The Cincinnati Bengals lost 20-17 to the Chicago Bears in Week 2, dropping them to 1-1 on the year. This was a disappointing result after a promising Week 1 victory, especially with the Bengals shooting themselves in the foot time and time again.
The loss was bad but there were some good things to emerge from the three-point loss.
Let’s take a look at the winners and losers from the Bengals’ 20-17 loss to Chicago.
Loser – Offensive Line
The Bengals heard all offseason that their offensive line wasn’t good enough and they needed to fix it. While they did make some changes along the o-line, we’re seeing in the first two weeks how it’s not paying off and Joe Burrow was sacked four times and hit nine times total.
This can’t happen if the Bengals want Burrow to be a part of their long-term plans. Trey Hopkins played better this week and it wasn’t hard to see that it was the left side of the o-line struggling this time around, as Jonah Williams and Quinton Spain were getting pushed around throughout the game.
The offensive line has to play better than this or Cincinnati is going to continue to have games like these.
Winner – Trey Hendrickson
There weren’t a ton of positives from the loss but Trey Hendrickson was definitely one of the few. The former New Orleans Saint raised eyebrows last year with the random breakout year he put together and some fans were anxious about the team signing him and not Carl Lawson.
Hendrickson didn’t have any sacks last week but he made an impact on the defensive side of the ball in that win. This week, he had 1.5 sacks against Chicago while also totaling three tackles and three hits on the quarterback.
This was a great performance from Hendrickson and he’s becoming the exact kind of player the Bengals need if they’re serious about their defense keeping them in games this year.
Winner – D.J. Reader
Speaking of free-agent additions, D.J. Reader is making his presence felt in the defense. He was signed last year but injuries kept him out of the lineup for most of the season so it’s been good to see Reader’s impact being felt early and often this year.
Reader finished the game with three tackles and a sack against the Bears. These free-agent additions have done well for the team so far and these two fellows are proof of just that.
Loser – Joe Burrow
Look, I know it’s hard to do much when the offensive line in front of you isn’t offering much protection but Joe Burrow did not have a good day on Sunday. The worst part of the day came on three straight passes that led to interceptions, which is something that simply can’t happen for this team.
Burrow’s final stats were 19-of-30 for 207 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions while getting sacked four times. Were it not for the touchdowns he threw in the fourth quarter, this would have been one of Burrow’s worst starts ever.
Loser – Eli Apple
Well, not all of the defensive additions can be winners and Eli Apple is proof of that. Apple had a really bad game last week against the Vikings and didn’t look much better when tasked with stopping the Bears offense.
Apple was called with pass interference that allowed the Bears to continue their opening drive that ultimately ended with a Chicago touchdown. He got beat on two other notable plays as well and it just hasn’t been a good start for the journeyman cornerback.
We need you, Trae Waynes.
Who were your winners and losers from this loss?