Bengals sputter in home opener

by Chris Asbrock

On a hot day at Paul Brown Stadium, the Cincinnati Bengals came away with a deflating loss at the hands of the defending Super Bowl champions. Deflating for not only the players, but certainly for the fans. The Bengals opened up their 2016 home slate with a uninspired game against a team that should be getting everyone’s best shot. The Bengals failed to provide that Sunday. The Broncos and their fans came away very happy with a solid road win, while the Bengals contingent were left with another disappointing defeat.

Bengals gameplan was to have the rookie beat them with his arm

The Bengals came into this game with a defensive gameplan of shutting down the Broncos rushing attack and having Trevor Siemian beat them with his arm. That is exactly what he did. You can’t fault the Bengals coaching staff for wanting a “rookie” quarterback to beat them. Siemian made some throws, looking like a seven year veteran out there. Siemian went 23 for 35 for 312 yards and four touchdowns and zero interceptions. To start the game, the Bengals defense did a great job of shaking him up, making him look uncomfortable in the pocket.

As good coaches do, Gary Kubiak and the Broncos staff made great adjustments in the play calling, allowing for Siemian to get the ball out of his hands quickly and alleviating the pressure. Once he got settled in, it was not a good situation for the Bengals secondary. The secondary played their worst game of the year, missing tackles and dropping interceptions which could have lead to a much different outcome.

Bengals were finally able to establish the running game

The first two games of the season were awful for the Bengals and their running game. Against the best defense in football, the Bengals were able to rush it for 143 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries. The opening drive for the Bengals was a thing of absolute beauty. They punched the Broncos in the mouth and Jeremy Hill added to it with a 50 yard run on the first drive. He was able to punch it in the end zone on the next play. The first half saw the Bengals generate more rushing yards than passing yards as they ran 10 more run plays than pass plays.

The Bengals must continue to run the ball, with the same effectiveness as they did in the first half if they have any hopes of making the playoffs. A good rushing game is crucial and the Bengals were able to establish that early and often. The problem for the Bengals was the fact they were not able to effectively run the football after that. Hill was only able to run for 32 yards for the rest of the game.

Offensive line continues to struggle

Another week of seeing Dalton on his back after being hurried or sacked. Dalton was sacked seven times in week one and once last week. Against the best defense in football, Dalton was sacked four times for 17 yards. Two of those sacks came on back to back plays after the defense forced a Broncos turnover. The offensive line only had two penalties, one which was a crucial holding call. Their biggest issue was the protection of Dalton. Their inability to keep Dalton upright will be the key moving forward. When Dalton wasn’t sacked, he was certainly under pressure. He was able to run six times for 40 yards, keeping some drives alive. Thursday night against the Dolphins will be another challenge for this offensive line, as they face a few guys who know how to rush the quarterback.

Penalties haunt Bengals again

Once again, penalties come back to haunt the Bengals. While the penalty yardage, 9 for 69 yards, wasn’t bad, it was the timing of those penalties. Some of those penalties could have resulted in a 21 point swing. Twice in the first half, penalties by the Bengals secondary continued drives for Broncos, allowing them to score 10 points. Two penalties in the game, one by both the offense and defense, wiped out big plays by the Bengals. Penalties have always been a thorn in the side of this franchise. Many times, the yellow flag has thwarted any hopes for a Bengals victory and this game was no different.

On a short week, the Bengals will be hosting the Miami Dolphins in primetime, for what is surely a must win game for the Bengals, only four weeks into the season. The short week will allow the Bengals to forget the issues from this past week and look ahead to the primetime matchup. While they won’t be doing much physically leading up to the game, the time will allow them to correct the issues that bit them this past week. Looking ahead, the Bengals face a very tough schedule leading up to their bye week. They must get back on track to keep this from snowballing and wrecking any chances of a playoff opportunity.