Cincinnati Bengals Midterm Report Card

The 2-5-1 Cincinnati Bengals head into the bye week, fresh off a big 31-20 win over a good Tennessee Titans team on Sunday. This season has been one filled with almost every emotion imaginable. From the joy of victory to the agony of defeat, Bengals players and fans have seemingly felt the same way after each week. The expectations coming into this season were certainly optimistic with Joe Burrow taking over at quarterback. Does the record reflect the full story of the first eight games of the Bengals season? Now that the season is half over, the time is here to grade the Bengals and how things have gone so far this season.

Offense

If it wasn’t for the offensive line almost getting Joe Burrow killed in the first seven games of the season, the Bengals offense would be graded at an A, at the very least. Burrow came into this season somewhat behind the 8-ball. Not having a full training and a preseason due to the pandemic, made things more difficult for the rookie quarterback. That has not been the case for Burrow so far this season. Burrow has not looked like a rookie, tossing for 2272 yards on 221 completions with 11 TD and 5 INT. The play of the offensive line earlier this season could have cost the Bengals a few wins because of the way Burrow has handled himself so far. Through the first eight games, Burrow has been sacked 28 times, which is second most in the NFL. Burrow has been surrounded with weapons in Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd and Joe Mixon. With those three along with the other pieces at the skilled positions, the Bengals offense has been doing a good job of putting this team in a position to win football games. If the Bengals offense line can keep Burrow clean, this offense can be very scary moving forward.

Grade: B+

Defense

The Cincinnati Bengals made improving the defense their biggest focus in the offseason and they did a great job of bringing in the pieces to compete. Even though the Bengals spent a boatload of money to bring in top-tier free agents, the defense has been the biggest letdown so far this season. Let’s be honest, injuries to D.J. Reader and Trae Waynes have not helped the situation. The Bengals have not had a fully healthy defensive team all season and that has shown so far, seemingly with each week having a makeshift defensive team being put together. Aside from the first game of the season and this past week, the defense has given up no less than 20 points in each game. In four of their five losses, the Bengals defense has given up 30 points or more. In every game, aside from the 27-3 loss at Baltimore, the Bengals were either winning or in position to win the game in the fourth quarter. The defense failed to get the job done when it mattered and lost those games. When a rookie quarterback, who has the potential to be the next big star in this league is putting your team in a position to win the game, the time to step up and make a play or stop the opposing team is crucial. That was not the case and it cost the team a handful of wins, some of those losses in devastating and heartbreaking fashion. Had the defense played just a little better in the first half of the season, this team is not 2-5-1 at this point of the season.

Grade: D+

Special Teams

For years, the Bengals special teams unit has been stable and productive. Again, that is the case this season. Kevin Huber remains as one of the best punters in the league, with the uncanny ability to flip field position. Huber, currently in his 12th season, has been nothing short of fantastic, giving the Bengals an advantage in field position. Randy Bullock is one of the best kickers in franchise history but it was a moment in the first game that brings this overall grade from an A to a B+. Against the Chargers, Bullock missed a game-tying 31-yard field goal with seconds left in the game that would have sent the game to overtime. During the kick, Bullock claimed his leg locked up and that was the reason for the miss. Aside from that moment, Bullock has done an admirable job this season, converting 18-20 field goal attempts. In the return game, it is hard to take into account kickoff returns because most kicks result in a touchback, but Brandon Wilson is one of the better kick returners in the league.

Grade: B+

Coaching

This is tough to gauge and grade because this season has been so different. While Zac Taylor’s record is brutal, the players seem to be backing their coach and continue to play for him. The issues seem to stem from the defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and offensive line coach, Jim Turner. Taylor isn’t out of the woods either because the Bengals approach a game like in years past, coaching not to lose. When you coach not to lose, you will most likely lose. That has been the Bengals mentality, dating back to the Marvin Lewis era. A more aggressive mentality from Taylor is exactly what this team needs and that showed in their victory over the Tennessee Titans. Anarumo and his lack of aggressive play calling on the defensive side have contributed to the defensive inefficiency and has cost the team some victories. However, Anarumo hasn’t been a complete failure. As previously mentioned, he hasn’t had a completely healthy defense all season and has had to patch up numerous positions. The same can be said about Jim Turner and the offensive line. Turner, who has been at the center of controversy in past seasons, deserves praise for the job he has done over the last few games with the myriad of injuries on the line. A fully healthy team would give everyone a much better idea of the quality of the coaching. As of now, the impressive performance by Burrow and the offensive has balanced out the negative issues from the defensive side of the ball.

Grade: D+/C-

What’s Ahead

The 2020 season is halfway over for the Bengals, so let’s take a look ahead at what the Bengals have coming up after the bye week.

11/15/2020 – @ Steelers – 4:25 P.M.

11/22/2020 – @ Redskins – 1:00 P.M.

11/29/2020 – vs. Giants – 1:00 P.M.

12/6/2020 – @ Dolphins – 1:00 P.M.

12/13/2020 – vs. Cowboys – 1:00 P.M.

12/21/2020 – vs. Steelers – 8:15 P.M. (MNF)

12/27/2020 – @ Texans – 1:00 P.M.

1/3/2021 – vs. Ravens – 1:00 P.M.

The first half has been a rough one for the Bengals, who sit at 2-5-1 but the opportunity is there for the Bengals to have some success. With the glimpses of brilliance shown by this team in the first half, would would make this season a success? It has been said many times this season that this team is a handful of plays away from being 6-2 or even 7-1 but the key is the aren’t. Looking at the schedule during the second half, it could mean the Bengals will experience success if they can keep the momentum from the Tennessee win. Coming out of the bye, a huge matchup against the Steelers awaits. After that game, a very winnable four game stretch before a Monday Night Football home matchup against the Steelers. Expect the Bengals to drop both games against Pittsburgh and the final game at home against Baltimore but the other five games against the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Football Team, New York Giants, Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins are ones the Bengals can win. If Burrow continues to show why he is the second best quarterback in the AFC and the defense can step up in key situations, it is very realistic the Bengals could finish this season at 7-8-1. With the way things stand now, the Bengals must finish with no less than five wins. Anything less than that would be a failure and one that could very well end up costing Taylor his job.

Chris Asbrock is a staff writer and analyst for Impact Sports Cincinnati and can be followed on Twitter Follow @iamchrisasbrock and Follow @ISCincy