By Sebastián Vallejo. Follow your project on @HolyRollerNFL
The Cincinnati Bengals improved to 4-2 on the season by defeating the winless Detroit Lions 34-11 at Ford Field on this Sunday of Week 6 of the 2021 NFL Season.
After a mediocre first half by the Bengals offense, the unit caught fire in the second half. Cincinnati’s first drive in the second half put them up 17-0 and also the game out of reach for the Lions.
Head Coach Zac Taylor opted for a fourth down from the 40-yard line and Joe Burrow found a wide-spread Joe Mixon who ran for a 40-yard touchdown.
The #Bengals elected to go for it on 4th & 1 from the DET 40; and the decision paid off (Mixon 40-yard TD reception).
The NGS Decision Guide agreed with Zac Taylor’s call, recommending “go for it” by a 3.4% difference in expected win probability.#CINvsDET | #RuleTheJungle pic.twitter.com/m2trb7eTfr
– Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) October 17, 2021
Burrow completed touchdown passes to Chris Evans, CJ Uzomah and Mixon in the victory. Rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase continues to make explosive plays for the Bengals’ offense and caught four passes for 97 yards.
The Bengals defense kept the Lions out of the end zone for most of the game. Detroit’s only touchdown in the game came with less than three minutes to go and most of Cincinnati’s starters were taken out of the game to avoid risking injury.
Learn the names of the young Bengals offense
Chris Evans could be moving up the Cincinnati depth roster as the team’s second RB after his performance against the Lions. This sixth-round pick from Michigan recorded his first NFL touchdown in Detroit.
Samaje Perine has been Joe Mixon’s backup all season and was placed on the COVID-19 reserve list on Monday and was unable to play. Evans made the most of his opportunities and is likely to gain more playing time in the future because of that. The tall and heavy running back caught three passes for 49 yards and a touchdown against the Lions. No one will be able to replace Joe Mixon’s work, but what a reassurance Bengals fans must feel knowing they have some good backfield talent.
Also, heading into this game it was unclear who would start as the Bengals’ right guard. Rookie second-round pick Jackson Carman was placed on the team’s COVID-19 reserve list on Monday and did not practice until Friday. Zac Taylor said Trey Hill, Cincinnati’s sixth-round pick this year, would be an option because of Carman’s limited practice reps.
That’s how it was at first: The Bengals started with Hill the rookie being benched quickly after taking two penalties early in the first quarter. Carman then took over as right guard, but suffered an injury in the third quarter and was taken to the locker room. The Bengals say Carman suffered an illness and did not return to the game.
It’s unclear at this point what Carman’s injury is, but either way, the Bengals’ depth and talent as a right guard might be the biggest question on offense right now.
Trey Hendrickson brings level of pass-rusher of Elite
When the Bengals signed the pass rusher Trey Hendrickson with a four-year deal worth $ 60 million this offseason, expectations were high. After all, he was coming off a season where he had 13.5 sacks in 2020.
Not only has he lived up to what Cincinnati expected for his defense, but he’s playing as well as any other elite pass-rusher in the NFL right now. Hendrickson has 4.5 sacks on the season so far and only nine players have more sacks than he does. Not only did he sack Goff, but he also put two pressures on the quarterback and made it difficult for the Detroit veteran all day.
Be careful with this Bengals defense who doesn’t make a lot of noise, but he can get the job done.
Detroit’s defensive rookies bring some hope
The only positive about this game was the defense, even if they couldn’t hold the game. Newbies in particular are stepping up. Jerry Jacobs drew an incredibly difficult matchup against Ja’Marr Chase, but held his ground for most of the game. He is probably credited for allowing 53 yards late in the game, but it looks like he needed more help from the safeties. For someone who was the stand-in for Jeff Okudah, he passed his first test.
The rookies on the defensive line are really shining, showing that the Lions made some good picks on Day 2 of the 2021 Draft. Alim McNeill continues to be a nuisance to opposing offenses. A healthy Levi Onwuzurike has shown great movements of pass-rush. As for the rest, Derrick Barnes is a breath of fresh air in coverage, including a clean defense on tight end Drew Sample to save a touchdown. His chasing ability is unmatched in this group, and AJ Parker has calmed down after his strong start, but he’s still playing admirably well in the deep zone.
It’s unfortunate that all of this success is being wasted by an offense that can’t stay on the field, but in a season where wins and losses don’t matter outside of Draft position, seeing some positives from the youngsters is good.
Time to bench Goff?
The Lions are 0-6 for the first time since 2008… when they finished 0-16.
Dan Campbell played TE for that team. pic.twitter.com/5rvpz5qg2f
– NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 17, 2021
If something has prevailed with this staff, it is that they need to earn your snaps every week. Breshad Perriman did not make the roster after struggling in the preseason. Jamie Collins was released despite being a starter; Trinity Benson was benched despite a group of wide receivers facing injuries; Derrick Barnes is playing well and growing. So the Lions must come to the conclusion that Jared Goff is not doing enough to win the starting job.
David Blough is no better quarterback than Goff and of course he doesn’t magically make the Lions a playoff team either, but what Goff would do on the bench is send a message that nothing will be given to him for free. It would seem hypocritical to emphasize the importance of competitiveness within the team without applying that same logic to the quarterback position.
What did you think of this victory for the Bengals? What can the Lions do to get out of the bottom of the NFL? We read you under the comments of this article and on our social networks.