Bengals Week 13 Grades: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Nov 30, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (14) reacts as he looks at the bench against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14-13. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Cincinnati Bengals looked like they took a step back on Sunday. The first quarter was all about defense as well as the mistake after mistake by the Bengals offense, mainly Andy Dalton. The second half looked much better on the offensive side but they almost lost in the final moments until their head coach, Marvin Lewis, made the call of his career and saved the game. Here are the grades from Sunday’s game for your Cincinnati Bengals.

Quarterback: C+
Yes, Andy Dalton had two touchdowns to his name, but mistakes he made directly affected how close the Buccaneers came to stealing this win. Dalton’s first interception directly led to three points in the first quarter after a big stop, his second interception stalled a good drive, and his third came after Terrance Newman had picked off McCown in Tamp Bay territory and could have led to some critical points before the half.

Running Backs: B
I was told on twitter that I was being to critical on Jeremy Hill but I stand behind my statement:

He kept over thinking his moves while trying to get more yards and ended up being tackled by someone who caught him from the side or behind instead of making the play from up the field. None the less, Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard combined for 89 yards on the ground in 23 attempts. Good balance overall and that is what the Bengals need going forward.

Wide Receivers: A-
James Wright was the star of the wide receivers and led in yards gained with 59. AJ Green had one TD and 57 yards, Mohammed Sanu had only two catches for 19 yards but also had one run for 10 yards and one pass for 11 yards. They kept the offense moving on many occasions and did well to earn every yard.

Tight End: A-
Another huge game for Jermaine Gresham. He only had 33 yards on 5 receptions but he earned a couple key first downs and pulled down a huge pass that could have been intercepted if he would have tipped it or missed it all together.

Offensive Line: B-
They allowed the Buccaneers defense to get to Dalton a few times and caused a number of tackles for loss. They did step up the protection though in the second half and the Bengals did just enough to get the win.