Evan McPherson
- Q1 - A-
- Q2 - B-
McPherson didn't see that much action in the second quarter of the season, only kicking one field goal apiece in both the Saints and Ravens (52-yarder in the Saints game, 40-yarder against the Ravens, both made) and kicking none in their game vs. the Falcons as all points were scored through touchdowns.
With that in mind, one bad performance is going to bring down his grade a lot, and a bad performance is what he had against the Browns. I don't blame him for the loss, since it most likely wouldn't have changed the outcome besides making the final score more respectable, but still a missed field goal, extra point, and miserable attempt at doing an onside kick makes for a pretty bad game.
Calling for his head and saying we need a new kicker is an overreaction and thankfully I haven't seen anyone do that but I hope this is just a one-off occurrence and doesn't become a theme moving forward. McPherson has been the most reliable, clutch kicker that the Bengals have had in a long, long time, so let's hope that doesn't change.
Lou Anarumo
- Q1- A
- Q2 - A-
I know the Browns game is still fresh on everyone's minds, but let's not pretend like the Bengals' defense hasn't still been a great unit despite that game. Personnel, of course, is one part of the equation, but you have to have someone who can scheme and adjust well, and thankfully Anarumo has done a great job of that.
As we all know and were reminded constantly on Halloween night, the Bengals' defense didn't allow a single second-half touchdown through seven games, which is something that hasn't been done in almost a century. Of course, that streak ended on Monday night, but before the Browns rattled off three touchdowns in the second half, that defense was playing well. They were holding Chubb back from unleashing fury on them and forced two turnovers.
Of course, they soon got gassed since the offense never gave them time to rest, and got gashed by an incredible rushing attack paired with a passing attack that played surprisingly well. The point still stands, this defense has been a great unit and a lot of it is thanks to Anarumo.
The most a team has scored against them before that game against Cleveland was 26, which includes Week 1 when the offense (more specifically Burrow) was responsible for five turnovers, which goes to show this defense has the ability to keep a struggling offense in the game for the most part.
Though, Anarumo's skills at scheming and adjusting are going to be challenged in the second half of the season, as he'll have to go through it missing their best cornerback. We'll see if he can sustain the dominance this defense showed through the first 7 weeks.