Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals: Full Report Card Grades for Cincinnati
The Cincinnati Bengals laid an egg of epic proportions on Thursday Night Football against the Cleveland Browns in a 24-3 loss.
Cleveland came down to Paul Brown Stadium with a contingent of fans, did whatever it pleased and left winners of the Battle of Ohio and leaders of the AFC North.
Cincinnati now has to pick up the pieces. Andy Dalton had a miserable performance worthy of a benching, going 10-of-33 for 86 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions.
It was not all Dalton's fault, though. The team got behind early and eventually allowed the Browns to rack up 368 total yards. Brian Hoyer did his best Tom Brady impersonation. All three Browns backs scored touchdowns. Cincinnati hardly had the football, and when it did, the unit turned the ball over four times.
Heck, Dre Kirkpatrick even leveled coach Marvin Lewis on the sideline during kick coverage.
It was a miserable performance any way sliced, injuries or not. The stigma surrounding the team on prime time certainly rang true yet again.
Within, let's dish out grades for the woeful performance.
Quarterback: F
1 of 10
Andy Dalton put forth one of his worst efforts in recent memory Thursday night against the Cleveland Browns.
Dalton was erratic in the first half, missing receivers countless times and throwing an interception that led to the Browns getting seven points.
At one point, he even had one of the downright worst plays in recent memory by any player, as Jay Morrison of Cox Media Group describes:
"Dalton beyond line when throws. Fourth and 20 now. Nugent to try 43 yarder. #Bengals
— Jay Morrison (@JayMorrisonCMG) November 7, 2014"
Dalton finished the first half with a 5-of-16 mark for 38 yards.
Even better, he finished the game 10-of-33 with 86 yards and a trio of interceptions. His rating wound up at 2.0.
The weather was bad and he was missing a few weapons, but those are bench-worthy numbers.
Grade: F
Running Back: C
2 of 10
Most figured the Cincinnati Bengals would run the ball a ton against one of the league's worst run defenses Thursday night.
The team attempted 15 rushes in the first half, with rookie Jeremy Hill leading the way with 35 yards.
As ESPN.com's Coley Harvey notes, though, Hill coughed up the ball and set off a bad chain of events:
"Just when the #Bengals get some movement, they turn it over. A fumble by rookie Jeremy Hill. Starting to feel like the Indy game for offense
— Coley Harvey (@ColeyHarvey) November 7, 2014"
Hill was mostly missing in action for the rest of the second quarter. Whether it be a punishment or schematic decision, it seemed a silly move.
That said, he did return to action and wound up with 12 carries for 55 yards, a rather strong showing given the circumstances. Falling behind so early ruined the plan of running constantly, though, and the unit's numbers suffered as a result.
Grade: C
Wide Receiver and Tight End: C
3 of 10
It is quite unfair to dish out a miserable grade to a talented crop of Cincinnati Bengals receivers.
Many will point out Jermaine Gresham stopped a route in the first quarter that led to an Andy Dalton interception. While true, the blame is shared in that instance.
What is not shared is the ball being nowhere near the receivers for most of the game. Even A.J. Green can only do so much when the ball is simply off target.
By the end of the game, Green had three catches for 23 yards. Gresham had three for 29 to lead the team. Mohamed Sanu, who put forth great efforts on misfires and drew a pass interference at one point, finished with two for 20.
The receivers were visibly angry Thursday, and rightfully so. The sad part is, the offense showed signs of life with the game in hand, which helped to pad the above putrid numbers. Were this a case of receivers running wrong routes or not creating separation, the grade would be lower.
Grade: C
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Offensive Line: D
4 of 10
Thursday was a day to forget for the Cincinnati Bengals offensive line.
Andrew Whitworth and Co. were manhandled at the point of attack for most of the night. A particular weak point was backup right tackle Marshall Newhouse, who got the start in place of the injured Andre Smith.
Newhouse killed multiple drives on his own with flags for holding in the first quarter and second quarter. A note from Paul Dehner Jr. of Cincinnati.com says it all:
"Marshall Newhouse figures a couple first-half holding penalties are how he replaces Andre Smith.
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) November 7, 2014"
Andy Dalton wound up sacked twice. Other than Newhouse, the most notable weakness on the line was rookie center Russell Bodine, who got downright destroyed on more than a few plays. With two players holding the entire line back, it was a rough night for the hogs up front.
Grade: D
Defensive Line: D
5 of 10
While the unit had its flashes at times, Geno Atkins and the Cincinnati Bengals defensive line were embarrassed Thursday against the Cleveland Browns.
First, the good. Atkins blew up a play in the first half so badly that he scored a sack of Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer—before he could hand the ball off to a back on a designed run.
Jay Morrison of Cox Media Group notes Atkins' continued improvement:
"Geno Atkins flattens Hoyer for a 4-yard loss. 2.5 sacks in last three games
— Jay Morrison (@JayMorrisonCMG) November 7, 2014"
That is it as far as the good goes.
Paul Dehner Jr. of Cincinnati.com sets the mood:
"Almost every snap the Bengals get destroyed at the line of scrimmage.
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) November 7, 2014"
Domata Peko was a non-factor. Carlos Dunlap was quiet. Wallace Gilberry was nowhere to be found when healthy. The Browns wound up rushing for 170 total yards and three scores on a 3.3 per-carry average. Hoyer had all day to throw, which allowed him to torch a weak and hurt secondary.
These are strange times in Cincinnati when the defensive line is the main weakness.
Grade: D
Linebacker: C-
6 of 10
As most figured, the Cincinnati Bengals linebackers could not tackle Thursday.
Without Rey Maualuga and Vontaze Burfict, not to mention being just a few days removed from a horrible tackling performance, the linebackers looked lost on the field for most of the night.
Some of this can be attributed to a poor showing from the defensive line. But still, it mostly falls on the fact Vincent Rey, Nico Johnson and others simply could not bring down ball-carriers.
Emmanuel Lamur was pretty much the only bright spot for the unit as usual, and he finished with 11 tackles to lead the team. Johnson had 10, while Rey added 10 of his own.
The Bengals have good depth at the unit, but not when it comes to squaring off with one of the league's best rushing attacks. It showed Thursday.
Grade: C-
Secondary: D
7 of 10
No Leon Hall, big problems for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Coverage fell apart Thursday with Cincinnati missing its top corner. Adam Jones was burnt repeatedly, and even safety Reggie Nelson was beat deep a few times. In spot duty, Dre Kirkpatrick once again proved a liability, too.
The only bright spot for the Bengals in this area was George Iloka, who has truly blossomed into a special player who finally puts to rest the safety questions that have followed the team for years. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport put it best:
"Nice spotlight game for #Bengals S George Iloka. He's quietly become one of the best young safeties in the game
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 7, 2014"
Still, Iloka can only be so many places at once on his way to eight total tackles and a pass defensed. The secondary still surrendered 198 total passing yards. When Miles Austin catches five passes for 48 yards, it is time to do some soul-searching.
Grade: D
Special Teams: B
8 of 10
Say hello to perhaps what was the only bright spot for the Cincinnati Bengals Thursday.
Mike Nugent knocked through his lone attempt on a windy night. Kevin Huber was not as great as usual but passable enough given how often he had to take the field and weather the iffy conditions (eight punts).
The best, though, was the team's kick coverage. Dre Kirkpatrick and Co. continued to shine in this area and even forced a fumble, as Jay Morrison of Cox Media Group explains:
"#Bengals force a Jim Leonhard fumble on the punt return. Officials talking it over.
— Jay Morrison (@JayMorrisonCMG) November 7, 2014"
This fumble in particular is the only reason the Bengals even scored Thursday night, because the offense was sure not going to get the team in scoring position.
It is a shame winning the field-position battle meant little, as special teams once again upheld its end of the bargain.
Grade: B
Coaching: F
9 of 10
It starts at the top, Cincinnati fans.
The way Thursday's game started is all that really needs said. ESPN.com's Coley Harvey sums it up well:
"Game is 9 min over and all this has already happened for #Bengals O: INT, customary early burned timeout, 12 men in huddle, illegal fwd pass
— Coley Harvey (@ColeyHarvey) November 7, 2014"
Look, Andy Dalton played bad. But benching Jeremy Hill for a fumble was silly. Running routes short of the first-down marker? Silly. Running predictable screen passes, burning timeouts and not having the team simply ready to play, regardless of injury?
Pretender-type stuff.
No excuses. Injuries happen to each team. This trend of simply going missing in action on a national scale has killed this team. How it gets fixed is anyone's guess.
Grade: F
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | F |
| RB | C |
| WR/TE | C |
| OL | D |
| DL | D |
| LB | C- |
| Secondary | D |
| Special Teams | B |
| Coaching | F |
| Cumulative Grade | D |
The sad part is, the Cincinnati Bengals will bounce back from this—away from the spotlight, when there is not much pressure to perform well and the nation is distracted watching other games.
Cincinnati has a serious problem that starts at the top and trickles on down. Whatever it is, it is hard to argue a bounce back can happen in time to save the team from an upcoming stretch that reads at New Orleans, at Houston, Pittsburgh, at Cleveland, Denver and at Pittsburgh.
This is not to say the season is over. Far from it. But compound quarterback issues with health issues and other problems, and Thursday's performance is the result. The silver lining—it cannot get much worse than dropping a game for first place against an AFC North rival at home.
All stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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