2024 Bengals: What Can Brown Do For You?

[Rudy's Curve]

Sorry, I did not watch those guys. I don't think Jones is going to replace Higgins - he's slot primarily and maybe Z. Maybe production wise? Still, I feel like that might be a stretch. I would guess Iosivas is that guy but he was a super developmental receiver coming out. Wouldn't shock me if he needs another year if he develops at all. Though, I would love to know if either of those two did anything their rookie years. Did they flash? I hope you get a chance to see him some in the pre-season and update this thread. Bengals receiving room is one of the more interesting stories this off-season for who becomes WR3.

Yeah, it certainly wasn't one for one. Jones actually played mostly on the outside at Purdue but he just does not have the play strength to do it in the NFL. Given he's going to be 26 midway through the year and didn't do anything on offense last year, he has to get going immediately. Iosivas is built pretty similar to Higgins and showed a knack for the end zone (four TDs on 15 catches, although two were against Browns backups), but he's going to have to show a lot more this year to have a big role next year. Burton should run away with this but given they play predominantly 11, Higgins’ career high in snaps is 805 and Chase has missed time the last two years, there will be opportunities available.

 

[Rudy's Curve]

Higgins has signed his franchise tender, per everyone. This avoids any drama of whether he'll report to camp and sets him up to have a rebound year for a big score on the open market, as I can't see them franchising him again with Burrow and Chase getting big raises next year. Assuming decent health, this completes what should be the best offense of the Burrow era - this is the best OL they've had if Trent Brown is the good version and the skill players are much more multiple than in the past.

 

[Rudy's Curve]

Corey Dillon was elected to the Ring of Honor yesterday, where he'll be inducted at halftime Week 3 vs. the Commanders on MNF. Unfortunately the Bengals just started a ROH three years ago, so it took many years after his career ended to receive the honor. Dillon was immature at times and wasn't on great terms with ownership years after his retirement, but he's the best running back in team history and they've had many good ones. He broke the rookie single game record. He broke the all-time single game record on 22 carries when his QBs went 2 of 14. He broke the Ravens' 50-game streak of not allowing a 100-yard rusher and did it on 5+ YPC with the passing game doing nothing. Hopefully, finally being recognized by the team he spent most of his career along with the focal point of a Super Bowl champion will bolster his HOF case. I don't mind Terrell Davis being in as he had an excellent peak (however short it was) and might be the best playoff performer in NFL history, but Dillon was just simply better than Jerome Bettis who skated to Canton because he was a nice guy that played for an iconic franchise and had a recognizable nickname.

Joining him is Tim Krumrie, the all-time leader in tackles by a defensive lineman and he did it as a nose tackle. He accomplished that despite being a 10th-round pick and never missed a non-strike game in 12 seasons, including making it back for the '89 opener after breaking his leg in four places early in Super Bowl 23. For a franchise full of what-ifs, that's certainly one of the biggest ones. While he's not a HOF candidate, he's certainly worthy of this honor.

 

[Brand Name]

He hit a female fan who stormed the field at Tennessee in 2022, but nothing came of it. Beyond that, it seems like it’s just been immaturity - he went to a bunch of high schools, then transferred from Georgia to Alabama and neither staff seemed to have glowing things to say about him (@Brand Name, you’re more than welcome to chime in here). The Bengals have had an excellent locker room under Zac which gives me hope they’re comfortable with him (I’ve never seen Zac as excited about a pick), and he’s also worked for years with Bengals great TJ Houshmandzadeh who will hopefully help keep his head on straight now that he’s there. As SMU (and many others) have said, the talent is undeniable and he should be more dynamic than Boyd with better hands too - he didn’t have a drop last year.

Hey, sorry to get back to this so late.

Before I give a scouting report and how much I think this is a slam pick, the storming about hitting a female fan has a personal connection--that picture evidence traces back to a Tide fan friend of mine. He absolutely had no idea how to think initially but felt like he did the right thing we both agreed because it was humanity over football.

Anyway.

Love his footwork at the top of routes, can really nicely play outside on digs but especially curls in the mid game. Bama featured him a ton there, though he can play inside too, though I saw Smart and Georgia use him more there. Nice large hands, no drops last year with nine contested catches in 2023 (of 39 receptions), and only four total drops on 197 collegeiate career targets. Overally, really solid Z--one of only seven to average 20+ YPC last season. He fell because he's a bit immature but given what's around him within the Bengals? That's great.

Also consider that save for 2022, he played in systems that didn't play to his strength. Georgia for the longest time rarely had DOT targets past 10 years early on, 2022 was the closest thing at Alabama with zero motion with piss poor Bill O'Brien as OC, and then Tommy Rees last year who was more about motion through off man running via TE, plus a shaky Bama offensive line that often couldn't snap. Milroe has a hell of a cannon, but not a huge football IQ. Really limited what Burton got to see as much throughout any of those years.

You got a great one at this pick. One of my steals, and not just because he's one of my boys. The situation matters here too, and this is a great one.

 

[Rudy's Curve]

Hey, sorry to get back to this so late.

Before I give a scouting report and how much I think this is a slam pick, the storming about hitting a female fan has a personal connection--that picture evidence traces back to a Tide fan friend of mine. He absolutely had no idea how to think initially but felt like he did the right thing we both agreed because it was humanity over football.

Anyway.

Love his footwork at the top of routes, can really nicely play outside on digs but especially curls in the mid game. Bama featured him a ton there, though he can play inside too, though I saw Smart and Georgia use him more there. Nice large hands, no drops last year with nine contested catches in 2023 (of 39 receptions), and only four total drops on 197 collegeiate career targets. Overally, really solid Z--one of only seven to average 20+ YPC last season. He fell because he's a bit immature but given what's around him within the Bengals? That's great.

Also consider that save for 2022, he played in systems that didn't play to his strength. Georgia for the longest time rarely had DOT targets past 10 years early on, 2022 was the closest thing at Alabama with zero motion with piss poor Bill O'Brien as OC, and then Tommy Rees last year who was more about motion through off man running via TE, plus a shaky Bama offensive line that often couldn't snap. Milroe has a hell of a cannon, but not a huge football IQ. Really limited what Burton got to see as much throughout any of those years.

You got a great one at this pick. One of my steals, and not just because he's one of my boys. The situation matters here too, and this is a great one.

Thank you for everything - much appreciated. I think it'll take some time to wrestle snaps away from Andrei Iosivas, Trenton Irwin and Charlie Jones but hopefully his talent and feel eventually prove undeniable. Once Higgins is gone next year though, he seems like a seamless replacement. It feels ambitious to say about a third-round rookie, but I think he can be much more dynamic than Boyd and he'll also allow Chase to move into the slot where he can do big damage.

As I mentioned, I think Houshmandzadeh's presence will really help him keep his head on straight. Bengals radio man (and former PawSox voice) Dan Hoard did a great interview with both of them where you got to hear Burton open up and how invested Houshmandzadeh is in him, especially now he's a Bengal. Combine that with how Zac reacted when he was drafted and the setup is certainly there for him to be a positive part of the locker room as well.

If you don't mind, can you also share some thoughts on Jordan Battle? He's not a super athlete, but he came to Bama with a five-star pedigree and was a captain. He really came on down the stretch after taking over for Nick Scott and I thought showed enough to be in the lead for a starting job this year. However, they re-signed Vonn Bell since Carolina is paying the freight and it appears he's ahead to start as they want to shut down all the communication issues that plagued them last year. I'd really like to see Battle get his chance though.

 

[Brand Name]

Thank you for everything - much appreciated. I think it'll take some time to wrestle snaps away from Andrei Iosivas, Trenton Irwin and Charlie Jones but hopefully his talent and feel eventually prove undeniable. Once Higgins is gone next year though, he seems like a seamless replacement. It feels ambitious to say about a third-round rookie, but I think he can be much more dynamic than Boyd and he'll also allow Chase to move into the slot where he can do big damage.

As I mentioned, I think Houshmandzadeh's presence will really help him keep his head on straight. Bengals radio man (and former PawSox voice) Dan Hoard did a great interview with both of them where you got to hear Burton open up and how invested Houshmandzadeh is in him, especially now he's a Bengal. Combine that with how Zac reacted when he was drafted and the setup is certainly there for him to be a positive part of the locker room as well.

If you don't mind, can you also share some thoughts on Jordan Battle? He's not a super athlete, but he came to Bama with a five-star pedigree and was a captain. He really came on down the stretch after taking over for Nick Scott and I thought showed enough to be in the lead for a starting job this year. However, they re-signed Vonn Bell since Carolina is paying the freight and it appears he's ahead to start as they want to shut down all the communication issues that plagued them last year. I'd really like to see Battle get his chance though.

My pleasure as always.

And yeah, I can easily see him taking Boyd's snaps in due time. One thing I'm not sure how much the broadcast will show or not, but he plays with a bit of grit that really shows up in his route running. Really aggressive there, although it doesn't impact his technique. You feel like he's out there to make a statement that you didn't trust him enough when he's out there. Of course, the game I saw him at against Georgia last December, that literally was the storyline and the case. But still. Won't see him half ass it.

Happy to share on Battle.

Really a smart guy, can play run too. The thing that stuck out to me was how he plays and finds angles that just make sense and put him in the best position to succeed. He can even do that out on outside zone stuff which impresses me. Good balance there and covering tight ends. And he doesn't just give you a light noodle arm tackle, it's tough. He gets the ball picked, he goes a long way too, averaging 25 yards per pick return, with 3 pick sixes all over 40 yards. Not the most sudden type though, could see slot WR coverage issues as much. Coaches loved him, also played special teams, had to be dragged off the field, team captain. So he's interesting, right? Knows where to go, what to do, but not always the best at wrapping up himself, though hardly from a lack of trying. Very coachlike in that sense.

I think the future for him is in the box and continued ST play. Not the biggest of upsides but you'll love what you see in character and leadership.

 

[Rudy's Curve]

My pleasure as always.

And yeah, I can easily see him taking Boyd's snaps in due time. One thing I'm not sure how much the broadcast will show or not, but he plays with a bit of grit that really shows up in his route running. Really aggressive there, although it doesn't impact his technique. You feel like he's out there to make a statement that you didn't trust him enough when he's out there. Of course, the game I saw him at against Georgia last December, that literally was the storyline and the case. But still. Won't see him half ass it.

Happy to share on Battle.

Really a smart guy, can play run too. The thing that stuck out to me was how he plays and finds angles that just make sense and put him in the best position to succeed. He can even do that out on outside zone stuff which impresses me. Good balance there and covering tight ends. And he doesn't just give you a light noodle arm tackle, it's tough. He gets the ball picked, he goes a long way too, averaging 25 yards per pick return, with 3 pick sixes all over 40 yards. Not the most sudden type though, could see slot WR coverage issues as much. Coaches loved him, also played special teams, had to be dragged off the field, team captain. So he's interesting, right? Knows where to go, what to do, but not always the best at wrapping up himself, though hardly from a lack of trying. Very coachlike in that sense.

I think the future for him is in the box and continued ST play. Not the biggest of upsides but you'll love what you see in character and leadership.

That echoes what SMU said upthread about him being an elite technician. He seems like the clear WR4 in this class on tape and is probably a first-rounder if not for the incident and immaturity. The hype train is already rolling.

I think we saw a lot of what you said about Battle in his limited time last year. He didn't get real snaps until Week 11 when the Nick Scott experiment mercifully ended, and it was just tough to separate everything since they had such a young secondary which led to a bunch of communication breakdowns. I expected a prototypical box safety with the athletic limitations, but he played the deep third better than I thought he would and I think he can cover TEs. I think he simply has way more to offer than Bell at this stage of their careers, so hopefully he makes it really hard on the staff to keep him off the field. He also seems like a good candidate for the new kickoff coverage with the read-and-react nature of the play.

 

[Rudy's Curve]

Some news and notes from the first couple weeks of camp before the preseason opener tomorrow:

- Burrow looks good. There are some occasional wobblers as his wrist probably isn't 100% back, but he's made throws like this and this too. He's playing the first drive tomorrow and I think he'll be fine by Week 1.

- Chase has "held in" the entire camp as he seeks a new deal. Mike Brown said at the preseason luncheon they'll bend over backwards to keep him - I don't know if that'll come now or next offseason as he's under contract next year on the fifth-year option, but it will happen. I would imagine even if they don't get a deal done in the next couple weeks, he'll return to practice before the season starts - I'd say after the last preseason game if I had to guess.

- With Chase holding in, that's opened up more reps for everyone else as they try to replace Boyd's production. No one has benefitted more so far than 2023 sixth-rounder Andrei Iosivas (yo-see-vosh). He's a freak athlete (a former heptathlete) who had some occasional flashes as a rookie, but he really fine-tuned his route-running working with private WR coach Drew Lieberman (RB Chase Brown also worked with him) in the offseason and bulked up too. He has much more of a boundary WR body, but he's worked a bunch in the slot and could be an option there. Between him, rookie third-rounder Jermaine Burton, Trenton Irwin and Charlie Jones (who was carted off yesterday unfortunately and we should find out more today) along with Mike Gesicki as a TE who's really a big WR, I don't think they'll have any problems replacing Boyd's production. They also have the potential to be much more dynamic overall, as these guys can play outside and move Chase to the slot where Boyd couldn't.

- First-rounder Amarius Mims certainly looks the part. If his footwork is true, you're just not going to get around or through him. There have been reps against 2023 first-rounder Myles Murphy where Mims engulfs him and Murphy isn't a small man. Trent Brown was signed before Mims was drafted and was supposed to have the leg up for the RT job, but he missed the first few practices with tightness (welcome to the Trent Brown experience, I suppose) and Mims seems to be gaining more momentum every day. Brown probably won't play tomorrow, but he'll have his chance in joint practices with the Bears and Colts the next couple weeks.

- They're going to need Murphy and Joseph Ossai to take big steps this year to address what's been a one-man pass rush the last couple years. Murphy bulked up and could break out if he improved his pass rush arsenal. Ossai is finally having a normal camp (knock on wood) and really came on down the stretch in 2022 (unfortunately the late hit on Mahomes overshadowed that he played a great game) before hurting his ankle on the FedEx Field turf last preseason and never got on track. Reserve DE Cam Sample was lost for the year last week after tearing his Achilles, so those two are going to be counted on a ton. Sam Hubbard has been held out the last few practices with a precautionary injury and they'll need him healthy after he played last season on one leg, which made him a non-factor in the passing game and turned a great run defender into a poor one.

- There's a battle for CB2 between 2023 second-rounder DJ Turner and 2022 first-rounder Dax Hill, who just wasn't cut out for the communication role of a center fielder last year and moved to corner in the offseason. Turner certainly seems to have a leg up as the incumbent who's had a better camp so far. Hill has all the athletic traits you could want - I wish they'd just let him fly around the box in a Kyle Hamilton-hybrid role, as that's where he's done his best work.

- My dream of accurately projecting the 53 (even aside from Sample's injury) is already dead, as I thought undrafted punter Austin McNamara would unseat incumbent Brad Robbins who had a horrific rookie year. Not only did that not happen, but McNamara didn't even make it to the first game. That's because they brought in fellow college FA Ryan Rehkow who, like McNamara, had a draftable grade. The Chiefs signed Rehkow after the draft, but once it was clear they were going with Matt Araiza they let him go. Rehkow has a huge leg and could be a real weapon if he can fine-tune his directional kicks. I would still give the edge to Robbins right now, but that could change with three preseason games.

 

[Rudy's Curve]

The Bengals completed their second straight winless preseason last night, as their starters only played one series in the first game while the Bears and Colts played theirs for big chunks. Here are some news and notes from the last two weeks of games, two joint practices and regular practices:

- Thankfully, Burrow made it through his first camp without any personal or outside issues and looks ready to roll. He only rested for one practice early in camp before leading a TD drive in his only game series and looked great in the Colts practice.

- Chase still has not practiced. It's a bit of an odd situation as he has two years left on his deal unlike Lamb and Aiyuk, but he clearly wants to be paid now. However, I think it's highly unlikely he sits out games as he would have to forfeit almost $500k (25% of his $1.9MM roster bonus) at the start, plus additional game checks. I would imagine he starts practicing next Monday leading up to the game and hopefully they can extend him before the start of the season to spread out the cap hit over an additional year.

- Dax Hill has locked down the CB2 job. I had DJ Turner ahead of him two weeks ago based on being the incumbent who was having a better camp, but Hill really came on as he's learned the position to go along with his excellent athleticism. He didn't adjust well to one underthrown ball against the Bucs a couple weeks ago, but he's been rock solid otherwise and has really converted that athleticism into productivity. I've been a big fan since they drafted him in the first round in 2022, so it's nice to see him hopefully find a home after the safety experiment failed last year.

- Seventh-round C Matt Lee showed why a lot of the draft community thought he was a big steal. He played the entire Bears game (half against their starters), half the Colts game (some against their starters) and some of the Bucs game and did not allow a single pressure. Here he is stoning last year's Bears second-rounder Gervon Dexter's bull rush. It's the preseason, but the productivity with his college profile and athleticism means he's probably going to be good. I imagine the Bengals wouldn't have extended Ted Karras for next year if they knew this much two months ago.

- Fourth-round TE Erick All looks ahead of schedule from last year's ACL tear while showing his impact in the run game (here too) and looked fluid running with the ball on a screen last night. He's got a chance to be their most complete TE in god knows how long and would really allow them to open up the under-center offense that had started to come on with Burrow last year and continued with Browning.

- Third-rounder Jermaine Burton was literally their only offense (outside the one starters series) as he outmatched backup DBs for three go balls, two of which were TDs. The issue was they all came late in the fourth quarter, as he's still well behind on the depth chart for whatever reason. The Amazon crew brought up he'd fallen asleep in a meeting, but that hasn't been corroborated by anyone who covers the team. It's probably a combination of a somewhat immature kid adjusting to the NFL and making rookie mistakes within the day to day life. I could see him making a big play in Week 1. I could also see him being inactive. The sky is still the limit long-term as the skills are clearly there.

- First-round tackle Amarius Mims strained his pec in the first game. He's got a chance to be back for the opener, but it really sucks he's missing the reps since he has so few having only started eight college games. Trent Brown had to leave the Bears practice with tightness but thankfully he's returned and hopefully can go until Mims can get back without getting hurt, as the options behind them are dreary.

- They're going to need some help on the defensive line. DE Cam Sample tore his Achilles before the first game, DE Jeff Gunter (who would've been just below the cut line if everyone stayed healthy) retired and DE Myles Murphy, who they were counting on to break out as a first-rounder in Year 2, sprained his knee in the Colts practice and is out 4-6 weeks. Sixth-round DE Cedric Johnson showed out well in the preseason, but they need another body there. In addition, third-round NT McKinnley Jackson hasn't practiced at all in two weeks and is just off crutches. For a DL that was already suspect on quality big bodies in the middle to stop the run, they're going to need to find one as they can't have Zach Carter and Jay Tufele playing big snaps again. They'll definitely be scouring the waiver wire there from now to cutdown day (hello Mike Purcell?). They're likely going to have issues stopping the run - thankfully the best way to mitigate that is to jump out to big leads which this offense can certainly do. The Pats should be feeding Stevenson come hell or high water though.

- LB Maema Njongmeta (Moo-mah Jong-meh-tah) was the undrafted darling of camp, as he looks to have played his way into the fifth and final spot there. I thought about including him as part of my original 53 a few months ago as he was a very productive college player at a high level at Wisconsin, but deferred to incumbent Devin Harper for his special teams ability. However, Njongmeta was too good from scrimmage as he plays downhill very well. He's a work in progress in coverage, but they appear to have found something there.

- There's a saying when you have three punters, you have no punters. CFA Austin McNamara was released before the first game, incumbent Brad Robbins had an okay first game before suffering a hip flexor the next practice and camp signee Ryan Rehkow failed to capitalize on the opportunity, as he was very inconsistent the last two games. The job is probably still Robbins' if he can get healthy, but who knows how soon that is and he was the worst punter in the league by a good distance as a rookie.

The benefits of a last-place schedule will hopefully be borne out immediately, as they open with the Pats at home while also getting the Panthers (and the Commanders, whom they would play anyways) in the first four games sandwiched around a trip to Arrowhead. Needless to say, they need to start 3-1 at worst and can hopefully steal one in Kansas City.

 

[Rudy's Curve]

The Bengals just did their first round of cuts and, unsurprisingly, Jackson Carman was part of them. Their 2021 second-rounder, Carman was undoubtedly the worst pick of the Burrow era and many people (I wish I was one of them) knew it at the time. He was an immature hometown kid (not to mention they knew he had sexual assault allegations) who also had big questions about his abilities translating at the next level. Nevertheless, despite having their choice of Teven Jenkins (who went the pick after the Bengals traded to the Pats where they took Barmore), Sam Cosmi or Creed Humphrey, they took Carman. He had a chance to win a job as a rookie and failed. He was practically handed the LG job in his second year only to get beat out convincingly by fourth-round FCS rookie Cordell Volson. After replacing an injured Jonah Williams in the 2022 playoffs (where they somehow won two games and almost a third), he fell right back to being a healthy inactive last year before committing four (4) penalties against the back end of a 90-man roster in the first preseason game this year. Given how their OL depth failed them at the most critical moments in 2021 and 2022, it's worth wondering whether they'd have at least one Super Bowl with one of those other guys. I guess I wouldn't be surprised if someone takes a shot based off his draft pedigree, but he's never shown any indication he wants to be good and may well wash out of football completely. Good riddance.

 

[Rudy's Curve]

Injuries will probably happen and they'll claim player(s) after cutdown, but here's a crack at the initial 53:

QB (2): Joe Burrow, Jake Browning
RB (4): Zack Moss, Chase Brown, Trayveon Williams, Chris Evans
WR (6): Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Jermaine Burton, Andrei Iosivas, Charlie Jones, Trenton Irwin
TE (4): Mike Gesicki, Drew Sample, Erick All, Tanner McLachlan
OT (4): Orlando Brown Jr., Trent Brown, Amarius Mims, Jackson Carman
IOL (5): Cordell Volson, Ted Karras, Alex Cappa, Cody Ford, Matt Lee
DE (5): Trey Hendrickson, Sam Hubbard, Myles Murphy, Joseph Ossai, Cam Sample
DT (5): Sheldon Rankins, BJ Hill, Kris Jenkins Jr., McKinnley Jackson, Zach Carter
LB (5): Logan Wilson, Germaine Pratt, Akeem Davis-Gaither, Devin Harper, Joe Bachie
CB (5): Cam Taylor-Britt, DJ Turner, Mike Hilton, Dax Hill, Josh Newton
S (5): Geno Stone, Vonn Bell, Jordan Battle, Tycen Anderson, Daijahn Anthony
ST (3): Evan McPherson, Austin McNamara, Cal Adomitis

I got Carman, Harper and McNamara wrong with Evans (who may have been cut anyways) and Cam Sample out for the year and Murphy landing on short-term IR, as all 10 picks made it. They elected to go heavy at TE with five (veteran Tanner Hudson joining the four above) despite being a predominantly 11 personnel team, although Gesicki is practically a glorified WR. They only carried four edges which includes sixth-rounder Cedric Johnson, so they're definitely hunting for bodies there. Maybe Carter can kick outside some, as he couldn't possibly be worse than he's been inside. With Jackson looking unlikely for Week 1 at least, they really also need another NT-type body which hopefully they can find amongst the cuts. I also wouldn't be surprised to see a Samaje Perine reunion, but he doesn't really move the needle as they need some more athleticism in that room.

 

[Rudy's Curve]

We had our first real twist in the Chase hold-in yesterday, as he did not practice after practicing Sunday and Monday (coincidentally, the two practices not open to the media) when Zac said Tuesday the plan was for him to practice going forward. Despite having two years left on his deal, he clearly wants to be paid now while the Bengals do not want to create a precedent of extending non-QBs with two years left - however good they may be. Unfortunately, this is just who they are but they really can't afford to be playing games with the second-most important player on the team. There's another practice today before they're off for the weekend, and I would hope to see him out there Monday as they start game week preparation.

In other news, third-round NT McKinnley Jackson was placed on IR as they're dealing with attrition on the defensive line having already put Myles Murphy there. Jackson was their best (and only?) NT-type body to begin with, so unfortunately that means more Zach Carter and Jay Tufele which is never good news (hint to AVP: run up the middle when those guys are in the game). They at least appear to have signed Justin Rogers to the practice squad to fill the NT void, who had a borderline draftable grade and a good preseason with the Cowboys - I'd rather see him dress Week 1 than the other two guys.

 

[Rudy's Curve]

Well, that was as bad as it gets. The Pats rode the precise formula to victory with ~35 minutes of possession and +2 in the turnover battle (along with another on downs). The Bengals weren't as bad at the point of attack defensively as I thought they might've been, but the tackling was just atrocious - maybe stop running a country club camp, Zac? That being said, 16 was right around what they were expected to score so I would've absolutely signed up for it.

The problem, of course, is they have to watch their offense slog every year before they do something about it and that's happening under a second coordinator now. Unfortunately, they didn't have the excuse of Burrow's health this year. White obviously had a day but I didn't think the protection was even that bad (Trent Brown certainly wasn't great) - they just ran nothing past the sticks and you can double Chase when there's no Higgins or anyone else to make them pay. When they finally took a deep shot, they got a PI, the running game opened up and then they went right back to terrible routes. The problems would still be there, but maybe the result would've been different if not for the dropped TD + next play fumble (what in the everliving fuck was Hudson doing?) and then the fumble by Jones at the start of the third which handed them three points. Jermaine Burton must really be in the doghouse, because I don't know how they watch this and think they're fine with Trenton Irwin (who can't separate from me or you) out there. Put that all together against a solid, well-coached secondary and that's what you get. Punting on 4th and 6 from your own 15 with four timeouts down six with 2:26 left is certainly defensible, but it also took the ball out of their best player's hands into their worst unit's (and Pats' greatest strength) and voila, they never saw it again. All this is not to absolve Burrow as he played a pretty bad game, particularly on the last drive as illustrated in this thread. I can only hope it's just a blip on the radar and getting used to his wrist now because they're obviously toast if it's a long-term problem.

They're now staring down the barrel of a third straight 0-2 having to go to Arrowhead Sunday. They desperately need Higgins, Kris Jenkins and Amarius Mims back to have a real shot and hopefully they run a modern NFL offense and play their best players after watching that disgrace.

 

[Rudy's Curve]

Where do you begin? The Bengals finally ran what's clearly their best offense without Higgins, going to 12 personnel (where they had their only TD drive against the Pats) and not being completely predictable out of the shotgun. They held Mahomes to his lowest full-game yardage ever, turned the Chiefs over three times and yet it still wasn't good enough. Burrow looked much better and they finally unleashed Jermaine Burton who unsurprisingly made a big play, but the killer strip-six and Chase's unsportsmanlike conduct were huge reasons why they lost as well as an awful drop by Andrei Iosivas on the final drive. They're now 0-2 for the third straight year and if they manage to get in the playoffs (thank god the North might be bad this year), they have very little chance of a top-two seed. As awful as that was, they at least looked like a team that can make a run if they get healthy. Of course, the problem is you can't really take moral victories after losing to the Pats.

They have two get-right games they absolutely must win (vs. Washington on Monday and at Carolina) before the Ravens come to town. Those games definitely come at the right time, as they're down to nothing at DT with BJ Hill and Sheldon Rankins both leaving yesterday with hamstring injuries. They need to obviously win the next two and then kick it into high gear in a couple weeks with what's hopefully a healthy roster at that point.

 

[Rudy's Curve]

The Bengals signed Lawrence Guy, as their top four projected DTs from camp are banged up or on IR. Guy won't fix their nonexistent pass rush outside Hendrickson, but he should be able to take up some space inside and not completely get blown off the ball. Does anyone have any thoughts on how much he has left? He played around half the snaps last year and the Pats were #1 in YPC against (while allowing fewer YPC with him on the field), so hopefully he couldn't have been too bad.

 

[Rudy's Curve]

At least the 2021 Pats had the excuse of playing Josh Allen on the road in the playoff game, because that performance last night was just as bad. Daniels obviously is a great talent and played an outstanding game, but 38 points on six drives at home to a rookie is cause for nuking the whole operation. It's a combination of a million things - they have zero pass rush outside Hendrickson (who was doubled a bunch), they did nothing in free agency to address DJ Reader's loss in the run game (and the run defense was terrible with him last year), their awful '21 and '22 drafts for the most part are coming home to roost and key veterans to that run like Sam Hubbard and Vonn Bell are finished. The hope was the offense could outscore the defense being bad and improved communication in the back end would patch up a lot of flaws, but last night slammed home that's not the case. Maybe the results would've been the same, but they at least could've tried to blitz Daniels and possibly throw him off because I don't think they could've been any worse.

In addition, Trent Brown tore his patellar tendon and is out for the year. I think Amarius Mims will play well (and quite possibly better), but he's had four different injuries in the last year and they're one snap away from Cody Ford playing RT. They're in deep, deep shit at 0-3 - it's not an impossible hole to dig out of (especially given a 17-game season now), but they blew two of the most winnable games on the schedule and need divine intervention to fix this defense.

 

[Rudy's Curve]

The Bengals finally got off the mat yesterday with a 34-24 win in Carolina. It was a fairly expected blueprint for a W, as the defense is still bad - the Panthers got stopped on the 1 on the first drive and didn't have a ton of difficulty moving the ball throughout the game. Their ostensibly best CB Cam Taylor-Britt got benched and they have glacially slow starters at all three levels. Hopefully they can get Myles Murphy and McKinnley Jackson back on the DL from IR this week, as they'll probably get run roughshod by Baltimore if they keep playing Sam Hubbard and Zach Carter big snaps.

Thankfully, this offense is really good. Week 1 was just a perfect storm of Burrow being bad, Chase coming off the holdout and Higgins going out midweek as they've been great the last three weeks. Amarius Mims was outstanding in his first start at RT and they've got a nice running game combination buoyed by excellent blocking from fourth-round rookie TE Erick All, as they're featuring much more 12 personnel than in the past. God knows they're going to need the offense to win a bunch of shootouts. They also at least appear to have found a punter, as Ryan Rehkow has been outstanding and looks to have made last year's draft pick Brad Robbins obsolete.

That was part one of a must-win series as Baltimore comes to town this week. Given it's a home division game and the hole they've dug themselves, they really have to find a way to make enough plays on defense to pull this one out.

 

[Rudy's Curve]

"You know ... yep. Yep. I agree with you. That's one that will keep you up at night. We have a quarterback that can win us a lot of games, and there's maybe one more pass instead of a run there. Sure, if we hit that run, I feel great about it. But we didn't. And so then you go back to hindsight, and I'm sure I'll feel a lot of that tonight."

That was Zac from yesterday - just a really tough loss, but hopefully he'll learn from it. Oh wait, it's from December 12, 2021. I get no other Bengals coach has won a playoff game since 42 was in office, but they simply have to do better than this. To call three straight runs (and then throw Burrow under the bus by saying he checked to a run look) and settle for a 53-yard FG when he'd been shredding the Ravens all second half is complete malpractice. Outside of the Pats game, Burrow has played at an MVP level and their offense has been mostly unstoppable. They might drop 40 on them if they played again today, but in true Bengals fashion I'm sure they'd manage to give up 41. Some of those plays were superhuman efforts by Lamar, but the defense had two 10-point leads in the second half and put up little to no resistance. The Bengals (specifically Lou Anarumo, whose January magic fades further into obscurity as he leads his second consecutive hideous defense and fourth in six years) really thought Vonn Bell, who turns 30 in a couple months and was cut by the worst team in the league, would fix last year's awful defense. The only problem is when you make molasses look like light, it doesn't matter how good a communicator you are.

They continue to be haunted by the decision to let Jessie Bates walk two years ago as they have no interest in adapting to certain guarantee structures. They could've extended Higgins before 2023 at a reasonable rate, but now he'll walk for nothing (except maybe a '26 comp pick) and have his efforts wasted for nothing. In addition, they probably lost Dax Hill for the year who was one of the few defenders playing well as he transitioned to outside CB. They'll win a few games against teams who can't keep up even against this defense, but it's truly unfathomable they're saddling this offense with a 2014-16 Saints defense and a dunce of a head coach.

 

[BosoxFaninCincy]

I just go back to the decision after the Bengals were gifted the fumble recovery. We can win this game with our quarterback and wide receivers, who are all best in class. Or we can rely on a long snapper, holder, and kicker, only one of whom I would bet my Indian Hill or Villa Hills house on, to salvage our season. I don't think it is hindsight when we were all yelling at our tv sets or other streaming device when it was happening in real time.

 

[Rudy's Curve]

I just go back to the decision after the Bengals were gifted the fumble recovery. We can win this game with our quarterback and wide receivers, who are all best in class. Or we can rely on a long snapper, holder, and kicker, only one of whom I would bet my Indian Hill or Villa Hills house on, to salvage our season. I don't think it is hindsight when we were all yelling at our tv sets or other streaming device when it was happening in real time.

The quote was from 2021 in a similar situation as I mentioned, but it may as well have applied to yesterday. The FG operation actually hadn't had any issues - the problem is 53 outdoors is no gimme and he never gave a chance for the reason they were in the game to go win the game because he was scared of a sack or penalty. Zac was hired way over his head and I was willing to give him time (although any other coach would've been fired after 6-25-1) but he's still making chickenshit decisions in year six. They have a world-class offense who is leading the league in everything the last four weeks and it's going to go to waste because they whiffed for the most part on seven straight Day 1-2 defensive picks, they didn't replace good players who left (see previous item) and the coach coaches scared. It would be a travesty if the Burrow/Chase era wastes away in seasons like this, so they better figure it out and fast.

 

[BosoxFaninCincy]

1. I really worry about Dave Lapham's health given this team. 2. For home games, do opposing punters even need to make the trip (unless they also are holders for PAT's), and 3. maybe Mike Brown can have a long lunch with Phil Castellini. I was sure the Reds were also going to waste the prime of an offensive phenom, but they want and hired Terry Francona. Might there be a recent retiree who would come to the Queen City and teach the defense how to tackle?

 

[Rudy's Curve]

1. I really worry about Dave Lapham's health given this team. 2. For home games, do opposing punters even need to make the trip (unless they also are holders for PAT's), and 3. maybe Mike Brown can have a long lunch with Phil Castellini. I was sure the Reds were also going to waste the prime of an offensive phenom, but they want and hired Terry Francona. Might there be a recent retiree who would come to the Queen City and teach the defense how to tackle?

This is Lapham's 39th year in the booth. If The Lost Decade didn't kill him, I'm not sure anything will. I'm also not sure Mike needs to take much from Castellini, considering the Reds make the Bengals look like the dynasty Patriots since he's owned them. Unfortunately, Zac is here for the long haul since he's signed through '26 and they're not going to pay two coaches. Between lack of talent acquisition and development though, it certainly seems they need a full makeover on the defensive side of the ball.