Biggest Takeaways from Cincinnati Bengals' Week 14 Loss
The Cincinnati Bengals lost much more than a game Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers while falling to 10-3, losing Andy Dalton in the process.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Dalton will be back for the playoffs if he heals well after breaking his thumb while making a tackle on a ball-carrier who intercepted him in the eventual 33-20 loss.
On paper, Cincinnati looks good from a schedule standpoint with games against the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens remaining. But a first-round bye is now more important than ever and also more difficult to obtain.
Within, let's take a look at the biggest takeaways from the loss as the team begins its rally around AJ McCarron.
Hobbled Secondary Up to Task
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The Cincinnati secondary entered Sunday in odd warm weather given the time of year down a top corner against a high-flying passing attack.
Without Adam Jones, the 11th-best cornerback in the league at Pro Football Focus, though, the Bengals held Ben Roethlisberger to a 30-of-39 line with 282 yards and an interception.
Maybe it's not the most impressive stat line in the world for the secondary, but with the depth hurt and Dre Kirkpatrick and others tasked with shutting down one of the league's best quarterback-wideout tandems, the secondary did what it could.
A strong rush from the line up front helps. When Jones returns down the stretch, the Bengals defense should look even better as it attempts to put a McCarron-led offense on its shoulders and march to the postseason.
Running Game Has to Reappear
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Cincinnati fell behind early against the Steelers and, as it has in the past, let go of the running game almost completely.
This time, though, the Bengals couldn't get away with ignoring it. McCarron did what he could through the air, but the offense had the ball for just over 24 minutes to almost 36 minutes of possession for Pittsburgh.
The final numbers? Jeremy Hill ran seven times for 16 yards with 12 of them coming on a single play. Giovani Bernard posted six carries for 40 yards, good for a per-carry average of 6.7.
Something has to give here. Cincinnati was behind, yes, but Bernard was running well and Hill can when given a chance. Abandoning the run over the team's next three games means putting McCarron in a potential one-dimensional offense, which would be as devastating as it sounds.
Cincinnati now has zero choice but to get back to its run-first roots.
Third-Down Defense Continues to Plummet
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Lost in the shadow of Dalton's injury and a solid pass rush is the fact the Bengals continue to have a hard time getting off the field.
Granted, this hadn't resulted in a huge allowance of points before the Steelers game, but it could be all downhill from here if something doesn't change.
ESPN.com's Coley Harvey broke down the underrated issue:
"After holding the Steelers to a 27.3 percent third-down conversion rating (3-for-11) in that November game, they have gradually seen that percentage increase across each of the past six weeks. Against Pittsburgh on Sunday, Cincinnati's defense allowed third downs to be converted at a 57.1 percent clip (8-for-14).
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Cincinnati does a good job of getting off a shortened field near the end zone, but opposing teams have found ways to at least keep the chains moving against the unit.
With any luck, this trend can begin to turn around once Jones returns. Like returning to the running game, Cincinnati doesn't have much of a choice with its starter under center out of action.
Take It Easy on Eifert
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Maybe it's time the Bengals eased off tight end Tyler Eifert for a few games.
Eifert's struggled with injuries as of late and left Sunday's game against Pittsburgh after taking a blow to the head on a play flagged for a personal foul.
Despite the loss of the man jockeying for position atop the league's leaderboard in touchdown receptions, the Cincinnati offense looked fine through the air with a backup under center.
Why? A.J. Green caught six passes for 132 yards and a score, while Marvin Jones pitched in with six grabs of his own for 61 yards.
With two of the team's next three games against beatable opponents and a renewed reliance on the run, Cincinnati might want to consider letting Eifert hit 100 percent for the postseason instead of trotting him out when others continue to play so well.
Stay tuned to see how the team handles the situation.
Bengals Can Win with McCarron
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The score against Pittsburgh was a tad lopsided, but it revealed perhaps the most important nugget of all—these Bengals can win with McCarron.
McCarron, despite not practicing with the first team, his defense missing its top corner and missing Eifert in a divisional game with AFC implications, went 22-of-32 for 280 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
In other words, not a bad line for a guy not expected to set down a clipboard. The man has confidence in himself, too, as Harvey captured:
"I've always believed in myself when I step inside those white lines. You need to carry that confidence as a quarterback because when you step inside those white lines, it's a nasty and dirty game. If you lose confidence, it can go bad for you real quick. I've always believed when I step inside those white lines that I'm the best one out there.
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With the way Green and others continue to play, McCarron should benefit immensely from a week of prep as the actual starter. Sprinkle in a dash of what can be a potent running game, and there's no reason for panic around the Bengals.
Cincinnati has planned for such an event. It's up to McCarron and his vast array of weapons to go out and execute.
Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
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