Bengals vs. Bills: Cincinnati Grades, Notes and Quotes
As any team worthy of undefeated standing should, the Cincinnati Bengals took care of business in Week 6 ahead of their bye with a 34-21 road victory against the Buffalo Bills.
Andy Dalton's offense looked rather routine, if not business-like as he tossed three scores with no turnovers, and Giovani Bernard rushed for one on the ground. The defense played a strong complementary role, picking off Buffalo backup EJ Manuel once and mostly keeping things in check.
Cincinnati clutched a three-point lead by the half despite scoring first, but pulled away out of the gates in the second as Buffalo didn't score again until less than seven minutes remained in the final frame.
While maybe not as exciting as the team's comeback win against the Seattle Seahawks the week before, Cincinnati's triumph Sunday goes a long way toward keeping the rest of the AFC North at arm's length.
Within, let's take a look at the instant notes and quotes surrounding the victory.
Position Grades for Bengals
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| Position | Grade |
| QB | A+ |
| RB | B |
| WR | A |
| TE | A |
| OL | A |
| DL | B |
| LB | B |
| DB | C |
| Special Teams | B |
| Coaching | B |
Dalton deserves most of the praise again for yet another strong day, but it's also time to take the hats off for tackle Andrew Whitworth and the offensive line for turning things around after a season-worst performance against the Seahawks, as Dalton wasn't sacked once.
Also impressive, as expected, was Dalton's vast amount of weapons. Marvin Jones led the team with nine grabs for 95 yards and a score while tight end Tyler Eifert came up big with four for 30 and his score.
More interesting were the running backs. Jeremy Hill caught a touchdown, but once again looked sluggish despite carrying the ball more times than Bernard, gaining just 56 yards on 16 carries.
On the defensive side of things, the only major complaint—once again—is the allowance of big splash plays. Buffalo's LeSean McCoy was able to gain 90 yards and a score on 17 totes, taking full advantage of missed tackles.
The secondary also gave up frequent big plays through the air on lapses in coverage, something that has plagued the unit all season.
Otherwise, coordinator Paul Guenther's unit kept what could have been an explosive offense in check on the road, backup quarterback under center or not.
From a coaching standpoint, there weren't any major gaffes, although the inability to weed out defensive miscues six games into the season hurts the grade.
Andy Dalton Makes History
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He might not be the subject of wild national attention, but Dalton continues to churn away with no signs of slowing this year.
For those counting, Sunday's rather nonchalant trio of scores puts him at 14 on the season, which puts him in a rather historic light, as ESPN Stats and Info pointed out: "Fourteen TD passes for Andy Dalton this season, second-most through the first six games of a season by a Bengals QB (Boomer Esiason had 15 in 1988)."
It has just been this sort of hot start for the Bengals—1988 continues to pop up. This team is the first to hit 5-0 since the 1988 team, which is the last time the organization appeared in a Super Bowl.
Now this team's quarterback has matched the 1988 squad's Boomer Esiason. The parallels aren't hard to figure out. If Dalton and Co. can use the bye to get healthy and figure out how to keep rolling, the trends could continue.
Marvin Jones Continues to Roll
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Given the athleticism of the Buffalo defense's linebackers and the sheer skill of its outside corners, the Bengals needed someone other than A.J. Green and Eifert to step up in the passing game Sunday in Buffalo.
Shocker—it was Jones.
Jones, who missed all of last season—and it showed in a big way on the field—stepped up with his nine grabs and a score to keep the chains moving, even scoring in an acrobatic, yards-after-the-catch fashion.
Green and Eifert didn't have bad games per se, but great teams can and will eliminate the offense's first two options. Jones, however, continues to prove he can rise to the occasion and lift the unit when necessary.
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Injuries Pile on Late
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One of the keys for the Bengals going into the matchup with the Bills?
Stay healthy.
Cincinnati has been able to do so in the games leading up to Sunday, which is a large part of the reason the team remains undefeated—just look at Buffalo, which played without its starter under center and had No. 1 wideout Sammy Watkins leave the game after catching a touchdown.
Unfortunately for the Bengals, the team lost defensive end Michael Johnson and corner Darqueze Dennard to injuries late in the game, per NFL Network's Albert Breer: "Last few minutes here a little costly for Bengals ... Both Michael Johnson and Darqueze Dennard come out with injuries."
It's never good to lose players in garbage time with the game already in hand, but if there's a silver lining, the Bengals have an extra week to heal.
In an ideal world, the Bengals would have hit the bye fully healthy, but if there was a time to get banged up, it was now.
Andy Dalton: 'Exactly What You Want to Be'
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Undefeated.
It might be the most used word in the Queen City right now, and for good reason. For Dalton, this was the expectation once the team saw the schedule earlier this year.
ESPN.com's Coley Harvey captured his thoughts on the matter: "When you see the schedule and you see the bye, this is exactly what you want to be—undefeated. We just have to keep it going ... We'll get a chance to get fresh now. It's a 10-week season after that."
There were perceived hurdles on the schedule before the season. Going West is tough. San Diego, Baltimore and Kansas City were viewed as playoff hopefuls. Seattle is Seattle, and Buffalo had a new regime and plenty of talent.
Yet here are the Bengals. Sometimes belief is half the battle, and there's no arguing the season couldn't have started better.
Marvin Lewis Comments on Undefeated
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Ready for the other end of the spectrum?
A head coach's job would be to stay grounded, not celebrate, lead by example, the roo-rah sort of thing. It's the stance head coach Marvin Lewis took in Buffalo after the win Sunday, as Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer captured: "Lewis says about tying franchise start mark. 'Are a minuscule part of history.'"
That's one way to keep the team hungry.
Lewis isn't wrong, of course. The AFC North isn't as cut-and-dry as some would think with the Pittsburgh Steelers winners of two in a row despite the continued absence of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
There's quite a wait to see if the players buy into Lewis' approach. They certainly have so far.
Marvin Lewis Pt. II
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It should go without saying by now: Lewis isn't one to sugarcoat things.
Jay Morrison of Cox Media Group provided yet another example after Sunday's win: "Marvin: 'Still our own worst enemy at times, but I'm glad we got the win.'"
Again, the man isn't wrong. This time the notion applies especially to the defensive side of the ball. Certain lapses and continued missed tackles might have made Sunday's affair a much, much different outcome if the Bills had Tyrod Taylor under center and Watkins for the full game.
Then again, that's playing the "what if?" game. It's clear, though, Lewis wants the team to focus on and clean up the negatives or the celebrations will prove quite short-lived.
Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
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