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Winners and Losers: Preseason Week 1

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While it was only preseason, man was it great to have football back. We saw an encouraging performance from the Bengals starters in their 30-27 victory over the Chicago Bears. Here are a few of the winners and losers from the first game of the year.

John Ross – Wide Receiver
Winner

I am listing Ross as a winner, despite him falling down on a route resulting in a pick six early in the game. Ross did not play a perfect game, however he had flashes that showed why the Bengals picked him 9th overall in 2017. Ross’s one catch for the night was a short route where he caught the ball about four to five yards from the line of scrimmage, right in front of the defender. Most wide receivers would have fought for an extra yard or two and been tackled, but this is where Ross is different. Ross juked out the defender and turned on the jets, accelerating for 20 yards and nearly scoring. It was the type of play that showed just how dangerous he can be in the open field. Ross also remained in the game and got a lot of targets even after his mistake. It was a good sign that Marvin Lewis left him in rather than benching him for the mistake. Ross got a few red zone targets later in the night, one in which he went up in the air to snag the ball and nearly drug both toes in the back of the endzone. Some will say both feet were down, but regardless he showed just enough to flash his monster upside.

Matt Barkley – Quarterback
Loser

Going into Thursday night Barkley was the second quarterback on the Bengals depth chart, but if he continues with performances like he did against the Bears, Barkley could find himself as a free agent. Barkley showed next to nothing in his time against the Bears, completing just five passes for 64 yards. He was able to lead a few drives resulting in field goals, but gave Bengals fans no confidence if something were to happen to Dalton. Barkley will need to seriously step up his game to avoid being passed up by Jeff Driskel, who played very well.

Geno Atkins – Defensive End
Winner

Geno was his usual disruptive self against Chicago, contributing to the first team defense that held Mitchell Trubisky to only four yards passing. Early on in the game versus the Bears first string offense, Geno bulldozed an offensive lineman to the ground getting right to Trubisky for the sack. It was a reminder that Geno is still one of the league’s most elite defensive tackles. A few plays later Geno rushed into the backfield drawing an offensive holding penalty after the Bears line was forced to hold him to keep him from recording his second sack of the night. A five yard penalty is as good as a sack for the defense. Geno showed us that even if you don’t let him get to the quarterback, he can still be a defensive nightmare. Geno should once again be one the key players on this Bengals defense.

Malik Jefferson – Linebacker
Loser

It is not a huge red flag as this was Jefferson’s first NFL game ever, but Jefferson didn’t flash much. Outside of his one tackle we saw Jefferson miss a tackle on a run to the outside that led to the Bears getting a big gain. As if him being a liability on the ground wasn’t enough we also saw him struggle in pass coverage, getting beat several times. It is likely Jefferson was not ready for the speed of the NFL and will be able to better prepare for their week 2 Preseason matchup, but for someone who was taken in the third round Jefferson must improve. With Vontaze Burfict out for the first few games, Malik has a huge opportunity to showcase what he can do with an expected increase of snaps. Jefferson is still raw and developing his instincts, expect him to improve in week 2.

The Cincinnati Bengals Offense
Winner

After an embarrassing 2017 filled with bad line play and no creativity, we saw a new look Bengals offense against the Bears. With a full offseason of Bill Lazor, young wideouts like Ross, Boyd, and Malone, and a new line, this Bengals offense gave fans hope. The Bengals came out firing and moved the ball very effectively. We saw AJ Green lined up in the slot against linebackers, Joe Mixon lined up wide running wide receiver routes, and we also saw Tyler Boyd shine from the slot. Bill Lazor will not be short on weapons this year, and while it was only one game it appears he knows how to utilize them. We saw one blunder by the first team offense, John Ross’s slip, but was otherwise lights out and appeared to be clicking well. Bill and his new offense bring excitement the Bengals have been missing.

Follow me on Twitter @Pierson242FF, be sure to tweet at me for any Bengals related questions or comments. Who Dey!

Which 3 Cincinnati Bengals Players Cannot Get Injured in 2018?

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How would The Godfather have turned out if the understudies had taken over for Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, and James Caan? Answer: Unwatchable.

That’s a good word to associate with the Cincinnati Bengals if they lose these players to season-ending injuries in 2018. The stars can get the job done, but if the backups have to replace them at some point, we’ll be flipping to other channels, hoping they made Godfather IV: Corleones on Patrol and we somehow missed it in the theater.

Cincinnati Bengals Players We Pray Aren’t Lost to Injury This Year

Andy Dalton: We’ll start here because this one is the biggest and most obvious. Simply put, if we lose Dalton, we lose the season. When AJ McCarron was the backup, we might not have been so quick to make that statement. But unprovens and semi-provens are lining the bench with Matt Barkley, Jeff Driskel, and Logan Woodside (and we’ll likely lose one in the cut).

Barkley has the most experience, though he’s on his sixth stop in the NFL. Yes, he can play quarterback, but how much confidence does that thought instill in you, or the Cincinnati Bengals offense? It’s like telling your fellow 747 passengers not to worry – if the crew gets food poisoning, you’ll take over because you’ve beaten Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation on your Xbox One.

Driskel is in his third year in the league, but has been injured most of his college and pro careers. Rookie Woodside is 6’2”, 213 pounds and enjoys movies, Chinese food, and long walks on the beach at sunset.

One or more of them could very well turn out to be a quality player. But not in 2018.

AJ Green
Even though Green plays at a position with some depth, we fear an injury to him because ….. well, he’s AJ Green. Losing him would mean “Time to step up, newbies!” instead of “Oh no, what are we going to do now?!” (read: QB) – and neither of those options is good for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Tyler Boyd is a third-year guy who has 76 career catches for 828 yards. He would definitely assume an even larger role in the offense if Green was out. Let’s just hope he has a ride to the game.

John Ross is healthy and turning heads in camp. Cody Core is a third-year guy with good size (6’3”) who played in 13 games last year (though he did not record a reception). Josh Malone was having a good training camp but must rest his recently-tweaked hamstring. They can all pitch in to cover the potential loss of Green ……. we hope.

Geno Atkins
You probably know how we feel about a Geno-Atkins-less defensive line. The concern is the same as for the QB and WR positions: Young players behind them on the depth chart.

Atkins is a six-time Pro Bowl selection. Backup Ryan Glasgow is a second-year, fourth-round draft pick with 23 career tackles. That gap should tell you something.

Backup-backup Chris Baker is a journeyman who is on his fifth team in 10 years. Backup-backup-backup Chris Okoye is big on size (6’6”, 320), but small on college and experience (Ferris State, rookie).