It’s hard to imagine a worse set of circumstances for a rookie quarterback. That said, Ryan Finley isn’t doing himself any favors. In the 17-10 loss at Oakland, it can be argued, rather successfully, that Finley took a step back. His line read 13 of 31 for 115 yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception. Additionally, the Raiders defense harassed the rookie all afternoon to the tune of five sacks.
No fun for the rookie in his second start. The Bengals offensive line was again its own worst enemy, allowing Maxx Crosby of the Raiders to record three sacks. It’s not all on Finley, but the rookie who is clearly more mobile than veteran Andy Dalton, was unable to escape a good pass rush.
Already, there is a debate to go back to Dalton, and numbers like yesterday will fuel that discussion. But at this point, going back to the veteran does more harm than good. If anything, the better conversation is when Bengals fans might see Jake Dolegala. With six games left in the season, Dolegala might get a look later in December.
As for Finley, his first road test was as bad as they get. Then again, 0-10 is less about his last two starts versus the 0-8 mess he inherited.