Cincinnati Bengals vs. Houston Texans: Full Report Card Grades for Cincinnati
Faced with overcoming a familiar foe that has plagued the team in recent years, the Cincinnati Bengals held on for a 22-13 win against the Houston Texans on Sunday.
The result moves the Bengals to 7-3-1 and in control of the AFC North race. Marvin Lewis' team was hot in the first half and jumped out to a 16-3 lead early in the third quarter. But it allowed the Texans to storm back within three points before pulling away down the stretch.
In the process, A.J. Green had one of the most notable games of his career against a wobbly secondary, and the duo of Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill on the ground proved quite potent when used effectively.
Despite the absence of Vontaze Burfict, the Cincinnati defense held strong, as Ryan Mallett struggled in his second career start and was without Arian Foster due to injury.
The Bengals now have some consistency against teams they are supposed to beat. Best of all, the past two wins have come on the road.
Within, let's dish out grades for each positional unit after Sunday's critical AFC victory.
Quarterback: B
1 of 10
Thanks to the quick-hitting nature of the Bengals attack Sunday, quarterback Andy Dalton put together a strong outing.
In order to avoid the Houston Texans' JJ Watt, Dalton was firing passes quickly off the snap and in the first half alone completed 16 of 18 attempts for 151 yards and a score.
He spread the ball around well, complemented by a strong ground game, and there was even a lack of noticeably iffy passes that should have been turnovers.
That said, things took a turn in the other direction in the second half when another 50-50 ball to A.J. Green actually wound up in the wrong hands. Former Bengals star Jonathan Joseph took the interception back for a touchdown. Offsides or not, the ball should have never been thrown in the first place.
Dalton finished with 233 yards, a touchdown and an interception. The quick-hitting style the staff leans on to make him most effective did much to negate the impressive Houston rush, but he was not asked to do all that much Sunday.
Grade: B
Running Back: A
2 of 10
Thanks to the return of Giovani Bernard from injury, the Bengals rode a strong ground game for most of Sunday's game against the Texans.
Bernard was complemented well by rookie Jeremy Hill, who wound up rushing for 87 yards and a score on 18 carries. Paul Dehner Jr. of Cincinnati.com describes the scenario around his touchdown:
"Jeremy Hill with a wide open hole up the middle for the touchdown. Can't ask for a better start to second half if you're the #Bengals
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) November 23, 2014"
The starter registered 17 carries of his own for 45 yards. The North Carolina product was also his usual self through the air, catching two passes for 22 yards.
Sunday was an encouraging sign that Bernard and Hill can be brutally effective when used together on a single drive, not to mention over the course of a full game.
Grade: A
Wide Receiver and Tight End: A
3 of 10
Thanks to some soft coverage by the Texans, Bengals wideouts A.J. Green and Mohamed Sanu were able to post massive performances Sunday.
Green was downright unstoppable, catching nine passes for 90 yards in the first half alone on his way to a total of 12 catches for 121 yards—a personal best in the receptions department and one shy of tying the franchise record.
ESPN.com's Coley Harvey illustrates a strong score by Sanu in the first half:
"A.J. Green had two impressive catches on drive. Then Mohamed Sanu with a physical push to get in the end zone. Physical drive by #Bengals
— Coley Harvey (@ColeyHarvey) November 23, 2014"
Sanu finished with five catches for 48 yards and a score. Jermaine Gresham wound up with four for 33, but he was a key cog when it came to helping move the chains.
Green is probably the sole reason the Bengals got a win Sunday. His ability to pluck most any and all passes thrown his way saves the offense time and again, although those around him put on quite the show too.
Grade: A
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Offensive Line: C
4 of 10
It was a brutal day for the Bengals offensive line, which was expected against Texans defensive end JJ Watt.
ESPN.com's Coley Harvey described one early breakdown by the line:
"J.J. Watt just abused Andre Smith to get by for the stop on Giovani Bernard's 1-yard gain. Going to need better blocking there.
— Coley Harvey (@ColeyHarvey) November 23, 2014"
Unfortunately, the Bengals later lost Andre Smith to an apparent season-ending injury, per Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports.
Marshall Newhouse took over at right tackle and did not fare much better. Dalton was under fire for most of the day, although he wound up not being sacked at all.
In short, it was an erratic day for the line, as expected. The team hardly averaged three yards per rush, and Dalton's interception was the result of pressure. These sorts of performances are going to happen against a player like Watt, though.
Grade: C
Defensive Line: A
5 of 10
The Bengals defensive line continued its recent return to form Sunday against the Texans with a strong showing.
While the team did not have to deal with starter Arian Foster all day long, it was a positive sign that Geno Atkins and Co. held the Texans to a 3.4 per-carry average. Quarterback Ryan Mallett was under pressure consistently and was sacked once.
Carlos Dunlap was once again the notable performer for the unit, finishing with five tackles and two quarterback hits. He also scored a critical sack in the fourth quarter, as captured by Paul Dehner Jr. of Cincinnati.com:
"Carlos Dunlap with the sack in the huge moment. That's 5.5 on the season.
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) November 23, 2014"
As a whole, the Texans rushed for just 64 yards. The great gap control and various looks from the line made the lives of those behind the unit quite simple. Brandon Thompson even quietly got a large amount of work and scored three tackles.
It helps that Foster was out of the way, but the Bengals once again looked great in the trenches.
Grade: A
Linebacker: A
6 of 10
No Vontaze Burfict, no problem for the Bengals.
The main concern against the Texans was stopping the run through strong tackling. For the most part, that was not an issue, as Rey Maualuga's second game back once again had a strong impact on the unit.
SiriusXM NFL Radio breaks down Maualuga's big play in the second half:
"Bengals start the second half with a pick! Rey Maualuga with the interception and Cincy takes over on the Texans' 22! #CINvsHOU
— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) November 23, 2014"
Maualuga finished with six total tackles, while Emmanuel Lamur had eight and Vincent Rey posted 10 to lead the team.
Tackling issues were there at times, but it is quite difficult to complain about the stellar day turned in by the unit, especially considering it was missing its best player.
Grade: A
Secondary: B
7 of 10
Terence Newman returned Sunday for the Bengals and had a positive impact on the entire secondary, although it helps that the unit was playing a quarterback making his second pro start.
Newman had a dropped pick in the first half, but he was otherwise solid in coverage, as was Leon Hall. Adam Jones had a spotty day, but some of that was his being exploited on mismatches against much bigger players such as Andre Johnson.
George Iloka had another strong performance, notching four total tackles and a major pass swatted away at the line of scrimmage in the red zone in the third quarter. Reggie Nelson was right there with him at four tackles of his own.
It is a good day for any secondary when Garrett Graham is the leading receiver for the opposition. That was the case Sunday, as the Bengals held Johnson and a number of other talented targets in check for most of the game, with a strong assist from Mallett.
Grade: B
Special Teams: A
8 of 10
It was a quiet day for the Bengals in Houston when it came to special teams.
Kicker Mike Nugent was asked to step on the field just twice and connected on both attempts, one being a 49-yard bomb near the end of the game.
Punter Kevin Huber was once again in pristine form. His four attempts went for 193 yards and pinned the Texans inside their own 20-yard line four times.
Corner Adam Jones had a strangely quiet day on returns, while the return specialists for the Texans were kept in check.
All things considered, an ability to consistently win the field-position battle quietly played a huge part in Sunday's win.
Grade: A
Coaching: B
9 of 10
It was an up-and-down day for the Bengals coaching staff in Houston.
On one hand, how Hue Jackson and his staff utilized Hill and Bernard together was better than they have done all season long. The results showed on the field. Paul Guenther's defense was never really out of position or showing strange looks, either.
But coach Marvin Lewis was prone to his usual clock-management gaffes, as Bleacher Report's Andrea Hangst noted:
"The clock management for the Bengals as the half winds down is just poor.
— Andrea Hangst (@FBALL_Andrea) November 23, 2014"
It is tough to figure this one out, though. As bad as Lewis was with the clock, including two burnt timeouts in the second half when his team might have needed them late, he did win both of his challenges.
Call it a wash and a predictable day for the coaching staff. The talent was put in a strong position to succeed against a dangerous opponent, which is priority No. 1 right now.
Grade: B
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | B |
| RB | A |
| WR/TE | A |
| OL | C |
| DL | A |
| LB | A |
| Secondary | B |
| Special Teams | A |
| Coaching | B |
| Cumulative Grade | B+ |
Minus a gaffe of an interception, some strange clock work by the coaching staff and a miserable game from the referees, Sunday was as pretty as it gets for the Bengals.
Dalton and the wealth of talent around him all seemed to come up big. Dunlap and his defensive line held strong. Nelson, Hall and Dunlap all came up big late on defense, as they had all game long.
Sunday was the team's first taste of serious consistency since Week 3. A three-game road trip has now started with a pair of wins and will finish against the reeling 2-9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
If Cincinnati is to continue its strong run of form, it's critical the road trip finishes with a win, as three of the team's final four games are of the AFC North variety. The outlier is a date with Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.
Cincinnati is winning when it should right now, which is a strong sign for the final portion of the season.
All stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com as of 4 p.m. ET on Nov. 23, unless otherwise specified.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
