Carolina Panthers vs. Cincinnati Bengals: Full Report Card Grades for Cincinnati
It goes down as a tie, but Sunday's 37-37 overtime affair against the Carolina Panthers certainly feels like a loss for the Cincinnati Bengals in a tough AFC North division.
A week removed from getting whipped on prime time in New England, the Bengals went out and were mostly flat against Cam Newton and the Panthers, surrendering 431 total yards. The Auburn product gained 284 of those through the air and another 107 on the ground to go with three total scores.
Clearly, the Cincinnati defense had its struggles on the day, although the offense was an up-and-down unit, too.
Andy Dalton threw for 323 yards but tossed a pair of touchdowns and interceptions. Given his lack of options with A.J. Green and others watching from the sidelines, it was a strong performance. Giovani Bernard turned in a strong performance behind him, too, with 137 yards and a score.
For Cincinnati, the performance is not exactly the response coach Marvin Lewis was hoping for after a blowout. Carolina is a great team, but better discipline and execution may have seen the game end in regulation.
Within, let's dish out grades for the underwhelming affair.
Quarterback: B
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The strong performances from Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton continued Sunday against Carolina.
In fact, Dalton and the passing game looked better than usual right out of the gate, connecting on a number of third-down conversions despite missing names such as A.J. Green, Marvin Jones and Tyler Eifert.
As noted in the following slides, Dalton did a great job of spreading the ball around to a hodgepodge of names such as Brandon Tate, Dane Sanzenbacher and Jermaine Gresham. By day's end, he compiled a 34-of-44 mark for 323 yards with two touchdowns and as many interceptions.
All things considered, the performance in front of a spotty line with a rag-tag group of weapons around him was superb. Sure, it would have been nice if the first interception never happened, but the second was a result of pressure.
As was the case in New England last week, Dalton was essentially one of the lone bright spots Sunday.
Grade: B
Running Back: A
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Giovani Bernard was the star of the show for the Cincinnati Bengals against a weak Carolina Panthers rush defense, as expected.
Bernard rolled for 137 yards on 18 carries for the first 100-yard game of his career, including a superb 89-yard touchdown scamper in the second quarter.
ESPN.com's Coley Harvey broke down the rush in multiple ways:
"Well there's the big run we just tweeted about. Gio got great blocking at next level and fought through tackles for 89-yard TD run. #Bengals
— Coley Harvey (@ColeyHarvey) October 12, 2014"
"That is the second-longest run in #Bengals history. The longest was a 96-yard TD run by Corey Dillon in Oct. 2001 at Detroit.
— Coley Harvey (@ColeyHarvey) October 12, 2014"
Bernard actually left the game with an injury for a notable amount of time, but he was also able to make a difference through the air with four catches for 20 yards.
Rookie Jeremy Hill notched 22 yards and a score on eight totes. His continued great play when called upon should encourage many should Bernard ever miss time. In an ugly affair, both men took advantage of a weak defense, as expected.
Grade: A
Wide Receiver and Tight End: A
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Sunday was supposed to be a day in which the Cincinnati Bengals struggled to move the ball through the air sans A.J. Green and a host of others.
Instead, Brandon Tate, Dane Sanzenbacher and a few others looked better than they have all season en route to the 323 receiving yards and a pair of scores.
Tate was the big-play guy in the first half before finishing with four receptions for 38 yards and a score. Sanzenbacher pitched in with four catches for 40 yards, too, while the expected No. 1 wideout on the day, Mohamed Sanu, exploded in the second half and led the team in receiving with a finishing line of 11 catches for 120 yards and a clutch touchdown.
As Jay Morrison of Cox Media Group illustrates, it was obvious from the first drive of the game that the team was going to find success through the air:
"#Bengals go four wide on third and 7. Dalton hits Sanzenbacher in slot for first down. 2 for 2 on third downs after no conversions at NE
— Jay Morrison (@JayMorrisonCMG) October 12, 2014"
Tight end Jermaine Gresham proved a major part of the day's plans, too, as he made a number of chain-moving grabs and finished just behind Sanu with six grabs for 68 yards. A few notable penalties were there yet again, but Gresham's ability to step up was nice to see.
Even rookie James Wright got in on the action in overtime with a 24-yard grab.
Grade: A
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Offensive Line: C
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Another week, another iffy performance by the Cincinnati Bengals offensive line in terms of pass protection.
Quarterback Andy Dalton and the passing game were effective for most of the first half because the pocket was mostly clean in the face of a strong rush put on by Charles Johnson and others.
In total, Dalton was sacked just one time on the day. But it is important to point out that both of Dalton's interceptions were the product of pressure in his face.
The ground game's 193 total rushing yards and two scores are inflated by one major run by Giovani Bernard, but for the most part, the line was strong in this area for most of the contest.
The line was a source of many of the team's flag issues, though. Andrew Whitworth was hit with a costly penalty late, and right tackle Andre Smith had flags on back-to-back plays, including what would have been a touchdown for Jeremy Hill.
For an offense that leans on timing, it was a so-so day at best.
Grade: C
Defensive Line: C
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For the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday, play from the defensive line proved a mixed bag.
The very first drive of the game provided some cause for concern for Geno Atkins and the defensive line. Carolina looked decent rushing the ball, but more importantly, the linemen repeatedly failed to wrap up and bring down Panthers quarterback Cam Newton—something that should be no issue in theory considering the team plays Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger twice per season.
By the time the game had concluded, the Panthers rushed for just 147 yards on a 4.3 per-carry average. While it should have helped that a relative unknown in Fozzy Whittaker was the starting tailback, Newton absolutely brutalized the Bengals with his legs.
Joe Person of The Charlotte Observer provides emphasis on this point:
"Newton has rushed for more yards today than he had all season.
— Joe Person (@josephperson) October 12, 2014"
In terms of pass rush, Carlos Dunlap and others did a mediocre job of applying pressure all day. The front four continues to have problems creating pressure on its own, which means the staff needs to bring extra bodies on a blitz. Hence the defense's issues against the pass, too.
Like the offense, it all starts in the trenches.
Grade: C
Linebacker: B
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What had proved a weak link for the Cincinnati Bengals the past few weeks was strong against Carolina Sunday, as the linebackers had a mostly quiet day at the office.
Vontaze Burfict provided a scare with another head injury in the first half, although he later returned after passing concussion protocol. On one hand, it is worth noting that he drew two costly personal fouls in the first half, but on the other hand, both were highly questionable in the first place.
That said, if Burfict would make more of an effort to keep his head out of the tackle process, he would not encourage so much laundry in the first place.
Rey Maualuga and Emmanuel Lamur had decent games, too, although both wound up leaving with injuries.
The biggest takeaway from Sunday is not the performance of the unit, but its health. At first pass, things look none too hot heading into next week.
Grade: B
Secondary: B
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In the face of one of the NFL's top statistical passing attacks, Reggie Nelson and the Cincinnati Bengals performed well Sunday.
Things did start off on the wrong foot, though, as the unit gave up a passing touchdown to rookie wideout Kelvin Benjamin. It should not have happened in the first place, either, had veteran corner Terence Newman not been hit with a flag. Paul Dehner Jr. of Cincinnati.com breaks it down:
"Whether or not personal foul call on Burfict was legit or not, Newman banged for holding would have kept drive going. Concerning start for D
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) October 12, 2014"
All things considered, though, the secondary was a relative bright spot. Reggie Nelson not only led the team in tackles with 11, but he also nabbed an interception. Adam Jones was aggressive as always, totaling eight tackles and one key pass breakup in the end zone to keep his team in it.
Carolina had gotten away with a pass-happy attack coming into Sunday, but Cincinnati's veteran crop of players in this area got the job done well.
Grade: B
Special Teams: B
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It was a thrill ride with a poor ending for the Cincinnati Bengals specialists Sunday.
Kicker Mike Nugent knocked through a 44-yard field goal in the first half and connected on two more before the end of regulation. Punter Kevin Huber, as a testament to the effectiveness of the offense, did not even take the field in the first half before punting just once in the second.
In terms of returns, Brandon Tate and others had a mostly quiet day. That is, until Adam Jones took back a kickoff 97 yards to put the Bengals in scoring position in the second half.
It once again brings into question why Jones is not back on returns more often, especially with two first-round rookies behind him at corner, making the argument that the team can ill afford to see him burnt out null and void.
Alas, a major damper was thrown on the day for all involved when Nugent whiffed on what should have been the game-winning kick as time expired. That, of course, brings the grade down.
Grade: B
Coaching: B
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Like the rest of the team, things started great for the coaching staff before it all crashed and burned Sunday.
The offense under coordinator Hue Jackson looked strong out of the gates thanks to impressive pass distribution, and there were, seemingly as always, timely screen passes and other things mixed in to keep the defense honest.
That all changed in the second half. The offense began to struggle, and eventually, Giovani Bernard was lost to injury.
Paul Guenther's defense was not much better in the second half, as at one point defensive end Carlos Dunlap was in coverage on a costly third-down conversion late in the third quarter.
So it went for an up-and-down team in an up-and-down game. The defense did just enough to keep the team in it, while the offense did manage 37 points through some crafty decisions by the staff in what amounted to mostly a backup offense.
To top it off, Marvin Lewis won a challenge in the second half on a drive that went on to score the tying touchdown, so it was not all bad in the last two frames. Putting the talent in a position to succeed is one thing, but the talent having the ability, maturity and downright luck to execute is another thing entirely.
Grade: B
Final Grades
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| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | B |
| RB | A |
| WR/TE | A |
| OL | C |
| DL | C |
| LB | B |
| Secondary | B |
| Special Teams | B |
| Coaching | B |
| Cumulative Grade | B- |
Again, this one feels like a loss for the Cincinnati Bengals. But Carolina is no slouch, and injuries continue to pester the roster.
It really is difficult to complain about 37 points, but it is becoming clearer by the week that the defense is but a shell of what it was one year ago. The rush is inconsistent, and the run defense has been soft. On offense, the ground game has been a colossal disappointment, minus the one touchdown run from Giovani Bernard this week.
There are issues in Cincinnati. First and foremost, though, is simply getting everyone on the same page in terms of health.
There is no more rest for the Bengals the rest of the way, either. Dates against Indianapolis and Baltimore next loom large. Health and an ability to finish when tested will speak volumes over the course of the next few weeks.
Sunday was a letdown, but it certainly could have been worse. So it goes sometimes in the NFL. How the team responds in Indianapolis next week after a pair of disappointing weeks will reveal all.
All stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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