Bengals lose another heartbreaker to Packers in OT, 27-24
By Emile Pierce
The Cincinnati Bengals offense looked good, under the direction of Bill Lazor. But, the Week 3 results were the same old story.
Losing a game that should have been won has become a recurring theme for the Cincinnati Bengals. It happened again on Sunday afternoon when they suffered a come-from-ahead loss to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. The Bengals had shocked the Lambeau Field crowd by taking an early lead. But, in true Bengals fashion, they lost a decent battle in overtime, 27-24.
It’s not time to get crazy. But, it is time to be concerned about what this Bengals team will do for the rest of the year. Getting pissed at new OC Bill Lazor isn’t going to solve anything. He’s learning his way. To be downright honest, he’s done more in 10 days than Ken Zampese did in all of training camp.
It started with such promise. Watching Andy Dalton move the Bengals downfield for a game-opening touchdown (dare I say it) was magical. It darn near brought tears to my eyes.
What Did You Expect?
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But, that lead was quickly erased when the Packers marched down the field on the defense and tied the game. If not for a blown coverage in the end zone, the Bengals could have held the Pack to a field goal. Yet, the giddy feeling of that opening touchdown was enough to keep the internal boo-birds at bay.
When Cincinnati scored again to go up 14-7, there was a chance it could happen. Maybe the Bengals could actually waltz into Lambeau and do what they did in 2009. Nope. This time Rodgers was having no part of the deal. In overtime, he became the deadly and accurate passer that the defense had to contain. In the end, he won his first game against the Bengals’ franchise and got the proverbial monkey off his back.
What makes this loss so hard to digest? Why is this one of those moments when it’s hard to be a fan of this team? Simple answer: it’s the way they lost. They kept the lead until late in the fourth quarter. That’s the time when there can be no defensive letdowns or lapses. What happens? Things go to pot. Please, don’t get the story twisted. The Bengals defense was phenomenal. In fact, if there was a game ball given after a loss, it should go to the defense for keeping Cincinnati in the game.
A Good 0-3?
Let’s not go there. There’s never a moment win having three losses and no W’s is a good thing. Yes, the offense was scaled back and got two TDs. Everyone can breathe a sigh of relief that Dalton looked better. Honestly, outside of a few mind-numbing overthrows, he looked better under the direction of Lazor. But, he’s still looking like he has happy feet. The switch to shotgun and pistol formations gave the O-line a bit more time. Yet, there were still problem areas that led to the loss. Lots of areas.
Next: Was This The New Identity?
The Bengals looked like they can get things going with Lazor scaling things back and getting away from a lot of the typical offensive predictability. But, it’s just a week under the semi-new system. There’s a ton of things to adjust.
Yes, there was better continuity and a spark. But, it’s winning that get teams to the playoffs. Enthusiasm doesn’t count. If it was horseshoes, the Bengals would be good to go.