Rival Report: Bengals off to good start in preseason
Across the NFL, the preseason has officially begun and despite what we’re conditioned to believe about the games that are played as ‘exhibitions’ and relatively meaningless outside of potential injuries and the first look at new players, the Cincinnati Bengals got off to a good start. In a win orchestrated in large part to a third-string quarterback and some young players, the Bengals handed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a 23-12 loss while showing nice spark, mainly on offense, on Friday.
New and old ‘starters’ made offense click
The Bengals opened their first possession with most of their offensive starters, marching 65 yards on 12 plays (stopped by an Andy Dalton interception in the end zone). The offensive line that doubters felt would be an albatross actually showed they could give both their quarterbacks and rushers room to move around with Trey Hopkins in and Andre Smith sidelined with a stiff elbow.
Hopkins got his first start since the preseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs on the road in 2014 as an undrafted rookie out of Texas. Two stints on the practice squad, positional moves, and a broken leg kept him out of action until he got the nod at right guard on Friday night. Hopkins was part of a line that prevented the Bucs from earning a sack on the night.
There’s been so many question marks about the offensive line, but also questions about myself … It’s like I’ve been battling myself with being on injured reserve and then staying around on the practice squad … It’s been a whirlwind, but it’s a progression I look back on and see how it’s led up to this moment. I was excited to get the opportunity to play with the starters.
Although the first-team offense didn’t score (due to an Andy Dalton interception), the unit was able to give Jeremy Hill (seven carries for 26 yards) the upfront push he needed to get a good head of steam. Hill showed improved decisiveness in space. Hopkins helped a line that gave his roommate, rookie running back Joe Mixon, a great start as well.
Mixon makes most of debut
For a rookie, their first game can be nerve-wracking and with all the mixed vibes surrounding Mixon – his past mixing with his potential future value in the NFL – a slow night may have been expected. Mixon doubled down and made defenders pay as he rushed for 31 yards (an average of 5.1 yards per carry) and added an 11-yard catch.
The speed was pretty cool. It wasn’t outrageous. Once I got that first carry, then I was like ‘OK.’ I was settled in … Everything was all good after that. Once I got (first contact) I was able to get moving.
Dalton wasn’t surprised by Mixon’s play and after the game praised the young rusher.
We’ve seen him make plays like that all camp. It’s good to see him like that in action.
https://twitter.com/BillyM_91/status/896164590249234432
Lewis: Defense has to do better
The Bengals defense didn’t look sharp in their opening series, allowing the Buccaneers – who started at their own six-yard line – and Jameis Winston to chew up a big chunk of yardage with a 29-yard strike to Mike Evans. Evans outmaneuvered cornerback Darqueze Dennard down the sideline on a key play in a drive that lasted over six minutes. The lack of press set up a 20-yard field goal from Roberto Aguayo and gave Tampa a 3-0 lead.
The pass rush wasn’t strong either, giving Winston the ability to hit targets and convert downs. The Bengals were unable to contain and it gave the Bucs momentum early.
The Bucs averaged 4.1 yards per 17 carries before turning things over to their backup players, leading Bengals left end, Carlos Dunlap, to say after the game,
They moved the ball on us, but we held them in the red zone when it counted … that’s something to build on, and something to take pride in. We’ll live with that, but we’ll fix it, clean up the mistakes and not give up as many yards moving forward.
Adam Jones jumped into the defensive backfield later and Dennard was moved to the slot. Jones was practically draped over Evans in one-on-one coverage and forced incompletions on second and third down in the end zone, forcing the Bucs to settle for a field goal.
Head coach Marvin Lewis admitted that the defense was not where it needs to be.
I thought our team did OK. Our first-team offense looked sharp and crisp overall … but defensively, we are going to have to do better tackling the ball carrier and holding our opponents on third-downs.
Hello Jeff Driskel
For a guy sitting at third-string, quarterback Jeff Driskel used Friday’s game, after nearly a year-long wait to debut for Cincinnati, as a highlight reel moment. The first two times Driskel touched the ball, opening the second half of the game, he led the Bengals on touchdown drives. The first TD came on an 18-yard bolt of a sprint on a hot read into the end zone and the second on an eight-yard toss to rookie receiver Josh Malone in the back of the end zone.
Driskel hit rookie receiver Kermit Whitfield for a 15-yard pass-and-catch late in the game, setting up veteran Randy Bullock‘s 49-yard field goal that kissed the left goal post and barely made it through with just over two minutes left in the game.
Jeff Driskel is out here making defenders run right into each other 😳😳😳 #TBvsCIN https://t.co/YMOdXMEyC3
— NFL (@NFL) August 12, 2017
Kicking competition heating up?
Bullock may have barely made the long field goal, but he did so after he successfully converted a 54-yarder in the first half, but his roster duel with Jake Elliott may be just heating up. Elliott, the rookie, converted his lone attempt at 45 yards. Both Bullock and Elliott were a perfect two-for-two on extra points, but Bullock faces an uphill battle of old leg versus youth.
The Bengals signed punter Will Monday late in the week, but Kevin Huber is expected to retain his spot as long as his leg holds up.
The Bengals Radio duo of Dan Hoard and Dave Lapham recap Cincinnati's win over the Buccaneers. #TBvsCIN #Bengals50 pic.twitter.com/Zd0xEdysl5
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) August 12, 2017
