Atlanta Falcons vs. Cincinnati Bengals: Full Report Card Grades for Cincinnati
The Cincinnati Bengals moved to 2-0 Sunday after a 24-10 dissection of the Atlanta Falcons in their home opener at Paul Brown Stadium.
Unlike the Week 1 triumph in Baltimore, Marvin Lewis' team seemed to do just about everything right, as a pristine game plan paid dividends on the field.
Andy Dalton and the offense racked up 472 total yards, with 170 coming on the ground thanks to a superb showing from the duo of Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill. Innovative, timely plays and a run-first approach proved no match for the Atlanta defense.
On the flip side, the defense was once again a strong point on the day. Leon Hall and the unit held a powerful Atlanta offense headed by quarterback Matt Ryan to just 309 total yards and surrendered just three third-down conversions on 12 attempts while forcing three turnovers.
However, the win did not come without a cost.
With receiver Marvin Jones and tight end Tyler Eifert already sidelined, a laundry list of names was added to the pile with injuries of various severity. A.J. Green, Vontaze Burfict, Kevin Zeitler and Andrew Whitworth, among others, left Sunday's game with issues.
Still, Cincinnati's performance against a possible playoff contender is one to remember. It's also one to take very seriously as the team continues to roll through a tough schedule with a next-man-up philosophy.
Within, let's nail down letter grades based on the performances of each unit.
Quarterback: B
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In some ways, the same old Andy Dalton was on display Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, which is both good and bad.
Dalton led the Cincinnati Bengals on several successful drives in the first half and once again put on display a newly discovered calamity in the pocket that allowed him to hit open players with great effect.
On more than one occasion with the pocket collapsing around him, Dalton was able to find Giovani Bernard for massive gains, as illustrated at one point by FoxSports.com's Knox Bardeen:
"The presence & patience from Andy Dalton in that pocket was absolutely brilliant.
— Knox Bardeen (@KnoxonFox) September 14, 2014"
There were bad moments, though, as some of the team's now-notorious red-zone woes were directly on his shoulders thanks to poor throws. Really, wideout Mohamed Sanu was more accurate on deep passes on the day.
In total, Dalton finished with 252 yards and a touchdown.
Still, Dalton once again stood tall in crumpling pockets, and he silenced more doubters. If he continues to play like this, the Bengals can go quite far.
Grade: B
Running Back: A
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The Cincinnati Bengals were hit with a certain amount of criticism last week after a win in Baltimore.
The issues came after mostly ignoring the run after an offseason of chatter that claimed coordinator Hue Jackson would take a run-first approach.
Sunday, Jackson proved that the approach would very much be a game-by-game strategy. He used Giovani Bernard and rookie Jeremy Hill to great effect, which was clearly designed to keep Matt Ryan and the Atlanta offense off the field.
The writing was on the wall early on in the first half, as noted by ESPN.com's Coley Harvey:
"#Bengals RBs Gio Bernard & Jeremy Hill have rushed 19 times for 88 yds and a touchdown so far. Last wk, they combined for 18 rushes, 67 yds
— Coley Harvey (@ColeyHarvey) September 14, 2014"
In total, Bernard wound up with 27 carries for 90 yards and a score. He was once again the most dangerous weapon on the field, adding another 79 yards on five receptions out of the backfield.
The rookie Hill scored a touchdown to put the game out of reach in the second half and finished with 74 yards on 15 carries for a 4.9 per-carry average.
The only negative at this point? The staff may want to be careful with Bernard's usage. Overdoing it might wear him down well before a potential playoff push.
Grade: A
Wide Receiver and Tight End: A
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After A.J. Green went down with an injury early in the Bengals win over the Atlanta Falcons Sunday, the offense clicked right along.
This was thanks in large part to strong performances from the running backs and some lesser-known faces at wideout.
One such name to step up was Mohamed Sanu.
He wound up finishing the game with three catches for 84 yards and a score to lead the team in receiving, but the highlight was obviously the trick play in the first half that saw him hook up with Brandon Tate deep down the field.
Paul Dehner Jr. of Cincinnati.com put it best:
"Mohamed Sanu does nothing but make incredible throws.
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) September 14, 2014"
Speaking of Tate, he wound up with one catch for 50 yards, while Dane Sanzenbacher made the most of his limited opportunities with two grabs for 42 yards.
Tight end Jermaine Gresham—who was pegged by most to step up in the absence of Tyler Eifert—seemed to not be a major part of the initial game plan and finished with just three receptions for 25 yards.
All things considered, it was a great showing for a group that lost one of the league's top overall players. Keep in mind it came against a miserable defense, but also take away something even more important—this is a scary unit when Marvin Jones, Eifert and Green return to join the cast.
Grade: A
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Offensive Line: A
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Like clockwork, the Cincinnati Bengals offensive line was dominant on the ground Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.
In total, Cincinnati wound up rushing for 170 total yards, and quarterback Andy Dalton's jersey was kept relatively clean as he was not sacked on the day.
Perhaps most impressive, though, was the fact the team did not skip a beat after it lost superb right guard Kevin Zeitler on a Giovani Bernard touchdown run in the second quarter, as noted by John Clay of the Lexington Herald-Leader:
"Bengals right guard Kevin Zeitler now with calf injury, return questionable. Already lost A.J. Green (toe)
— John Clay (@johnclayiv) September 14, 2014"
Rookie center Russell Bodine, the object of much scrutiny after a rocky preseason, also seemed to perform well enough in all phases of the game.
The depth around him in Zeitler's absence also did much to prove that offseason losses have not totally ruined the line in front of Dalton.
Something to keep an eye on, though, is that left tackle Andrew Whitworth limped off the field late in the contest. Still, even the performance from backup Mike Pollak was great on a sound all-around day for the unit.
Grade: A
Defensive Line: B
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Carlos Dunlap was the star of the day Sunday for the Cincinnati Bengals.
The former Florida star got himself a sack and put plenty of pressure on Atlanta's line all day long, sometimes single-handedly derailing drives on his own.
As Paul Dehner Jr. of Cincinnati.com notes, Dunlap even got in on the action as a player asked to drop back into coverage on third down:
"Carlos Dunlap dropped back into coverage on that play and does nice job with deflection.
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) September 14, 2014"
He was not alone, of course.
The team lost tackle Brandon Thompson in the first half to injury, but the line held strong and by day's end permitted Atlanta just 97 rushing yards, 28 of which came on quarterback scrambles.
Outside of Dunlap, Wallace Gilberry had a strong showing, but he was outdone by Margus Hunt—who almost notched a blocked field goal in the first half.
Depth continues to be a non-issue for the unit after the preseason brought up questions in that area. The best part is that tackle Geno Atkins should only continue to improve, which is saying something considering he looked great Sunday, too.
Grade: B
Linebacker: B
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Once again, the main storyline for the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday in the linebacking corps was the health of Vontaze Burfict.
In a flashback to last week's injury in the first half, Burfict got a hit on Atlanta's Matt Ryan and promptly left the game with what appeared to be a concussion.
Unlike last week, Burfict returned and was an obvious force— moreso than ever during the third quarter when he tipped a Matt Ryan pass that corner Leon Hall went on to intercept.
Paul Dehner Jr. of Cincinnati.com notes that Ryan's pass was, well, not good:
"Leon Hall gets credit with the pick, but Burfict made that play with the pick. Terrible idea to throw that by Ryan.
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) September 14, 2014"
Tight ends were mostly a non-factor on the day and it was an overall quiet day for the unit outside of the two blows to the head of Burfict. Thanks to the depth at the position, the team should be just fine if he needs to miss time.
Grade: B
Secondary: B+
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The headline, of course, goes to Leon Hall for his interception off a tipped pass Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.
After that pick, the Cincinnati Bengals offense breezed down the field to score and made it 24-3.
Do not discredit the rest of the unit, though, as it seems most players made serious contributions at one point or another.
There was veteran corner Terence Newman making several key breakups and tackles.
There was safety George Iloka making a huge pass breakup at a key moment in the first half.
There was Reggie Nelson getting a timely sack.
There was even Adam Jones making big tackles and—as always—doing great on returns with the special teams unit.
Iloka was aware enough to take advantage of a pass that sailed on Matt Ryan for an interception of his own. Then, in garbage time, he bagged his second of the game to inflate his stat line.
Once again, Paul Dehner Jr. of Cincinnati.com put it best:
"Anybody doubting the depth and talent of the #Bengals secondary needs just to turn on the tape of this game. Minimal YAC for Atlanta.
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) September 14, 2014"
What's great about the secondary is its depth, which includes veterans and young players alike. It helps when the line in front of it wreaks havoc, but either way, the secondary is certainly a strength as long as it remains healthy.
Grade: B +
Special Teams: C
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A week removed from knocking through five field goals and having one blocked, Cincinnati Bengals kicker Mike Nugent was active once again Sunday but certainly not as effective.
By day's end, Nugent was arguably the biggest negative of all, missing three of his four attempts.
There were bright spots, though. The coverage unit did well enough against elite Atlanta returner Devin Hester, and Adam Jones was his usually superb self on returns. Punter Kevin Huber averaged 42.8 yards on four punts.
Nugent will not always turn in days such as this, but he should be thankful this one was not a close contest.
Grade: C
Coaching: A
9 of 10
All things considered, it is hard to dislike the job put on by Marvin Lewis and his staff over the course of the Cincinnati Bengals win Sunday.
The lone outlier in an otherwise perfectly executed plan was strange timeout usage from Lewis in the first half, as noted by ESPN.com's Coley Harvey:
"The #Bengals just called their second timeout of the game with 1:13 remaining in the first quarter. Timeout came before a FG attempt. Hmmm.
— Coley Harvey (@ColeyHarvey) September 14, 2014"
Now, end Margus Hunt did almost block the subsequent kick, so there may have been something there, but it was still a strange batch of time management when the staff should usually want to save those pauses for late before the half.
Still, the offense and its run-first approach under Hue Jackson, as well as a defense that has not skipped a beat under new coordinator Paul Guenther, continued to look great. NFL.com's Chris Wesseling put it best:
"Bengals haven't missed Mike Zimmer. Seahawks might be the only team with a better D.
— Chris Wesseling (@ChrisWesseling) September 14, 2014"
For a team with two new coordinators and a wealth of key players hurt, this staff is doing a tremendous job through two games.
Grade: A
Final Grades
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| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | B |
| RB | A |
| WR/TE | A |
| OL | A |
| DL | B |
| LB | B |
| Secondary | B+ |
| Special Teams | C |
| Coaching | A |
| Cumulative Grade | A |
In short, the Cincinnati Bengals—sans key players—came in with a specific strategy and executed it to perfection while losing even more key players along the way.
Now, we may look back on this one in 10 weeks and laugh at just how horrible Atlanta truly is, but the inverse is also true—this Cincinnati team has the look of finally jumping over the proverbial hump.
New coordinators in tow, the defense continues to be a strong point, even in the face of elite offenses.
The offense, led by a version of Andy Dalton that seems to have actually met the offseason hype, continues to bring a new approach to the table based on the opponent and execute at a high level.
After Sunday's drubbing of Atlanta, the only major concern coming out of the Queen City is health. But even that so far has proved to be a hurdle this rapidly maturing team can leap.
All stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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