Advertisement

Cincinnati Bengals improve under new OC, but lose in OT to Green Bay Packers

By Jeff Moore, The Sports Xchange
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (14) throws under pressure from the Philadelphia Eagles defense during the second half of play at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, December 4, 2016. Photo by John Sommers II /UPI
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (14) throws under pressure from the Philadelphia Eagles defense during the second half of play at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, December 4, 2016. Photo by John Sommers II /UPI | License Photo

CINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati Bengals showed improvement Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field although they still lost to the Green Bay Packers, 27-24, in overtime.

Last Monday, the Bengals fired offensive coordinator Ken Zampese, who was with the team since 2013. They handed the job to Bill Lazor, who was told to get the offense in gear. He needed to make quarterback Andy Dalton more comfortable in the pocket, find more touches for five-time Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Green, and get more production from a paltry rushing attack.

Advertisement

After opening the season without a touchdown in eight quarters, the Bengals finally broke through less than six minutes into Sunday's game with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Dalton to Green. Dalton also threw a well-executed six-yard touchdown pass to Giovani Bernard as the Bengals built a 21-7 halftime lead.

Advertisement

Dalton finished 21 of 27 for 212 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions. Green caught 10 passes out of 13 targets for 111 yards and a touchdown. Rookie running back Joe Mixon rushed for 62 of the Bengals' 110 yards on the ground.

In the end, however, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers did what Aaron Rodgers often does at Lambeau -- rally Green Bay with three drives of 70 or more yards, including one 70-yard jaunt which resulted in the deciding field goal.

"We've got to finish things," said head coach Marvin Lewis on Monday. "We had a chance to win the football game. Got to close the game out. I've got to get them to do their jobs throughout."

Cincinnati is 0-3 and left to wonder how things might have looked if those offensive changes were made earlier. And, how different Sunday's game could have been if they converted a key third-and-1, not missed a 48-yard field goal in the third quarter, or got a third-down stop on one of those Rodgers' drives.

"Defensively, we have to be more consistent," Lewis said. "We can't have the chunk plays we gave up yesterday. We did a good job in the pass rush early in the day. We have to stay consistent and disciplined in the rush."

Advertisement

Cincinnati plays at Cleveland this Sunday. Only three teams that started 0-3 have reached the playoffs since the current playoff format was adopted. None since 1998.

Bengals LB Vontaze Burfict today was granted by the NFL a three-day roster exemption, which allows him to return to team activities after serving a league suspension for Games 1-3.

Burfict (6-1, 255) is a sixth-year player. His exemption expires at 4 p.m. Thursday.

"We just have to keep pushing," said running back Jeremy Hill. "We have a lot of savvy veteran guys in this locker room. Obviously not a lot of us have been here before, but that won't stop us from practicing hard and trying to execute at a high level because it is still a long season. We are just going to take it one game at a time."

Looking around the roster:

--Cornerback William Jackson's first career interception was a 75-yard pick-six off Rodgers in the first half Sunday. It was especially satisfying for Jackson after missing his entire rookie season with a training camp injury last year, when he was the 24th player selected in the draft.

Advertisement

"I kind of read them," said Jackson, of the interception that gave the Bengals' a 21-7 lead in the second quarter. "I kind of baited him. It was an out-route. I broke on it slow and then I drove on it. Thank God I made the play."

--Tight end Tyler Eifert missed practice last week after tweaking a nagging back issue. He underwent back surgery during the offseason and appeared to be fully recovered by training camp. Eifert was expected to be a prime passing target, but has only four catches.

REPORT CARD VS. PACKERS

--PASSING OFFENSE: B-minus - The pass offense was much better on Sunday, but Andy Dalton missed a couple of throws he should make. Dalton was 21 of 27 for 212 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He was sacked twice. The intention was to get A.J. Green the ball more often, and it resulted in 10 catches on 13 targets for 111 yards and a TD.

--RUSHING OFFENSE: B-minus - The plan was to give rookie Joe Mixon more touches this week and he responded with 62 yards on 18 carries including one 20-yard run. Mixon also had three catches for 39 yards. Giovani Bernard rushed for 25 of his 27 yards on one run. Jeremy Hill averaged just 3.3 yards over his seven carries. Cincinnati rushed for 110 yards.

Advertisement

--PASS DEFENSE: C - Aaron Rodgers was sacked six times and had a pick-six. But, when it counted late in the second half, the Bengals' were unable to contain the veteran QB. Rodgers had three second-half drives of 70 or more yards. On third-and-10 in OT, Rodgers found Geronimo Allison open for a 72-yard gain to set up the winning field goal.

--RUSH DEFENSE: B - The Bengals limited Green Bay to 64 yards on 17 carries. The Packers averaged 3.8 yards per rush. The longest run from scrimmage on Sunday was 3.8 yards. Linebacker Nick Vigil played well again with three tackles and four assists.

--SPECIAL TEAMS: C - Randy Bullock missed a 48-yard attempt that was made longer by a penalty. But, it proved to be a key miss when Aaron Rodgers and the Packers tied the score to send the game into overtime in the closing seconds of regulation.

--COACHING: B - The offense was more efficient and showed a few new wrinkles in the first game under new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor. But, the overall result was the same with Cincinnati falling to 0-3. The Bengals were penalized seven times for 68 yards and lost a fumble. Head coach Marvin Lewis and the coaching staff will be tested in the coming weeks to see if they can rally this team under difficult circumstances.

Advertisement

Latest Headlines