Cincinnati Bengals Week 13 Stock Report
It takes one week and an encounter with the St. Louis Rams for a team like the Cincinnati Bengals to recover their stock and then some.
All kidding aside, Andy Dalton and the Bengals lambasted the hapless Rams in 31-7 fashion in Week 12, helping to erase a 10-6 loss to the Houston Texans and a 34-31 misfire against the Arizona Cardinals in the prior weeks.
Those losses didn't sink Cincinnati's stock by any means given the quality of the competition. Anything lost makes a return, too, after taking down what is supposedly a game St. Louis team with ease.
Within, let's take a moment to review the team's notable stock movers before it next turns its attention to a rematch with the Cleveland Browns.
Stock Up: Jeremy Hill
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Those who saw the beatdown of the Rams knew this was coming.
Jeremy Hill looked like a rookie against St. Louis, which is nothing but a great thing for those who understand his sophomore campaign's trajectory this year.
Hill bulldozed his way through opponents with confidence as a rookie last year once the coaching staff let him handle the bulk of the workload. But this year after a pair of early-season fumbles, Hill hadn't looked the same.
Until Sunday.
Against the Rams, Hill turned 16 opportunities into 86 yards for his best average and yardage total of the season. A touchdown would have been nice, but more important than any number was the fact he looked decisive and confident.
Hill's stock is at a season high. The Bengals have to hope he can keep it there.
Stock Down: Giovani Bernard
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For every action there's a reaction...or something along those lines.
Such is the case for Giovani Bernard, who looked like an observer like everyone else in the wake of Hill's strong game.
Bernard only received 10 carries, which he turned into 16 yards. It was a rough day on the ground, to say the least, but it was arguably as bad through the air, since he caught two passes for 51 yards.
That's no bad. The problem, though? A 45-yard gain ended in a fumble.
It was a performance to forget for Bernard, who still leads the team in rushing with 115 attempts for 581 yards. If his performance in tandem with Hill changes the structure of the rotation, though, Hill might soon assume every-down duties for the home stretch.
The idea would help the Bengals stay fresh, but it would hurt Bernard's individual stock.
Stock Up: Offensive Line
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Things looked gloomy at best for the Cincinnati offensive line going into an encounter with elite defensive tackle Aaron Donald.
After all, the Bengals had let up 10 sacks of Andy Dalton entering this past weekend. The weak point on the line, too, was center Russell Bodine, who would at times be alone and responsible for dealing with Donald.
So, of course, Bodine and Co. didn't surrender a sack all day.
As a result, the line paved the way for Hill on the ground, and Dalton went 20-of-27 for 233 yards and a trio of scores.
Whatever issues the Bengals battled with in the offensive trenches for a few weeks didn't show up against the Rams. The team is better for it, too, so keep an eye on the unit as the season begins to wind down.
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Stock Down: Tyler Eifert
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As a preface, Tyler Eifert is one of the league's most unstoppable players.
In fact, his 12 touchdowns put him on pace to at least match the record for touchdowns in a season by a tight end, held by Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots at 17.
Unless, of course, he misses time.
Missing time is now the concern with Eifert and the reason for his falling stock, as ESPN's Adam Schefter revealed Eifert might be out a while: "Tests on Bengals' TE Tyler Eifert’s neck today revealed no structural damage, but his status for Sunday is in question for now, per sources."
In a way, this is nitpicking, but few players feature dwindling stock on a team as great as this edition of the Bengals.
But for Eifert it is a sudden downward trajectory, both on an individual achievement level and the offense as a whole. Stay tuned.
Stock Up: Leon Hall
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Leon Hall hasn't earned much ink this season.
In large part this is because the reliable veteran has played quite well in his role and helped the defense transition to younger players in the secondary.
Sunday, though, Hall exploded back into the minds of everyone by intercepting a pass and returning it for a touchdown against the Rams.
By association, Hall's outburst boosts the stock of the entire secondary, which now has an interception in every game but two. For safety George Iloka, it's all about an uptick in communication this season.
"They've been hounding us in practice to make sure we over-communicate," Iloka said, according to ESPN.com's Coley Harvey. "As a secondary, we've just focused on that. I don't think we've had too many coverage busts since then. It's just key."
Hall is a massive part of this, whether he receives the proper amount of credit or not. Against the Rams, it was nice to see the veteran get deserved attention by making a huge play.
Stats courtesy of NFL.com and are accurate as of December 1. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
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