The Cincinnati Bengals emerged from a Week 2 contest against the Baltimore Ravens losers, courtesy of a 27-24- final.
Exiting the game, the Bengals have plenty of notable winners and losers to focus on given the highs and lows of the home openers at Paycor Stadium.
Buy Bengals TicketsSome of the winners are big surprises, as are some of the losers, with this year’s slow start feeling quite a lot like the brutal slog that was the first month of the season last year.
Except this year, Joe Burrow re-aggravated his calf injury and the future is cloudy.
Here’s a look at those winners and losers before the team starts prepping for a “Monday Night Football” encounter with the Los Angeles Rams.
Winner: WR Charlie Jones
Can we get an order of Chuck? Extra sizzle. 😏#BALvsCIN | 📺 @paramountplus, CBS pic.twitter.com/OMxpmHxKzy
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) September 17, 2023
How about the rookie? There were times during the preseason that Jones looked a tad slow and hesitant on special teams returns.
Not Sunday.
Jones took a punt back 80-plus yards for a touchdown, sparking a team that wasn’t getting much from its offense at the time.
Loser: Bengals CBs
Tough day at the office for usually reliable unit. Cam Taylor-Britt had ups and downs for most of the day and Chidobe Awuzie even gave up a touchdown in the fourth quarter. When the corners struggle, it’s usually a sign the entire defense is having problems.
Winner: RB Joe Mixon
Mixon might just look better than he has in years out there. He’s actually making guys miss as a ball-carrier, finishing runs strong for extra yardage and again serving as a reliable safety valve as a receiver. He finished with 13 carries for 59 yards and four catches for 36 yards.
Loser: QB Joe Burrow
There was more good than bad for Burrow on the day as he seemed to shake off the rust as he went. But the lows were brutal, including another miserable first half and that bad misread on the red-zone interception. Then, to top it all off, he limped off favoring his calf, which in a worst-case scenario, could threaten to dash all of the good momentum he just gained during this game.
Winner: S Dax Hill
Hill was again a strong point for the defense, this time by leading the unit in tackles with 11 and boasting a pass-defensed amongst his many highlights. While he hasn’t been perfect, he’s quickly living up to his high draft billing as a long-term replacement for Jessie Bates.
Loser: TE Irv Smith Jr.
The Bengals need a fourth option to come in and make plays while Burrow battles through clear calf issues, yet Smith caught just two of his four targets for 10 yards, at one point notably being unable to break free of getting tripped up on a key third down.
