win to take 1st place in the AFC North and secure the current #1 seed in the AFC. Little to nobody had picked the Bengals to beat the Ravens, but many still knew its importance for Cincinnati to show that they can hang with the top teams in the division and the conference, and the Bengals did more than that.

They proved they are one of the best teams in the conference and the league this season. Joe Burrow threw for 416 yards and three touchdowns. He made throw after throw. Ja’Marr Chase continued his historic rookie campaign, hauling in over 200 receiving yards and added another long touchdown that went for 82 yards in the third quarter. Chase now has 754 receiving yards on the season, which is currently 2nd in the entire NFL behind only Cooper Kupp.

One thing the team has that they haven’t had in the past is consistent play on both sides of the ball. Yes, the offense is firing on all cylinders led by Burrow, Chase, Higgins, Boyd, Mixon, Uzomah, and an offensive line that is exceeding expectations.

But the defense has been one of the best in the NFL this year, specifically the defensive line and the front seven. Against Baltimore, they sacked Lamar Jackson five times which is the most in Jackson’s career. The high spending this off-season is paying off. The additions of Trey Hendrickson, Larry Ogunjobi, D.J. Reader, and players like Vonn Bell and Mike Hilton have added a great deal of success to Lou Anarumo’s defense. Logan Wilson has progressed in year two into one of the best linebackers in football. Chidobe Awuzie has come in and been exactly what the Bengals needed in a CB1 for the secondary that Jessie Bates leads.

There’s a lot of football left, and you don’t want to get ahead of yourself, which Zac Taylor stressed. Just take it week by week and try and beat the opponent in front of you. But the Bengals proved a lot of people wrong this Sunday. They showed the media and the rest of the NFL that this team has arrived, and they aren’t going anywhere. They’re not coming for a wild card spot. They are out to gun for the division and the conference.

The next few weeks will show a lot more about what this team’s about, especially after their bye week in Week 10. The Bengals play the Jets this week and then the Browns the following week. Cincinnati has a great chance to put themselves in the driver’s seat going into their bye week if they can handle their business this week and get another division win against Cleveland. The Cincinnati Bengals are exactly who Bengals nation thought they were and who the media didn’t.

How good can this Cincinnati Bengals team be?

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The Cincinnati Bengals are currently 3-2, 1-0 in division play and sit as the #5 seed in the AFC through five regular-season games. As we head into Week 6 against the Detroit Lions, I think it is essential to set some expectations of the capability of this team finally.

Bringing the Green Bay Packers into overtime and having multiple opportunities to win speaks volumes to the ability of this squad. Still, I took away that was more appealing because when the Bengals trailed and the momentum wasn’t on their side, they always found a way to stay in the game, remain competitive and make plays to keep it close. First, the Bengals trailed 16-7 and connected on a 70-yard touchdown, then they trailed 22-14 in the 4th quarter and responded with an 8 point drive to tie it. In the past, most Bengals’ teams would have folded and let the game get out of hand, this team doesn’t do that.

The same thing happened on Thursday night two weeks ago against Jacksonville after trailing 14-0 at the half. That shows the culture has changed in the Queen City; they are playing with pride, they are playing team-driven football, which could be a key reason this team could still be hanging around towards the end of the season.

The defense has drastically improved, led by 2nd-year linebacker Logan Wilson who is 2nd in the NFL in interceptions and ranks in the top ten in tackles. The front seven has been elite in stopping the run this season, with Larry Ogunjobi and D.J. Reader setting the tone in the middle and Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard around the edge. The Bengals recently acquired cornerback Tre Flowers off waivers from the Seahawks, adding another depth piece to the cornerback room, which is currently beaten up. I’d expect him to split snaps with Eli Apple as the cornerback number two while Chidobe Awuzie continues to take the reigns as the number one corner.

If the offense can reach its full potential, I can see this team competing for a playoff spot at the end of the season. Currently, the Bengals have only scored 7 points in the first quarter through five games, so consistently starting slow is a trend they need to change. You could say it’s a lack of aggression in the play calling from the start. Zac Taylor will play a vital role in the Bengals reaching their peak.

And the obvious one. The consistency of the offensive line throughout the rest of the season will more than likely be the biggest and most important piece to the puzzle. They need to keep Joe Burrow upright and give him time in the pocket to throw the football because when he gets those opportunities, he has had plenty of success finding his receivers and making the right decisions that move the offense down the field. Burrow and former LSU teammate Ja’Marr Chase have put that on display as Chase leads all rookie receivers in touchdowns and yards. He is the only rookie to catch 5 touchdowns this early in his rookie season since Randy Moss and that is excellent company to sit with.

The game Sunday against Detroit will prove a lot because if this Bengals team is as legit as some claim, they should handle their business against an 0-5 Lions team. Detroit is no pushover and doesn’t play like an 0-5 team, but this is a game Cincinnati needs to win. They head into Baltimore next week with a huge division matchup against the Ravens, and in three weeks, they have a division matchup with the Browns. Every win is essential when you play in the AFC North, and Burrow and company will need to show that starting this week. This is the most talented team since the 2015 squad, which went 12-4. There’s a lot of football left, but seeing how consistent this team stays will speak volumes about what they can do moving forward.