Well...at least Ryan Rehkow has a good leg? That's about the only thing anyone can say that's positive for the Bengals. Oh, and Kris Jenkins had his best day as a pro. Good for him.
Everything else, Bengals' fans would soon like to forget, but with a tough schedule ahead, chances are this one stays on the minds of the Cincy faithful all week.
And for good reason, there were many times where many fans (myself included) thought to themselves: "When was the last time we got dominated this bad?" It turns out that the answer is never. Statistically, this was the worst loss in Bengals history, as the 45-point deficit they faced late in the third was the worst in franchise history, and the 38-point difference in the final score was also the worst in franchise history.
In a day where the offense fumbled (literally) away any chance to keep it close and got outscored by Vikings' cornerback Isaiah Rodgers alone, and the defense looked ready to go back home by the time the second half started, let's look at a few stats that defined this soul-crushing loss.
Bengals Turnovers: Five (Four in the first half)
The Bengals must have been feeling generous because they gifted the ball to the Vikings again and again, continuously killing any momentum they might have managed to build up over and over again. The last one, which came in the third quarter when Cincinnati was down 41-3 and the game was well out of reach, was just a cherry on top of a stellar day for Brian Flores' stout unit. However, the first four were brutal, and each one was worse than the last.
Jake Browning was responsible for two of them, as he had what might have been the worst performance of his career.
After getting set up with good field position near midfield following a Vikings three-and-out, the offense was driving down 7-0 and things were looking like they might be interesting early on. That was until Browning scrambled away from a collapsing pocket, and threw a pass that was deflected and intercepted, and utimately returned for a touchdown.
More on who scored that touchdown later.
However, the most back-breaking turnovers came late in the 2nd quarter. The Bengals had just made a field goal to get on the board, and the defense forced another three-and-out. Down 17-3, they had a real opportunity to bring it within one score and get the ball out of half to potentially tie it up. Instead, a pass to Noah Fant was caught-- then fumbled and returned for six. Again, more on who scored that touchdown later.
They not only fumbled on that possession, but did so again on their next two drives, one by Ja'Marr Chase on a play that was broken from the start, and another by Samaje Perine, who was actually looking like one of the few bright spots for the offense in this game until that point. This all culminated in 17 points for the Vikings in the last two minutes of the half. While there were still 30 minutes left to play, those monumental mishaps in rapid succession essentially sealed the deal.
Those turnovers, especially the three fumbles in a row, were a big reason why this one was so lopsided.
Bengals Rushing Attack (53 yards, 2.3 y/a) vs. Vikings Rushing Attack (169 yards, 5.5 y/a)
With Burrow out, Zac Taylor and Co. needed to address and adjust the run game to be functional for the offense to keep them in the game and for the team as a whole to stay afloat this season. Well, if they did indeed address and adjust the run game, it might have been for the worst.
After struggling in the first two weeks despite the wins, many were expecting Chase Brown to have a breakout game vs. the Vikings. Lean on him, take the pressure off of Browning a bit, and open up the door for some play action. Instead, Brown had 10 carries for three yards, and it wasn't even his fault. It felt like every time he took the hand-off, there was a purple jersey wrapping him up right away. The run game as a whole would only rack up 53 yards, on just a little over two yards per carry.
Chalk it up to bad blocking, chalk it up to terrible scheming-- either way, the lack of a run game was detrimental to the Bengals, and another huge reason why this one went so unbelievably poorly. If they are going to have even a slim chance of their season not going down the drain, they will have to produce a rushing attack that's at least average.
Meanwhile, the Vikings-- Jordan Mason specifically-- gashed the Bengals' defense over and over again. Mason put up 116 yards on 7.3 yards per carry, and found the end zone twice, and the unit as a whole went for over 150 yards on 5.5 yards per carry. The outcome of the game probably wouldn't have changed much even if the Bengals were able to shut down the run game, but it wouldn't have been the worst loss in franchise history if Al Golden's squad put up at least a little resistance.
Isaiah Rodgers Career Day: 1 Pick Six, 1 Fumble Six, and 2 Forced Fumbles
While Jordan Mason had a spectacular outing, cornerback Isaiah Rodgers was no doubt the player of the game after this one. Not only was he responsible for three of the Bengals' five turnovers, not only did he put up two touchdowns as a defensive player, but he single-handedly outscored the Bengals' offense. Again, Rodgers is a cornerback, and his two touchdowns put more points on the board than the Cincinnati offense, which had the ball for 29 minutes and put together 13 drives. It was literally a one-of-a-kind performance by Rodgers.
You could argue that Minnesota might not win without his efforts, as he completely flipped the momentum on two separate occasions, as well as punched out the ball and-- in doing so-- basically shut down any hopes of a miraculous Cincinnati comeback. His first takeaway came on the Bengals' second drive, where Cincy had the ball just past the Minnesota 30-yard line and a chance to tie the game at 7-7. Instead, Rodgers took advantage of a tipped ball and took it to the house for an 87-yard pick-six, which put the Bengals in a 14-0 hole early.
Then, with the Bengals down 17-3, though with a huge opportunity to bring it back within a touchdown before half-- after which they'd get the ball back-- the Bengals found themselves across midfield and in Vikings' territory. That's when Rodgers struck again, not only punching the ball out of Noah Fant's arms but returning it for another score to put Minnesota up by 21.
And finally, on the very next drive, with Cincy down 24-3, Rodgers made another play. If the Bengals had a barely cracked open window of opportunity to get into this game, it was dashed when the former Eagle forced his second fumble of the day, this time on Ja'marr Chase. He didn't need to return this one for a touchdown, as the Vikings offense would get in on the fun just three plays later.
Isaiah Rodgers had a game that, unfortunately, won't be forgotten by Bengals' fans for a long time.
Although the Bengals sit at 2-1, getting blown out like this paints a very dark picture for the coming weeks. The offense looked completely lost, and the defense looked like they had given up when the 2nd half started. Will they right the ship in Denver next Monday? Or will it be mock draft season far earlier than any of us anticipated?