Bengals Stock Report: Who’s up and who’s down this week
We live in unusual times as Bengals fans. Coming off a magical run to the Super Bowl, our football team was part of the national consciousness. The Bengals were scheduled for five primetime games and we had our quarterback being prominently featured as one of the faces of the league. There hadn’t been a time in the past three decades when the Cincinnati Bengals stock held more value. Then the season began. Our team started 0-2 and that stock began to fall. Now—five weeks later—we find ourselves here: Winners of four out of our last five games and starting to heat up. Once again, Who-Dey stock is hot. Here’s a breakdown:
Stock Up:
Joe Burrow. Week one seems like an aberration now. After 4 INTs in that opening Steelers game, Joey Franchise has 16 TDs and 1 INT since. In the last two weeks alone, Joe Burrow is 62 of 79 (78.5 completion percentage) for 826 yards and eight total touchdowns (six passing, two rushing) with no turnovers. On Sunday, he became the first player in NFL history to register multiple 500-plus yard and four TD games. All the NFL MVP talk thus far this year has centered on Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes, but Joey B is knocking at the door and about to crash that party.
Ja’Marr Chase. Joe and Ja’Marr will forever be linked. As one of them goes, so goes the other it seems. Kept relatively in check through the first five weeks (ask his fantasy managers), Numero Uno is now en fuego. In the last two weeks, he’s caught 15 balls for 262 yards and four TDs. In the last two games, he turned what seemed to be a couple pedestrian catches into house-calls. On Sunday, he hauled in a 15-yard reception at the sideline then pivoted into the middle of the field through the teeth of the Atlanta defense and outran multiple Falcons to pay dirt. The griddy endzone celebration is becoming commonplace again.
Lou Anarumo’s unheralded defense. This Bengals D has yet to allow a touchdown in the second half. Zilch, nada. After shutting down the great Patrick Mahomes in the second half of the AFC Championship Game last year, this defense has continued that same clutch play through seven games this season. They’ve achieved this while demonstrating some impressive depth. With critical starters D.J. Reader and Logan Wilson out, other players have stepped into the void to make key plays this week. Akeem Davis-Gaither led the team in tackles. Jay Tufele had six tackles and a critical TFL. Zach Carter held down the middle. Joseph Ossai got a sack. Cam Taylor-Britt played nearly the entire second half at cornerback. It’s time for the national media to give Lou Anarumo his due. This combination of performance and player development is a product of great coaching.
Chidobe Awuzie. One member of this D that deserves more credit is cornerback Awuzie. Chido hasn’t allowed a touchdown all year. On Sunday, he had an impressive stop on Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts (who’s 40 pounds heavier and 6 feet taller), on the goal line. Chido is a shut-down corner who’s playing as well as any cornerback in the league.
Stock Down:
Eli Apple. Apple got burnt by a Falcon who hadn’t caught a ball all year for a 75-yard touchdown. Apple quickly found himself watching Cam Taylor-Britt take the majority of snaps for the remainder of the game at his usual spot. Coach Zac Taylor said that personnel move was pre-planned, hoping to work Taylor-Britt into the lineup more. Maybe it just seemed coincidental that it occurred immediately after Apple gave up a long touchdown?
Early Season Panic. After the 0-2 start, the panic on Bengals Twitter seemed to be reaching epidemic proportions. It was the reaction of a fanbase that had become accustomed to decades of disappointment. Coach Taylor and Joe Burrow both voiced the same message at press conferences that week: Our team is not panicking. Their message to the fan base was essentially “Just relax.” Now at 4-3 and right back into the discussion again, the panic of Bengals fans has turned to growing optimism. Who-Dey?!
Jon Bunch is an avid life-long Bengals fanatic. Raised in the 740. West Pointer, Army and Iraq War Veteran. Passionate evangelist of the Who-Dey spirit. @WhoDeyBunch
