Packers vs Bengals: Final Report Cards, Player Grades for Cincinnati

The Cincinnati Bengals failed to come away with a win over the Green Bay Packers, losing the NFL preseason Week 3 matchup 27-13.

Of course, the loss is meaningless. However, many factors were revealed about the team in the process, both positive and negative. With the first cut-days looming, there are a variety of players that won or lost a job against Green Bay. 

Let's take a look at the Bengals' final postgame grades and evaluations. 

Andy Dalton, Bruce Gradkowski, Etc.

Overall Game Grade — D

In the end, the play of the third and fourth quarterbacks killed the total grade, but Dalton's play did not exactly help either. 

Dalton did not turn the ball over, but he was mediocre at best thanks to the horrendous play of the starting offensive line. A few miscues on deep passes did not help him out either. 

Bruce Gradkowski, always the smooth veteran, made the most of his opportunity to play against the Packers' second-team by throwing a touchdown pass. His solid play is the only reason the total grade for the quarterbacks was not an F. 

Q4 — F

How quickly things changed. Gradkowski made his exit and Zac Robinson and Tyler Hansen entered and promptly each threw an interception. Hansen's was returned for a touchdown. Both young quarterbacks were fighting for the honor of being placed on the practice squad as the No. 3 quarterback, but that likely won't be happening. 

Q3 — B+

Bruce Gradkowski entered the game for Dalton after one drive in the third quarter. Dalton took a nasty hit and that spelled the end of his night, although he was not injured. Gradkowski did a good job of moving the ball up and down the field against the Packers' reserves (when he wasn't being killed thanks to an inconsistent offensive line) and threw a beautiful touchdown pass to rookie receiver Marvin Jones. 

Q2 — C

Dalton continued to struggle, but a large part of his mediocre play has been the inconsistent offensive line, which has allowed pressure on most of Dalton's passing attempts. He did miss a wide open receiver down the right side of the field, overthrowing the target after he beat the defense deep. Dalton has continued to look impressive when running the ball, which appears to be the theme of this game. 

Q1 — B

Andy Dalton came out and struggled thanks to the offensive line. Clay Matthews and company wreaked havoc on him, but as the quarter progressed so did the play of the offensive line. Dalton had an impressive run to grab a first down, and a bullet of a pass to Brandon Tate on a drive that led to a field goal. 

Offense

Overall Game Grade — F

The Bengals failed to keep up with the high-flying offense of Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, which should not be all that surprising. Issue along the offensive line all night long crippled the Bengals' chances of scoring with any consistency. 

Cincinnati only mustered a laughably bad 195 total yards and went 1.12 on third down. Once again, the horrible play of the offensive line was the main culprit. It also didn't help that the team was missing the first two players on the depth chart at running back. 

Not all was lost, as the young receiving core once again looked great. Marvin Jones, Mohamed Sanu and others continue to make a receiver-by-committee approach practical. 

Q4 — F

Well, if the third quarter was the peak, this was the absolute bottom. Quarterbacks Zac Robinson and Tyler Hansen threw interceptions in limited action, the latter's was returned for a touchdown. Jourdan Brooks coughed the ball up and allowed it to be recovered by the Packers. There were some highlights such as a Hansen pass to Justin Hilton for 30 yards, but that's about it.

Q3 — B

Finally a decent outing for the Bengals offense against the secondary unit for the Packers. Bruce Gradkowski threw an effortless touchdown pass to Marvin Jones. Receivers Mohamed Sanu and Armon Binns looked great as well. Nothing special from the running backs or the offensive line. 

Q2 — D

Not much of an improvement for the Bengals in the second quarter. The Bengals have been unable to run the ball, with the exception being when Dalton elects to run for his life. The offensive line unit has been horrendous. Andrew Whitworth  completely whiffed on a block, giving up a sack on the 1-yard-line, which resulted in Cincinnati having to settle for a field goal.

Not a great showing so far against a team that had one of the worst offenses in the league a year ago. 

Q1 — D

The Bengals running game has been mostly atrocious through one quarter thanks to a combination of Brian Leonard being the starting back (BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Bernard Scott are out) and the offensive line playing horribly. Andy Dalton was constantly under pressure, and only thanks to a huge run and nice throw by Dalton did the offense manage to put up three points in the quarter. 

Defense

Overall Game Grade — B

Not a horrible showing by the defense for Cincinnati against the Packers. The first unit gave up two rushing touchdowns as a result of simplistic schemes and play calling, but that was to be expected. 

What truly elevates the grade is the constant pressure the defensive line was getting on opposing quarterbacks and the stellar play of younger player attempting to make the roster. 

Players like Dontay Moch, Roddrick Muckelroy and Vontaze Burfict continue to not only fight for a roster spot, but for playing time when the regular season rolls around. Jeromy Miles also continued to push for the starting strong safety job instead of Taylor Mays. 

Q4 — B

Great showing for the Bengals reserves (mostly, Taylor Mays and Dan Skuta were still out there), as the defense only gave up three points in the fourth. Dontay Moch was absolutely dominant rushing from the defensive end position, both he and Roddrick Muckelroy recorded sacks. The defense overall was stout, and held strong in the redzone. 

Q3 — A

Outstanding showing by the defense in the third quarter, especially by Micah Johnson, a player on the roster bubble. He recorded a sack and a fumble recovery, which turned out to lead to a touchdown pass on the very next play. The pass coverage and pressure looked much improved, albeit against the second unit for Green Bay. Vontaze Burfict and Dan Skuta turned heads with their stellar play as usual. 

Q2 — B

The Bengals defense showed a bit of an improvement in the second quarter, at least in terms of giving up points. Rodgers and Cedric Benson appeared to be able to run at will, but failed to score. The defensive line was pushed around in the run game, but Thomas Howard did manage to sack Rodgers. Jeromy Miles broke up a pass near the end of the quarter which halted a strong drive by the Pack. Not a promising quarter, but the secondary seemed to improve a bit as they settled down. 

Q1 — C

The Bengals defense surrendered two rushing touchdowns to Packers' quarterback Aaron Rodgers. A light playbook combined with a focus on the aerial attack allowed Rodgers to slip through both times. Rodgers also carved through the Bengals secondary with ease. The defensive line has looked solid, but not much else positive to this point. 

Special Teams

Overall Game Grade — A

More explosiveness in the return game would have been nice, but it is hard to argue against flawless play and near-perfect coverage. 

Players like Dan Skuta and Cedric Peerman unsurprisingly continue to stand out in coverage, and defending against kick and punt returns does not look like it will be an issue in 2012. 

A variety of players were given the chance to return kicks and punts, but none truly impressed. Luckily there is one more preseason game to sore things out. 

Q4 — A

Another good showing for the special teams unit. It wouldn't hurt to have some solid returns on kicks and punts, but the coverage of both was what happened to be most impressive. No large returns for Green Bay specialists in the fourth. 

Q3 — A

Hard to dislike how the special teams unit looked in the third quarter for the Bengals. No errors of any kind. Punt coverage has been exceptional, especially with players like Cedric Peerman and Dan Skuta leading the way. 

Q2 — B

Another solid quarter for the special teams unit. Nugent connected on another field goal. Kevin Huber has looked solid punting the football, which is a good sign considering how inconsistent he was last season. No impressive returns to speak of once again, but Brandon Tate has looked similar to last year when returning kickoffs. 

Q1 — B

Nothing much going on with the special teams unit yet. Mike Nugent finally put the Bengals on the board, and the unit has not made a notable mistake. 

Coaching

Overall Game Grade — A

Not much was expected from the coaching staff in a preseason game, but the Bengals' elite staff still managed to impress. 

Lewis and company made it a point to specifically put younger players on the bubble in a position to succeed tonight, which is great to see. Roster cuts are imminent, so seeing the coaching staff give out so many opportunities is impressive. 

Q4 — A

More vanilla play calling from the staff in the fourth. Impressive to see such obscure players such as Jourdan Brooks get a shot at proving themselves before cut day approaches. Plays specifically designed for players such as Justin Hilton truly help players on the bubble stand out. 

Q3 — A

Have to love what the coaches are did with the offensive line in the third quarter. They shuffled players through a variety of different positions, clearly attempting to evaluate players on the bubble by versatility and effectiveness. The results were good. The smart play calling also led to a quick touchdown pass. 

Q2 — A

More solid coaching from Marvin Lewis and company, at least for a preseason game. The defense has been focused on stopping the pass, which has resulted in big gains on the ground. The blitzes employed by Mike Zimmer have been creative, and resulted in a sack. Offensively the playcalling has been basic, but going for a Hail Mary pass at the end of the half was a smart move by Jay Gruden. 

Q1 — B

The Bengals' coaching staff is keeping it simple to this point. The offensive play calling has been impressive, but the inconsistency of the line hasn't helped. Defensively it has been as simple as it gets, hence the two quarterback rushing touchdowns. 

Quarterbacks

Overall Game Grade — D

It was a rough night for Bengals' quarterbacks, to say the least. They were collectively let down by their offensive line, and a couple turned the ball over in the process. 

Andy Dalton was inconsistent at best, at times throwing lasers for great completions, and at other times over-throwing wide open receivers for the big play. The line did not help, but it appeared as if Dalton was not prepared. 

Bruce Gradkowski saw limited action but made the most of it by tossing a touchdown pass. He too was demolished by pressure and took multiple hits thanks to the porous line in front of him. 

There is not much more to be said about Zac Robinson and Tyler Hansen, both threw interceptions. They are making the coaching staff's job difficult—and not in a good way. 

Running Backs

Overall Game Grade — D

Not a great night for the Bengals' running backs either. Both BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Bernard Scott were missing in action thanks to injuries, so that left Brian Leonard and company to shoulder the load. 

Leonard was ineffective, no thanks to his offensive line. He failed to hit the hole with any burst most of the time. As expected he was stellar in pass-blocking, but that's about it. 

Cedric Peerman did not set the world on fire with his play either, only gaining nine yards on the ground. He did manage to stand out on special teams as always, so his roster spot is still guaranteed. 

Daniel Herron is still trying to make the roster, but his lack of impressive runs against the Packers did not change anyone's mind. 

The same goes for Jourdan Brooks who fumbled away his one carry. Aaron Brown was also unimpressive. 

Wide Receivers

Overall Game Grade — A

When actually given an opportunity, the majority of the receivers on the Bengals' roster shined against the Packers. 

A.J. Green had a quiet night, but we all know what he is capable of at any time. Marvin Jones and Brandon Tate were the standouts, the former catching a touchdown pass. 

Armon Binns had a spectacular grab that helped him make his case for more playing time, and Mohamed Sanu caught two passes to throw his name in the hat. Even Justin Hilton got in the action with a big 30-yard reception. 

The stellar play of all receivers makes the decision to employ a receiver-by-committee an easy one. A big weakness a year ago is now a strong point on the roster, and these young receivers showed exactly why against Green Bay. 

Tight Ends

Overall Game Grade — Incomplete

It would be unfair to assign a grade to the tight ends against the Packers considering the star of the bunch, Jermaine Gresham, was out, and there were not many passes thrown their way. 

In fact, the only other tight end to record a catch was Colin Cochart, who is currently locked in a battle with Donald Lee and Orson Charles for a roster spot. Lee did not make the most of his chances as he dropped an easy pass deep down the middle. 

It would also be imperative to mention that Cochart was getting abused all night in pass protection and run-blocking. To make the team, those areas are going to have to improve quickly. 

Offensive Line

Overall Game Grade — F-

It is difficult to put into words just how awful the Bengals' offensive line was against the Packers, preseason or not. 

The interior of the line, Kyle Cook, Kevin Zeitler and Clint Boling, was horrendous and allowed pressure on almost every play. The trio also failed to get any push whatsoever in the running game. 

Andre Smith did not look horrible at the right tackle spot, but his counterpart, left tackle Andrew Whitworth, sure did. Whitworth twice let a blitzing player around him without a scratch to put a big hit on the quarterback. One such occurrence happened on the 1-yard line and forced the Bengals to settle for a field goal. 

The backup linemen did not do much to impress either, as the entire line was shuffled to test the versatility of the younger players. Anthony Collins looked solid at left tackle, once again proving why he is one of the best swing-tackle backups in the league. 

Defensive Line

Overall Game Grade — C+

The defensive line was the hardest to grade when it was all said and done. All night the Bengals had constant pressure on the Packers' quarterbacks, but failed to effectively stop the run. 

Geno Atkins and the first-unit looked great as expected, but at times struggled against the run. Their over-pursuit was also a major factor in quarterback Aaron Rodgers rushing for two touchdowns. 

Rookies Devon Still and Brandon Thompson were seemingly everywhere, which bodes well for the depth of the line. Free agent pickup Jamaal Anderson looked great, and even saw some time at defensive tackle. 

The highlight of the show had to be Dontay Moch, who recorded a sack and simply abused any offensive lineman he lined up against. Moch spent most of the time at the defensive end position, which after tonight's success will be a recurring theme all season long. 

Linebackers

Overall Game Grade — A

There was not much to hate about the Bengals' linebacker unit as a whole against Green Bay. In fact, there was once again so many positives that how the Bengals organization is going to justify cutting any of them is hard to fathom. 

Dan Skuta was the MVP of the unit after taking over for an injured Manny Lawson. His stellar play and knack for being around the football on every play likely won him a starting job. 

On the outside the team's best linebacker, Thomas Howard, put together another outstanding performance. He recorded a sack and was always around the ball as usual. 

In the middle Roddrick Muckelroy was very impressive as he led the team in tackles with five, and added a sack to his great night. Rookie Vontaze Burfict once again made everyone pay attention as well. 

The depth behind the prominent names was even impressive as well. Vincent Rey continue to make life hard for the decision-makers in the Bengals organization, although he did leave the game with an injury. 

Defensive Backs

Overall Game Grade — D

It had appeared this offseason that cornerback would be a strength for the Bengals in 2012, but if the Packers game is any indication, that is not the case. 

The once-elite Leon Hall looked very mediocre for most of the game, at one point missing Greg Jennings so bad that he landed on his stomach after hitting nothing but air. 

Veterans Nate Clements and Terence Newman showed their age by being slow to cover receivers and respond to the Packers' rushing attack. 

To make things worse, Jason Allen and Adam Jones missed the game thanks to injury. Youngsters such as Chris Lewis-Harris and T.J. Heath saw extensive playing time as the game wore on, but failed to do anything of note. 

At safety Reggie Nelson unsurprisingly looked great. Opposite of Nelson Taylor Mays failed to impress outside of a big hit that sent Tom Crabtree to the sidelines. Mays looked good against the run, but failed to defend the pass very well—a very predictable night for him.

The most impressive member of the secondary all night was Jeromy Miles, who may very well steal Mays' starting strong safety job if he keeps this level of play up. Miles was outstanding in coverage and made his presence known on multiple occasions with solid tackling and smart play.