CINCINNATI — 1. My immediate reaction to the Bengals 21-20 loss at Seattle is that I really like this team. Even though the Bengals came up short by the smallest of margins, I am even more confident in my 9-7 season prediction than I was before Sunday’s game.
2. Just watching the game Sunday, it didn’t feel nearly as vanilla as the previous three years. The Bengals played with a purpose out on the field Sunday. The offense moved the ball consistently well throughout most of the game, and the defensive line made life rough for Russell Wilson. The Bengals came into this game as a 9.5-point underdog, but played like they belonged out on that field and to win the game.
3. It’s fair for any Bengals fan to think they should have won Sunday, and I agree with anyone who does. They outplayed Seattle, and somehow lost the game by one point. 395-161 in passing yards, 22-12 in first downs, 428-233 in total yards. That’s how much the Bengals outplayed Seattle statistically.
4. But where Seattle was able to win the game was with big plays. Rookie wide receiver DK Metcalf hauled in a 43-yard catch to put the Seahawks in the red zone on their second touchdown drive, and it was Tyler Lockett, who, of course, only made one catch, but one that was the biggest play of the game in reeling in a 44-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter.
5. In addition to Seattle’s big plays, the Bengals had some missed opportunities in the third quarter with all three possessions ending in a fumble, missed field goal and turnover on downs. The fumble killed, what was at the time, a lot of momentum the Bengals had, for they had just recovered a Seahawks fumble on the first play of the second half. The missed field goal was something not unusual for Randy Bullock, who has struggled to consistently hit long mid-range field goals to long field goals in of themselves, not to mention it put a bad ending to a drive highlighted by a 35-yard catch and run by Giovani Bernard. The turnover on downs is something that I don’t have a problem with because, in today’s game, most coaches are going to for it on 4th-and-1 on the opponent’s 35-yard line. It’s nice to finally have one on the Bengals sideline that is aggressive enough to go for it. The only problem was the call on the conversion attempt, a run to the right guard by Bernard, and the fact that it, once again, ended a promising drive. The Bengals moved the ball too well today to not put up enough points to win the game.
6. One player who helped move the ball as well as the Bengals did: John Ross. Ross had, undoubtedly, the best game of his career with seven receptions for 158 yards and two touchdowns. That’s the kind of game we all have been waiting for Ross to produce, and if there is any positive to take away from this game it’s that the coaching staff clearly is going to use John Ross frequently in the offensive game plans. His ability to run down the field on deep routes gives the Bengals offense another downfield threat to complement A.J. Green. Plus, if he can clean up his habit of dropping passes, he also can move the chains on out routes or crossing routes.
7. Joe Mixon looked rusty, to say the least. Six carries for just 10 yards? C’mon man. I’m trying not to be overly concerned with his stat line from today because the passing game was extremely effective, but it’s not just anywhere near the Joe Mixon we came to know last year. What’s worse is the run-blocking wasn’t good, once again, which is a concern going forward. It was reported after the game by my colleague at the Cincinnati Enquirer, Tyler Dragon, that the ankle injury he sustained in the game is something the Bengals aren’t too concerned about, but he’ll have a tough assignment next week against a much-improved and new-look San Francisco defensive line.
8. As much as two of the Bengals three turnovers were either fluky (Dalton’s fumble in the third quarter) and the fumble at the end of the game by Dalton (a terrible call by the officials, by the way), the fact that they committed three turnovers does call for some concern going forward because they did cost the Bengals some points, especially Dalton’s first fumble in the third quarter, when the Bengals had an opportunity to put Seattle in dire straits.
9. Speaking of another downfield threat, the fact that the Bengals were able to accumulate as many yards on offense as they did without A.J. Green is something to feel positive about. If the offense continues to operate at the same level they did today throughout the next few weeks, Green’s return could only make it that much better.
10. It feels like we’ve seen the Bengals lose games like this before, and that’s why this loss hurts. But from the play on the field Sunday, I think wins are coming for this team to provide even more of a sense of confidence. The effectiveness of the offense under the new coaching staff was evident today, and not leaving points out on the field should translate into wins going forward.
11. Next week’s game against San Francisco is a must-win, even though it’s only week two. The Bengals will not have even a shot at the playoffs if they fall to 0-2. They’re playing at home, and they’re coming off a game where they know they should have won because of how well they played. It’s a must-win game mainly from a mental standpoint. If they’re able to quickly translate their quality of play on the field into wins quickly, the confidence will grow quickly among the players and they will also further enhance their trust within the new coaching staff.
Let me be Frank and Cut to the Chase 