The Cincinnati Bengals defense did what it could to compensate for a struggling offense but the effort came up short in Sunday’s 17-10 loss to the Oakland Raiders.
Road game or not, this wasn’t a blowout favoring Cincinnati’s opposition. But the Ryan Finley-led offense sputtered to 246 total yards. The loss means the Bengals fall to 0-10 on the season.
Some quick notes and game balls from the loss.
It was over when …
…the Bengals came up short on a fourth-down attempt late in the fourth quarter. The game was 17-10 at that point and the defensive dam finally broke
Quick Hits
— First play of the game — a 21-yard scamper for Raiders running back Josh Jacobs. Besides resembling the obvious season-long defensive problems, it proved to be a bit of foreshadowing as Jacobs finished the day with 112 yards on 23 carries for a 4.9 average.
— Cincinnati’s first offensive drive? Fumble by Ryan Finley after pressure from the blindside, Raiders recover. Finley gifted the Ravens 14 points on similar turnovers last week. The rest of the day, Finley coughed up another interception late to seal the game.
— Josh Tupou punched a ball out from behind to create a turnover for the Bengals in the first quarter. That seemed like it would be the only way the team stopped Jacobs on the ground. That ended up serving as a preview, as the Bengals forced two turnovers.
— Big touchdown for Joe Mixon in front of his family for the 7-0 lead:
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— Bengals were one of six on third downs by halftime. If that wasn’t bad enough, Randy Bullock shanked a kick at the end of the half. Second-half adjustments didn’t help the third-down outlook much, as the Bengals finished three of 13 in this area.
— Jessie Bates picked off a pass for the second week in a row. If nothing else, it’s a sign of his steady upswing and emerging from the muck of a rough overall season for the unit.
Key Stat
3 of 13: Cincinnati’s mark on third downs. Despite good running from Mixon, the offense just couldn’t consistently move the chains.
Game Ball: Joe Mixon
Mixon had another good game given the circumstances, rolling for 86 yards on 15 carries for a 5.7 average. Even with the line whiffing entire plays, it wasn’t uncommon to see him making a little bit of something from nothing.
Up next: The Bengals return home for a two-game stretch and first play the Pittsburgh Steelers. That AFC North rival might be riddled with injuries, but it will be anything but easy given how the last encounter went (27-3), besides the obvious history.
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