Jaguars vs. Bengals: Full Report Card Grades for Cincinnati
The Cincinnati Bengals stood tall in the face of injury and a looming divisional showdown on a short week to fend off the surprisingly game Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday.
Despite entering with just one win on the season, the Jaguars got a pair of touchdown passes from rookie quarterback Blake Bortles and 132 total rushing yards as a team. Every time the Bengals seemed to pull away, the Jaguars fought back with a score despite what many might have figured a one-loss team would have done on the road.
Cincinnati did most of its damage on the ground despite the absence of Giovani Bernard thanks to rookie back Jeremy Hill, who found room for 154 yards and a pair of scores. Andy Dalton also tallied a pair of touchdowns, one which went to the returning A.J. Green, but he was also careless with the ball at times and threw two picks.
The performance was by no means perfect, but there is something to be said for a team that can avoid a letdown while missing some of its best players due to injury.
Within, let's take a look at how the team performed in the trap game and dish out some grades for the 33-23 win.
Quarterback: B
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Dalton, fresh with star wideout Green back in the fold, had himself a strong performance Sunday.
There were a few misses that Jacksonville failed to capitalize on, but Dalton hit halftime with a 10-of-17 mark for 132 yards and a score.
As ESPN.com's Coley Harvey illustrates, Dalton was once again cool under pressure in the first half:
"Heck of a pass by Andy Dalton. Beats the blitz by getting the ball to Brandon Tate just before the DB can tip the ball away. #Bengals
— Coley Harvey (@ColeyHarvey) November 2, 2014"
That trend only continued in the second half on the way to Dalton finishing with 233 yards and a pair of touchdowns and interceptions. There was a stretch late in the game that saw Dalton act rather careless with the football for the second week in a row, but it was not enough to cost his team the game.
Against a surprisingly game Jacksonville defense at times, Dalton did well to pick up a conference win and gain some momentum heading into Thursday.
Grade: B
Running Back: A
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Without Bernard Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Cincinnati Bengals got more unpredictable with their ground attack than ever.
Most figured Hill would carry the load on his own, but an injury in the first half (which he later returned from) limited him. That changed in the second, which saw him find the end zone twice and finish with 24 carries for 154 yards and two scores.
Cedric Peerman got in on the action with five totes for nine yards, as did Rex Burkhead through the air with two catches for 10 yards.
Even late-round rookie James Wright was called upon to help out and ended with one memorable carry that went for 11 yards.
All things considered, a deep position mixed with some creativity took care of business against a miserable run defense. There is not much more one can ask of the group. Hill can clearly do the job on his own, but some creativity that utilizes all involved is quite a trait to have at this point.
Grade: A
Wide Receiver and Tight End: B
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Green made his return Sunday for the Cincinnati Bengals, but it was Mohamed Sanu who once again led the way.
Green was clearly rusty in the first half and had just two catches for 26 yards. Not only did he lose a fumble, he lined up offsides on a touchdown grab. In that same span, Sanu brought in two passes for 52 yards and a score.
As ESPN.com's Coley Harvey points out, Sanu's big plays provided plenty of highlights:
"Mohamed Sanu with yet another wow moment. This time, he goes Willie Mays over the shoulder as he's getting hit. #Bengals in red zone.
— Coley Harvey (@ColeyHarvey) November 2, 2014"
Things would change, though. Green came through in the final frame to make up for his botched score in the first half, which essentially put the Jaguars away.
Green finished with three catches for 44 yards and a score, while Sanu brought in four for 95 yards and a touchdown to lead the team in receiving. Jermaine Gresham was once again used sparingly, catching five passes for 36 yards.
It was not the best day passing for the Bengals, but two talented receivers who are dangerous every time they get the ball in their hands came through for the offense when asked.
Grade: B
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Offensive Line: A
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Many entered Sunday unaware that the Jacksonville Jaguars actually touted one of the league's top pass rushes.
In the first half, the Cincinnati Bengals did not exactly look privy to that information, either, allowing two sacks of Dalton.
It does not help that Kevin Zeitler was missing in action and Andre Smith had to leave for a time due to injury. The line did hold strong, though, as Dalton wound up sacked just those two times.
Things were better on the ground, though, as Paul Dehner Jr. of Cincinnati.com helps to point out:
"Big Whit with a big pull to clear the way for Hill on that 9-yard run. Surprised they don't do more of that.
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) November 2, 2014"
The Bengals were able to drum up 191 total rushing yards on a 5.6 per-carry average despite a hodgepodge of names in the backfield. Balance established on the ground certainly made things easier in pass protection for all involved.
In what was a very underrated test, the offensive line as a whole rose to the occasion despite sporadic shuffling.
Grade: A
Defensive Line: B
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Sunday, the play of the Cincinnati Bengals defensive line seemed to revert back to questionable form after a strong showing the week prior.
Carlos Dunlap was once again a force with four total tackles, a sack and three quarterback hits, but most of those around him struggled to make things happen.
Geno Atkins turned in another strong performance and finished with six tackles, although his running mate Domata Peko was once again seemingly nowhere to be found. Devon Still made a few nice plays when asked, which should continue to cause some to beg for his promotion to a starting role.
The problem is, the line as a whole generated just two sacks (Margus Hunt grabbed one in garbage time) and allowed 132 total rushing yards on a 5.3 per-carry average, which once again had a negative ripple effect on the rest of the unit.
Dunlap's play is expected at this point and the continued return to form for Atkins is great, but it is not unreasonable to expect those around them to better feed off their performances.
Grade: B
Linebacker: C
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At times in the first half, the Cincinnati Bengals linebackers looked lost on the field without Vontaze Burfict in the lineup.
A note from Richard Skinner of Cincinnati.com embodies the struggles the unit had against the run:
"Nico Johnson couldn't get off block in the hole and it allowed Denard Robinson to rip off 38-yard run #bengals
— Richard Skinner (@nkyskinner) November 2, 2014"
Despite its up-and-down nature, the linebacker corps did well enough given the circumstances. Sloppy tackling from Vincent Rey and a trio of dropped interceptions by Emmanuel Lamur were notable, but wildly costly mistakes against an iffy opponent.
It is just imperative to note that said mistakes will need to be fixed in a hurry thanks to a short turnaround. Cleveland, the team's Thursday opponent, touts a strong run-first attack, and Burfict will be out of action once more. Tackling issues and the like will not fly.
Grade: C
Secondary: C
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Like the linebackers, the Cincinnati Bengals secondary made a few notable mistakes that will need to be cleaned up in the coming weeks.
Terence Newman was the Emmanuel Lamur of the secondary Sunday, or so to speak, in that he continues to drop easy interceptions, as noted by Paul Dehner Jr. of Cincinnati.com:
"Blake Bortles did what he's done so often this year, throw an easy pick. Only T. Newman dropped. Second straight week with drop pick for him
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) November 2, 2014"
The safeties were not immune to fixable issues, either, as Dehner's colleague, Richard Skinner, explains:
"Horrible tackling by #Bengals allows Gearhart to pick up 19 yards on screen. Rey and Iloka missed tackles. Jax 1st-and-10 at Bengals 15
— Richard Skinner (@nkyskinner) November 2, 2014"
Still, Adam Jones and Newman were sound in coverage for most of the day, barring one breakdown in coverage from the latter. The same could have been said for Leon Hall, but he wound up getting torched in the third quarter on a scoring play and again later in the game before leaving with an injury.
Big plays have been an issue for the secondary that has seemingly popped up at random times this year. Sunday was one of those days, and there is a short turnaround to make things right.
Grade: C
Special Teams: A+
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Call the special teams the MVP for the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday.
Jones was electric on kick and punt returns as usual, but the real focus goes to the punt coverage men, who came up with two blocks in the first half.
ESPN.com's Coley Harvey described the first:
"Rex Burkhead has a key special teams play. Deflects the punt, forcing it to travel 27 yards. He showed a little emotion with the fist pump
— Coley Harvey (@ColeyHarvey) November 2, 2014"
And the second shortly thereafter:
"#Bengals get a safety off the blocked punt. Taylor Mays blocks it at the line, ball rolls in the end zone and out of bounds. Now 12-3, Cincy
— Coley Harvey (@ColeyHarvey) November 2, 2014"
Mike Nugent hit on his lone attempt, and Kevin Huber pinned the Jaguars back inside their own 20-yard line four times, so yes, it was an exemplary day for the unit.
Grade: A+
Coaching: A
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Given what they had to work with, the Cincinnati Bengals coaching staff did a fine job Sunday with the underrated Jacksonville Jaguars in town.
Hue Jackson's offense smartly utilized a number of names out of the backfield and in no way ignored Sanu just because Green was back. A dash of creativity here and there and it was a second strong performance.
On the flip side, Paul Guenther's defense yet again had an up-and-down day. Missed tackles, dropped turnovers and sometimes blown coverages marred the day and allowed Jacksonville to hang around more than it should.
At the top of the food chain, though, Marvin Lewis did well overall. Timeouts were not really an issue, and no major challenges cropped up over the course of the game. His team came prepared and did not overlook a weak team with a divisional encounter on deck.
Grade: A
Final Grades
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| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | B |
| RB | A |
| WR/TE | B |
| OL | A |
| DL | B |
| LB | C |
| Secondary | C |
| Special Teams | A+ |
| Coaching | A |
| Cumulative Grade | B |
A win is a win, no matter how ugly.
This is a tricky situation for the Cincinnati Bengals, though. The run game was strong without its lead back, but against a weak team. The defense and Dalton struggled at times, but against a weak team.
There is not a ton of help on the way in the form of returning injured players, either, not with the team's next game coming on a Thursday.
Sunday was a strong performance when consumed as a whole, but little mistakes can and will hurt the team on a short turnaround against a divisional foe.
The real test comes Thursday, although credit goes to the Bengals for taking care of business against an opponent they were supposed to defeat: 5-2-1 and first place has a nice ring to it, no?
All stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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