It was not easy, but the Bengals finally got a victory on the road.
With the 37-31 victory against the Houston Texans, Zac Taylor led his team to consecutive victories for the first time in a long time before taking over as Bengals coach. The Bengals also passed the Texans in the 2021 NFL Draft, but the Miami Dolphins own the Texans’ first round of the draft in the upcoming draft.
With quarterback Joe Burrow ahead of the rehab schedule, the Bengals need wins more than one of the draft’s first five choices. And that is what they won on Sunday. Here are the players who made it happen.
Winners
Brandon Allen: If there was any doubt that Allen was the best reserve defender for Bengals, it was completely wiped out. Allen was as accurate as we ever saw him on Sunday against an exhausted Texan high school. He finished the game with 371 yards on 29/37 passes and two touchdowns. He had more to work with than Deshaun Watson, but he ended up strong against the young Texan quarterback on the road.
Samaje Perine: There is a real case for Perine to be the best running back of Bengals on the entire list, including Joe Mixon. Perine works well regardless of the quality of the block and showed 95 yards in just 13 loads. Most of those yards came in his impressive 46-yard touchdown run, which is the longest running back for Bengals this season. Perine took care of business against a terrible defense against the race.
AJ Green, Tee Higgins and Alex Erickson: After the first quarter, Green was listed in the losers section when he was covered by consecutive moves on the second try of the game and missed a third down conversion at the end of the first half. Green pulled his next four receptions to 64 yards and looked great doing that.
Higgins and Erickson were the real stars in a receiving body playing without Tyler Boyd. Higgins had some bad takedowns to start with, but he had a great 99-yard performance with a touchdown grab from the standout reel. He now holds the Bengals record for most receptions as a novice. Erickson surprised us all with an 88-yard reception – his third highest total in a single game – in six receptions.
Darius Phillips: It is good to see Phillips playing healthy again. The third year cornerback had a pass break and a stop on the first charge and generally played well throughout the game, which is more than most defenders can say.
Sam Hubbard: He didn’t come home much, but Hubbard’s strip-sack at Watson (thoughts and prayers that he is doing well) put an end to the Texans’ chances of winning in the last game of the game. Hubbard’s last sack came in Week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Losers
William Jackson: Was this the last time we will see Jackson in a Bengals uniform? The fifth year cornerback was burned by Brandin Cooks in the first quarter and removed from the game by Jessie Bates in the second quarter. Jackson is dealing with a concussion and may not be able to play next Sunday. The defense plays much better with him out there.
Josh Bynes: While Germaine Pratt seems to have improved at the end of this season, Bynes remains very hot and cold. Bynes completely lost his running fit in David Johnson’s 38-yard run in the third quarter and was thrown back a few moves later when Johnson ran into the end zone to tie the game at 17. The defense needed injured Logan Wilson out there in the old veteran in Bynes.
Markus Bailey: Welcome to the NFL, rookie. A move after allowing a touchdown from David Johnson to be received, Bailey was called in for holding a long comeback from Brandon Wilson. If Marvin Lewis was still training that team, we may never hear from Bailey again.
Lou Anarumo: So, how about this improved defense? Watson is Watson, but there is no reason why David Johnson of 2020 was so effective. Had it not been for Hubbard’s heroism at the end of the game, Anarumo’s defense may have totally spoiled the game. Of course, there is still work to be done against offenses that have talent.