It’s been a good week for the Cincinnati Bengals. Before they managed to finagle potentially two first round draft picks for a player who would rather retire than play for them, they did just enough to beat the Indianapolis Colts and move to 4-2. It’s easy to look past that 4-2 record and see that, with the exception of Buffalo, they haven’t beaten a team with a winning record. But you can only beat the teams on your schedule, and right now the Bengals are doing enough to keep pace in the AFC North. Meanwhile the Colts fall to 0-6 and are looking more and more likely to be picking in the top three of the draft come April.
As for the game, the scoreboard flattered the Bengals, as the Colts were driving for potentially the game winning touchdown before a baffling decision by Pierre Garcon to try and lateral the ball to an offensive lineman led to a Carlos Dunlap fumble return to put the game out of reach. It was an inexcusable decision by Garcon that really killed the Colts off, as they once again showed just how tough life is without Peyton Manning.
It was a game that lacked dominant performances but had plenty of performances worth talking about nonetheless.
Cincinnati – Three Performances of Note
Rookie leading the way
Andy Dalton (+5.0) continues to look like a steal after being selected in the second round of the draft by the Bengals. Although he was definitely helped by an offensive line which allowed only two pressures all game, Dalton made the most of the support given as he turned in his best game as a pro so far. What impressed me the most was his accuracy downfield, completing all six of his throws over 10 yards. If you take away the one pass he had batted down at the line of scrimmage, Dalton completed 25 of 32 passes including four drops. A very efficient performance by the rookie and if he can keep putting together games like this on Sunday’s, coupled with the Bengals strong defense, then the Bengals have a shot in the tough AFC North.
How to make use of extra snaps
Everytime I see the Bengals play, I always come away impressed with Geno Atkins (+2.4), as he’s someone that always seems to find a way into the backfield. This game was no different with him getting three total pressures on Curtis Painter, and two tackles for loss against the Colts rushing attack. His best play of the game came with 4:54 to go in the 1st Quarter. On the play he blows right by Colts’ right guard Mike Pollak, and is already a yard and a half into the Colts backfield by the time Delone Carter gets the ball, leaving Carter no room for escape as Atkins picked up a tackle for a four yards. Atkins is seeing more snaps than he did a year ago and is making full use of the extra snaps that we at PFF were begging for.
Earning His Livings
Nate Livings (+3.9) is a guy who has taken his lumps so far in the NFL. A few good performances here and there but on the whole, disappointing. But on Sunday he turned in a solid performance where he just didn’t make mistakes. No penalties, no pressure on Dalton, no negatively graded plays. Often you’re looking for a player who dominates a game but in a game where there were few really dominant performances, I think it’s worth highlighting a player like Livings who avoided doing anything to hurt his team. Nate may not have been great, but his performance was solid across the board. Now let’s see if he can do against a set of defensive tackles that aren’t members of the Indianapolis Colts.
Indianapolis – Three Performances of Note
Mathis and Freeney
It’s not often that both Dwight Freeney (-2.3) and Robert Mathis (-1.9) will fail to generate any success as pass rushers but that’s exactly what happened here. On a combined 46 pass rush attempts, the often formidable duo combined for no pressure whatsoever. In fact, the only impact either had in the passing game was a batted pass by Mathis. Elsewhere on the Colts’ defensive line Jamaal Anderson (+1.2) continued his solid start to the year, outperforming Mathis in relief.
Bad enough to be benched
During this one, it looked like Jim Caldwell had finally had enough of the poor play of Jacob Lacey (-3.0). In coverage for just 22 plays, Dalton went after Lacey five times, with all five caught for an average of 13.4 yards a catch. That’s before we even mention his two missed tackles. His replacement, Terrance Johnson (+1.2) fared better, only yielding one catch for seven yards. None of this really came as much of a surprise with Lacey struggling all year, and you have to wonder (or hope) if the benching will be more permanent. Regardless, Lacey’s poor play makes getting rid of Justin Tryon look worse and worse by the day.
He’s still Dallas Clark
It’s safe to say Dallas Clark (-13.4 on the season) has struggled without Peyton Manning, but he deserves credit for his receiving against Cincinnati. With a grade of -1.2, Clark struggled to make an impact as a blocker in the run game, but then that’s not, nor will ever be his forte. Clark began the game with a fumble but recovered to catch six of the seven passes thrown his way. with his day highlighted by a superb one handed catch in the back of the endzone with 9:38 left in the game to bring the Colts within three. On the play, he ends up uncovered in the endzone, but the pass from Painter was a little high and wide before Clark reminded us all that he is still Dallas Clark.
Game Notes
– The Colts only blitzed rookie Andy Dalton six times all game. The results were mixed. When blitzed Dalton only completed two of six passes, but one of those was for a touchdown.
– After allowing four in the first two, Andrew Whitworth has allowed only three total pressures in the last four games, adding credence to the claim that right now he is the league’s best left tackle.
– Reggie Wayne missed just one snap all game – Dallas Clark’s fantastic touchdown grab.
PFF Game Ball
A penalty takes the edge off of his performance, but Andrew Whitworth (+2.0 pass protection) was able to shutout Dwight Freeney in pass protection. It’s not often (read never) that you can say that, so Whitworth deserves credit for it. His reputation, rightly, continues to grow.
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