Cincinnati Bengals: 5 takeaways from loss to Packers in Week 5

The Cincinnati Bengals gave the Green Bay Packers everything they had but at the end of the day, they couldn’t come away with the W. Despite catching the Packers on a rare bad day from Mason Crosby, Cincinnati couldn’t get it done and this loss will sting for awhile.

Be that as it may, the game is in the record books. The Bengals are 3-2 despite being so close to being 4-1. It was a gut-wrenching loss but fans should still be proud that this team fought hard.

Here are a few takeaways from the overtime loss.

Ja’Marr Chase Rookie of the Year

I’ve seen what I need to see. Yes, even just five games into the year. Ja’Marr Chase has been electric this season and he should be the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year after his performance on Sunday and with Mac Jones’ not-as-stellar day.

Chase finished with five catches for 138 yards and a touchdown. The dude was unstoppable.

Defense struggled to contain Adams

The defense certainly could have been better, allowing Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Jones, and Davante Adams to carve them up. Adams had 11 catches for 206 yards and a touchdown, absolutely torching the Bengals secondary. Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell missed some brutal tackles and this group had no answer for Adams all day long.

Why punt?

This game didn’t have to be so crazy. On more than one occasion, Zac Taylor elected to punt the ball back to Aaron Rodgers rather than go with Evan McPherson trying for a long field goal. Now I know McPherson missed both field goals he was asked to attempt, but not being aggressive enough has bit the Bengals in the butt so many times in the past.

When facing a team like the Packers, teams need to be aggressive and keep the team on their toes. Taylor failed to do that and while I respected him having McPherson attempt the 57-yarder in regulation, it didn’t have to come down to that.

Perine used more in run game

We weren’t sure how much we’d see Joe Mixon due to his injury and the answer was — Enough but still not as much as Samaje Perine, who had one more carry than his fellow running back. Perine had 11 carries for 59 yards while grabbing four catches for 24 yards and a touchdown through the air.

Perine is someone we were waiting to have a big game and he got his opportunity to shine this week and delivered. Mixon was still effective, rushing 10 times for 33 yards and a touchdown. It was important to have him as an option this week and the team was smart to not overwork him.

McPherson’s first not-so-good day

I’ve raved about Evan McPherson all season long and the kid has deserved the praise. Despite knocking through both extra point attempts, McPherson missed both field goals he was asked to try, both of which would have been game-winners.

McPherson has won the Bengals two games so far this season so I’m definitely not upset with him. He’s still been a special kicker for this team and he’s going to miss game-winners from time-to-time.

This was a tough loss for Bengals fans because it felt like so many times that they’d come away as the victors. Mason Crosby doesn’t have bad days but he did. Wouldn’t that equate to a Bengals win? Well, as we saw, it did not.

Life’s not fair sometimes but Bengals fans know that story all too well.

Next up: A trip to the Motor City for a date with the winless Lions.