Losers
Irv Smith Jr.
We're only two games into the season but I have not been impressed by Irv Smith Jr. at all. He didn't do a ton in the Week 1 loss (but then again no one really did) and this week, he cost the Bengals two crucial first down opportunities.
The first came in the first quarter when Joe Burrow fired a beautiful pass to Smith that would have been good enough to move the chains. The problem was that Smith couldn't hang onto the ball.
Joe Burrow with a great pass on third and long. Irv Smith can’t come down with the catch. Rough start.
— Blake Jewell (@BlakeJewellNFL) September 17, 2023
The second occurrence was in the third quarter when Burrow connected with Smith but the tight end failed to get out of Kyle Hamilton's grasp and was short of the first down marker. It was frustrating to see lackluster play from the tight end when the Bengals had every opportunity to add one in the draft and opted not to.
Ravens go Cover 0 on third down and Burrow completes it to Irv Smith. He's taken down by the shoestring by Kyle Hamilton.
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) September 17, 2023
There was nothing but green if he could break it. For second time, a play they needed and didn't get from Irv Smith.
Run Defense
Truthfully, the entire defense could be considered losers this week but I'll narrow it down to the run defense this week. Last week, they surrendered 200 yards rushing. This week, they gave up 178 yards on the ground and allowed Gus Edwards to average 6.2 yards per carry. This won't cut it if the Bengals hope to turn things around.
Bengals run defense hasn’t been good enough in the first two weeks of the year.
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) September 17, 2023