Cincinnati Bengals Get Encouraging Sign from Role Players in Win vs. Bears

In what many proclaim as the most important game of the preseason, the Cincinnati Bengals shined Saturday night with a 21-10 win against the Chicago Bears while getting some key performances. 

Call it a breath of fresh air for the franchise one week removed from an embarrassing Monday loss to Tampa Bay in which everything capable of going wrong did, and then some.

Andy Dalton and the Bengals came out firing Saturday at Paul Brown Stadium, marching down the field for a touchdown on their first drive. Neither unit had many issues against a Chicago team looking more and more lost by the week.

The headlines, of course, will go to backup quarterback AJ McCarron. Dalton left as a precaution after a neck issue, so the pseudo-rookie came in and gunned for 149 yards and a score on a 12-of-17 effort, including some sharp passes.

Jeremy Rauch of Fox 19 in Cincinnati provided some details:

While fun and a great sign the team has finally managed to lock down a reliable backup, McCarron won't compete for the starting gig no matter who yells and how loud they do.

The other part of Rauch's note should be the focal point. Marvin Jones, who missed all of last year, made multiple great plays on the night. He's one of many role players the team needs to play well in order to sniff the postseason again.

Another? Running back and receiving threat Rex Burkhead, who continues to show up in glimpses with the first-team offense. He caught two passes for 35 yards and looks like one of the most underrated threats on the offense, regardless of whether he lines up in the backfield or the slot.

As Jay Morrison of Cox Media Group illustrated, the versatile weapon also put on a show on special teams:

The strong performances from lesser-known names continued on the defensive side of things, too.

There, end Wallace Gilberry put on a strong performance with multiple pressures, including one fans won't see in the stat sheet, per Morrison:

With Margus Hunt continuing to struggle and Will Clarke inconsistent, the defense needs Gilberry to bring such play into the regular season to help the rotation. Michael Johnson figures to be back, but if not, Gilberry will be more important than most figure.

A name most really won't know? Try 2011 fifth-round pick Chris Carter, drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He's been one of the best stories in Cincinnati's camp thus far. Saturday he showed why, pressuring the quarterback a few times and announcing his serious contention to steal a roster spot.

Richard Skinner of Local 12 in Cincinnati detailed just one instance:

Unannounced big performances are great, but so too is the simple fact the defense also improved on last week's miserable outing. Gone were the missed tackles, and in its place were solid showings by veterans such as A.J. Hawk and younger guys like Marcus Hardison.

In short, a game supposed to focus on the starters showed quite a lot about a deep Bengals team. The diverse weapons on offense flashed, meaning the separation issues that grounded it last year should stay in the past.

The lack of creative pressure and consistency appears a distant memory, too, especially if Paul Dawson continues to live up to the hype and coordinator Paul Guenther rolls the dice and gets creative with someone such as Carter at defensive end in passing situations.

Gary Landers/Associated Press

The big-name starters looked good, of course. Jeremy Hill cruised, A.J. Green brought in one-handed catches and Geno Atkins dominated any human being silly enough to line up across from him.

But Saturday, role players were the main takeaway. It's an element Cincinnati missed last year at skill positions and along the defense. One preseason game doesn't declare every problem fixed by any means, but it's a step in the right direction after an offseason of smart moves by the front office and effort by the players to improve.

With one game to go and a series of cuts inbound, the coaching staff won't get a lot of sleep in the near future.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and are accurate as of August 29. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.