The Cincinnati Bengals are 1-0 after knocking off the Minnesota Vikings in their home opener. It was quite the game and literally came down to the wire, as the Bengals couldn’t hold the lead and went into overtime, barely winning it.
With the game in the books, let’s take a look at what we learned about our beloved Bengals.
Defensive Line Improved
This offseason was spent shoring up the Bengals’ defensive line and it showed in this one. We all knew it was going to be difficult to slow down Dalvin Cook but the Bengals D-line did just that, limiting the explosive runner to just 61 yards off of 20 carries.
Larry Ogunjobi was particularly impressive and looks worth the money the Bengals shelled out to him this offseason. Trey Hendrickson might not have had a sack but he made a difference and the team spent a lot of money on the former Saint. D.J. Reader also made his presence known.
It was a solid effort from everyone on the newly-formed defensive line and this is hopefully only the beginning. This unit needs to continue playing well if the Bengals want any shot of making the playoffs.
Offensive Line Still Has Work To Do
Another big emphasis over the offseason was fine-tuning the offensive line, especially after Joe Burrow was injured as a result of last year’s poor-performing o-line.
The Bengals signed Riley Reiff and drafted three offensive linemen in the hopes of shoring up their offensive line but none of the rookies were in the starting unit. Instead, the team rolled with Jonah Williams, Quinton Spain, Trey Hopkins, Xavier Su’a-Filo, and Riley Reiff as their starters.
Well, the new-look o-line didn’t look great, as Burrow was sacked five times and hit seven times total. This can’t be the case every week or Burrow won’t make it through the season. The fact of the matter is that Cincinnati knew this was an area of concern and they didn’t do enough to address it.
Zac Taylor Needs To Be Smarter
Okay, maybe this isn’t something we just learned, but it’s going on the list anyway.
Zac Taylor’s Bengals were on fire through the third quarter but stalled on a drive and were faced with a fourth down in their own territory. The obvious decision there is to punt the ball away and let your defense continue to go to work like they had been all afternoon.
Well, Taylor decided he didn’t want to go with the obvious decision and kept his boys on the field. This was not a good idea, as the offense failed to convert and the Vikings had the ball in their own territory. The purple team scored not long after, making this a seven-point game.
It wasn’t on the Bengals’ defense that time whatever the stat sheet might say. That touchdown was gift-wrapped to the Vikings by Zac Taylor. It might not have cost him this time but against most teams, it would. Gotta be smarter, Zac.
Not a Good Day for Eli Apple
Taylor wasn’t the only one who had a tough day at the office. In fact, the only guy who had arguably a worse day from a Bengals standpoint was Eli Apple, who was starting in place of the injured Trae Waynes.
Apple was… not good. And that’s putting it politely.
Very rough drive for Bengals CB Eli Apple.
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) September 12, 2021
-- missed tackle on 3rd-and-24.
-- defensive holding that negates a sack
-- in the area when Cousins found Adam Thielen for a 5-yard TD.
As Ben Baby noted during the game, there was one drive where Apple had a horrible missed tackle that allowed the Vikings to get a first down despite facing a 3rd-and-24, negated a sack due to a defensive hold, and got burned on a touchdown from Kirk Cousins to Adam Thielen. All on one drive. Oof.
Fortunately, Apple isn’t a part of this team’s long-term plans but still. It was a really bad day for the former first-round pick.
Ja’Marr Chase is Going To Be Fine
After dropping five balls this offseason, Ja’Marr Chase was getting heavily criticized by what felt like everyone. Most reasonable people knew it was way too early to be panicking because preseason games don’t count but at the same time, it was a bit concerning.
Chase definitely shut everyone up with his performance on Sunday though and there shouldn’t be anyone questioning what he can do in this offense. The rookie out of LSU finished his first NFL game with five catches for 101 yards and a touchdown with the touchdown coming off of a 50-yard reception.
Yeah, I’d say he’ll be fine.
What did you learn about the Bengals in their 27-24 overtime win?