“A win is a win.” That seems to be the sentiment for week 16 when it comes to the Cincinnati Bengals.
No matter how lousy it was on Christmas Eve, Zac Taylor and the boys improve to 11-4, winning their seventh in a row. Here are the best and worst of those performances.
Good
Most Joe Burrow:
When you watch most of this game, Burrow has set up a clinic. He diced one of the best pass defenses in the league, whether by “50-50 balls” (which always seem to be tilted in Cincinnati’s favor due to their receivers and ball placement), beauties short and intermediate, or the deep penny to Ja’Marr Chase inside the Patriots 5-yard line, he was dealing.
… my word, Joe Burrow had RIPS yesterday. He might have a highlight reel on his INCOMPLETIONS lol
We don’t show a ton of All-22s on our show, but I’ll keep fighting the good fight! pic.twitter.com/Lq1Ux24yzD
-Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) December 25, 2022
Even on plays that weren’t made, like the potential fingertip touchdown at Trenton Irwin, Burrow hit a number of pretty passes all day. A few weird interceptions marred the stat line, but it was mostly Nine beauties all day.
Tee and Trenton:
Tee Higgins is a monster. Sure, there are the occasional easy falls, but he absolutely smashes “50-50 balls” and his size allows him to box defensive backs with as much ease as a high schooler taking on sixth graders in basketball. school.
Meanwhile, with Tyler Boyd experiencing ongoing issues with his dislocated finger, Trenton Irwin has stepped up admirably. He had two great touchdowns on Saturday and was an eyelash away from a hat trick (would Boyd have scored that one?).
Irwin, like so many others on this list, has stepped up with others suffering unfortunate injuries.
Rhondre Stevenson’s breakaway:
In the magical seasons that teams experience, unlikely plays with the passing of time usually help write history. For the 2022 Cincinnati Bengals, one of those seemingly impossible moments happened with 55 seconds left in the game.
Faced with what seemed to be a safe and late lead and the eventual end of the six-game winning streak, the Bengals’ defense pulled another metaphorical rabbit out of its hat and…voila: seven-game winning streak. It’s the team’s second-longest winning streak since the 2015 Bengals had a special season, despite coming to an end.
Either way, these types of games in favor of one team are the callbacks when recounting a Lombardi season years later in a documentary.
Defense :
We can pinpoint the first two quarters more accurately, but, in reality, Cincinnati’s defense was only responsible for 12 of New England’s 18 points (six picks). A timely turnover, four sacks on Mac Jones and a first-half shutout all indicated pure dominance, despite a few flukey plays against them.
Find a way :
When you’re stringing together wins and curating a special season, getting the ugliest wins can be the most satisfying. That dominance became hugely disappointing, only to see the Bengals continue their magic streak and improve to 11-4.
The bad
Miscommunication from quarterback receiver:
Burrow’s two interceptions that day appeared to stem from a rare miscommunication between him and his excellent receivers. Boyd appeared to have stopped short on a road moving inland, where Burrow thought he was going to continue.
On pick six, Chase took the high road while Burrow was clearly expecting him to take the out road. We’re not sure who was right or wrong about that (Burrow and Boyd were seen arguing after the first pick), but that can’t happen with the Bills, Ravens and whoever else on deck. in the playoffs.
Limping to the finish line? :
Sam Hubbard missed this one, Trey Hendrickson played limited shots, and Boyd is still bothered by his finger. Add in other wide receivers and secondary injuries in the recent past and Cincinnati has a big regrouping to do for a playoff run.
Complicating matters greatly is La’el Collins’ season-ending knee injury. Hakeem Adeniji is the next man up there, but it’s a blow to a unit that was starting to show a lot of cohesion lately.
Still, despite Collins’ absence, the Bengals are slowly getting healthier across the board. Things have been tough over the past few weeks.
The ugly one
The second half of implosion:
We know it’s Bill Belichick and it’s home, but losing a three-touchdown lead in two quarters? ! It took a bit of everything to get the Patriots back in this one, but it happened and nearly created what would have been one of the most frustrating losses in recent Bengals history.
Self-inflicted errors:
Part of New England’s comeback came in the form of missed opportunities for Cincinnati to take control of this game. The aforementioned two interceptions were the big culprits, but there were other incredibly frustrating moments.
One had to be the two-game streak midway through the fourth quarter. Down to 22-12, Cincinnati barely missed a touchdown to Irwin, then opted for field placement to see him sail wide. The Bengals kicker also left five more points on the board.
The kickers:
Saturday was difficult for both kickers. As mentioned, “Money Mac” was anything but on Christmas Eve, missing a field goal attempt and two extra points. Nick Folk didn’t do much better on home turf, missing two extra points himself.
Obviously the weather was rough and one of the end zones had this “swirling wind”, and it’s hard to attribute it solely to McPherson when Folk was also having issues. But, this is the time of year when McPherson has to pump that ice through his veins again, as he and the Bengals will be in other treacherous situations/places in the future.
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