Rams vs. Bengals: Cincinnati Grades, Notes and Quotes

The Cincinnati Bengals took care of business Sunday, snapping a two-game skid with a 31-7 dismissal of the St. Louis Rams.

Call it a day at the office for one of the league's best teams after a pair of close losses. The Rams entered a dangerous team with nothing to lose and a budding superstar running back, only to leave with another loss on record, one touchdown and just 29 rushing yards by running backs.

Cincinnati, on the other hand, rediscovered the running game and got three touchdown passes from Andy Dalton while the defense cleaned up against a one-dimensional attack.

Within, let's take a look at the immediate reaction from the Bengals and some of the biggest talking points.

Position Grades for Bengals

Frank Victores/Associated Press

Quarterback: A

What's there to say about Dalton?

He got sloppy with one pass on the day and threw an interception, but he was otherwise sharp on a 20-27 effort for 233 yards and three touchdowns against what was a strong St. Louis defense before the game.

Some throws could have been better, but it was another strong effort by Dalton.

Running back: A

Sunday marked the return of Jeremy Hill, who managed 86 yards on 16 carries while complement Giovani Bernard struggled to find room.

Hill's performance was a boon for the Bengals and perhaps a sign of things to come.

Wide Receiver: A

A.J. Green led the way for the Bengals, catching six passes for 61 yards and two scores, putting his body on the line over the middle and otherwise taking advantage of soft coverages.

The other notable here was Marvin Jones, who took his one carry for 30 yards to put the team in field-goal range.

Tight End: A+

Another quality day for Tyler Eifert, who caught three passes for 40 yards and a score before leaving the game early.

Once again it was clear Dalton can look Eifert's way all day and there isn't much a defense can do about it.

Offensive Line: A

After a rough couple of weeks, the Cincinnati offensive line turned things around Sunday despite a potent St. Louis pass rush led by Aaron Donald.

By game's end, Dalton hadn't suffered a sack, nor was he under pressure often. The key now is carrying the performance forward.

Defensive Line: A+

It's hard to put the performances of Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins into words, so the above grade will have to do.

Both were all over the place in both aspects of the game, pressuring Nick Foles and helping to shut down Todd Gurley before he could ever get going. Domata Peko and others pitched in, too.

Linebacker: B

Another game with Vontaze Burfict in the lineup, another strong performance against the rush.

Cincinnati linebackers flew to the ball Sunday, helping put an end to most short work outside of two large rushes by Tavon Austin, but the blame goes to the entire unit.

Defensive Back: A

No complaints here. Leon Hall took one of the team's three picks back for a score while the veteran unit took advantage of wobbly passes from a quarterback under pressure.

Special Teams: A

There wasn't anything of note on special teams, which is mostly a good thing. Cincinnati kept explosive St. Louis returners in check and even drew a flag when punter Kevin Huber got hit, extending a drive.

Coaching: B

Kudos to Marvin Lewis and Co. for bringing a game plan that helped the team move past a two-game skid.

The offense didn't over-think itself this time out and the defense put the clamps down on an offense that has an affinity for trickery. Perhaps the only negative was timeout usage, but that's a weekly thing at this point with Lewis.

Jeremy Hill Comes Alive

Frank Victores/Associated Press

It looks like Hill is back to his old ways.

As mentioned, Hill carried the ball 16 times for 86 yards, good for a 5.4 per-carry average—just his second time this year posting an average of better than four yards per carry.

Observers didn't need stats Sunday, though. One could simply see from the way Hill's legs kept moving from the snap that the hesitation and lack of confidence that had plagued his season to date wasn't there against the Rams.

It's not easy to carve out such yardage against a game St. Louis defense. If the Bengals are lucky, it's the beginning of a serious second-half surge from their lead back.

Run Defense Remains Strong

Gary Landers/Associated Press

First things first—the Cincinnati defense let up 63 yards on four carries and a touchdown to Austin, a wideout. But it's something the Rams do well, and honestly, defenses such as Cincinnati will live with the fluke run every once in a while.

Especially when the base defense holds a back as talented as Gurley to nine carries for 19 yards.

Cincinnati has struggled with the run at times this year, but not often since Burfict returned to the lineup. Sunday was just another example of what the unit can do, even if game flow and getting ahead helped.

What most figured would be a major strength for the Rams turned into a dud, which is a testament to the efforts of the Cincinnati defense.

Key Injuries Late

Gary Landers/Associated Press

Cincinnati had a massive lead for most of the game but decided to keep some notable starters in the lineup into the fourth quarter.

It turned out to be an iffy decision at best as several key names suffered injuries.

According to the Cincinnati Enquirer's Paul Dehner Jr., Hill hurt his ankle. As WCPO's John Popovich pointed out, Burfict suffered the same fate. ESPN's Coley Harvey later revealed that Eifert left with a stinger and Emmanuel Lamur an ankle issue.

That's a laundry list of names the team doesn't want to see, but with any luck, none is serious and the lack of the players returning was a result of the game, not the severity. Stay tuned.

Marvin Lewis Talks Offensive Line

Gary Landers/Associated Press

As mentioned, it was a great day for the Cincinnati offensive line led by left tackle Andrew Whitworth.

After weeks of surrendering multiple sacks of Dalton, the line encountered one of its biggest tests of the season in Donald yet held strong.

Harvey caught up with Lewis after the game to touch on the topic: "Marvin Lewis on keeping the pocket clean for Andy Dalton: 'It takes all 11 guys for that to happen, and it helps to stay out of third-and-longs against these guys on defense.' He was pleased with the blocking in the run game, too."

The fact Cincinnati got going on the ground and also shut down one of the league's best defensive tackles in the same game says quite a bit about where the Bengals are right now.

Some of the credit for the strong performance goes to the play-calling, but Whitworth and Co. still answered the call.

Adam Jones Updates Status

Frank Victores/Associated Press

Cincinnati missed top corner Adam Jones when he sat out with an injury as younger players such as Darqueze Dennard and others were forced into action while he watched from the sideline.

Jones suited up Sunday, though, and helped shut down St. Louis' iffy attack. Afterward, he revealed to Harvey that he did so despite not being 100 percent: "Bengals CB Adam Jones says he definitely wasn't 100 percent today ('Maybe 65,' he said). He added the two losses helped motivate him to play."

It's an admirable effort from Jones, no matter how much the team might have needed him to take on the Rams.

Regardless, so long as there are no setbacks, it appears Jones is back to form and healthy enough to play, a good sign as the team continues to push for the postseason.

Kevin Zeitler Talks Ground Game

Frank Victores/Associated Press

Cincinnati seemed to re-discover its run-first roots Sunday against the Rams. 

It seemed to be a question on the minds of most, and the impact on the field was obvious. For guard Kevin Zeitler, and surely the rest of the offense, it was—more than anything—fun.

Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer captured his thoughts: "It’s just fun. We were able to build on it, grind out a little bit."

Having fun is certainly part of the equation for winning teams. The Bengals might have broken free of their run-first shell this year, but Sunday served as an example of what they can do to a team when they decide to go that route. 

Don't be shocked if the approach pops up again soon.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.