Bengals Stock Report: Reflecting on the blessings of this year’s Bengals
This is the time of year in which we pause to reflect, give thanks and be grateful for the blessings we have. In that spirit, here’s what I am thankful for this week as a Bengals fan.
Joe Burrow. Savor and appreciate what we are watching. I know it’s only year three for Burrow, but we may be presently living in the Golden Age of the finest quarterback this franchise will ever have.
Case in point: On Sunday, he became the third fastest quarterback to ever reach 10,000 yards passing. Without his best wide receiver and running back in the lineup against Pittsburgh, he went for 355 yards and four touchdowns. More than just his play, Burrow understands what’s important. After having masterfully engineered a 93-yard touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter that essentially put the coffin nails in our hated rival, Pittsburgh, Burrow yelled to the crowd “We the big dogs!” He gets it. He knows the Steelers rivalry matters.
Players answering the bell. Outside of Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Mixon have been the Bengals’ most important offensive players. The Bengals found themselves without both for the majority of the Steelers game. Samaje Perine had to step into the fray when Mixon was declared out with a concussion early in the game. Perine exceeded expectations. He hauled in three swing passes and, through sheer effort and will, converted them into touchdowns.
Perine’s first touchdown was reminiscent of his momentum-turning play in the AFC Championship Game as he walked a tightrope down the sideline to find paydirt. The day prior to the Steelers game, practice squad player Trenton Irwin was elevated to the active roster to help fill a spot left by Chase’s absence. Irwin, a former child TV star, then acted like he belonged by catching the first touchdown pass of his career and hauling in another long reception for 32 yards that was critical on another Bengals touchdown drive. Coach Zac Taylor awarded Irwin a game ball for his play and gave him the honor of leading the team breakdown and Who-Dey chant.
Special Teams play. Special teams, the third and underappreciated phase of football, came up big in Pittsburgh. The conditions at Acrisure Stadium can be treacherous on the kicking game with its unkempt field surface and penetrating wind. The conditions didn’t seem to phase Evan McPherson. McPherson was perfect on all three of his field goal attempts, with his showpiece being a 54 yarder that just crossed the uprights.
Trayveon Williams was the new kick returner and gave the return game a jolt. His 42-yard return following a Pittsburgh field goal jump-started the Bengals ensuing scoring drive.
Then there was the debut of punter Drue Chrisman. Getting his first opportunity after having patiently waited on the practice squad for the past year and a half, Chrisman twice pinned the Steelers inside their own 10-yard line. Chrisman also rose to the challenge by safely delivering a punt from deep within his own endzone. Chrisman was playing in place of 14-year veteran and longest tenured Bengal Kevin Huber. Huber and Chrisman have been locked in a competitive battle for the punting role over the last two seasons. Following his first punt, Chrisman was focused and wasn’t thinking about securing the football from his very first professional punt. Ultimately, that football got to Chrisman. The ball had been secured and delivered by Kevin Huber himself. Class move.
Germaine Pratt. Pratt will forever live in the hearts of Bengals fans for sealing the franchise’s first playoff victory in 31 years with a game-sealing interception last season. Pratt has taken a jump this year and is playing at a high level. Against Pittsburgh, he came up big with eight tackles including two key tackles for loss. Pro Football Focus, which grades defensive player performance, gave Pratt the second highest grade in the entire NFL for his display against Pittsburgh. Pratt has posted consecutive games with 90-plus PFF grades and is a top 20 graded linebacker in the league this season. Pratt and Logan Wilson have turned into one of the NFL’s best linebacker combos.
Playoff Hopes. Last year, the Bengals entered their bye week at 5-4 before they began their stretch run to the Super Bowl. This year, the Bengals had an identical 5-4 mark at the bye. That similarity gave hope to Bengals fans. This Steelers win on the road should intensify that hope.
To quote Joe Burrow: “This is one of my favorite wins since I’ve been here. Just a lot of adversity we fought through.”
The Bengals executed successfully on two long 90-plus yard scoring drives that saw Burrow deliver a perfect 11 for 11 with two TDs. The Bengals have become remarkably efficient in the red zone as well, converting for points on every one of their last 10 drives within the 20-yard line. Burrow has put together back-to-back games with a QB rating of 100-plus.
They are also starting to get their key pieces back. DJ Reader returned to man the middle of the defensive front against Pittsburgh. Chase is expected back within the next couple weeks. On Sunday, both the San Diego Chargers and New York Jets lost allowing the Bengals to jump back into the seventh and final playoff spot.
In this stretch run of seven remaining games, the Bengals will face six teams currently in playoff position: the Titans, Chiefs, Buccaneers, Patriots, Bills and Ravens. To get to the playoffs, these Bengals will most certainly earn it. To quote Burrow again: “I feel like we’ve had good momentum. This team is in a very good place.”
Beating Pittsburgh. There’s a German word called Schadenfreude. It means joy or pleasure in the misery and failure of others. That’s what I’m thankful for: the joy in beating the Pittsburgh Steelers. At their place. Two years in a row. There is bad blood between these two teams and fanbases, born out of the intense and hard fought bi-annual battles along the banks of the Ohio River.
The trademark dirty play by the Steelers reared its ugly head (again) towards the game’s conclusion when Steelers wide receiver George Pickens speared Tyler Boyd with his helmet and was ejected. With a record six super bowl titles in their trophy case, the Pittsburgh Steelers have long been the big dog on the porch. To quote Joe Burrow one final time: “We the big dogs (now)!” 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
