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The Cincinnati Bengals got one big play but otherwise fell flat in Sunday’s 19-7 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
Cincinnati moves to 2-9-1 after the Week 13 affair. Zac Taylor’s Brandon Allen-led offense once again had serious problems moving the ball and spoiled a so-so performance from a depleted defense.
Here’s a look at some of the notable notes, stats and key players from the contest.
Quick Hits
— After inexplicably ignoring the run last week despite not having Joe Burrow under center, the Bengals started this game with three straight runs — and it worked.
— Granted, on a third-down later in the drive, Brandon Allen casually floated a ball out of bounds to kill it. That trend continued, as Allen worked his way to an 11 of 19 line with 153 yards, one touchdown and interception.
— Much of Allen’s productivity hinged on play-calling and execution by other players. A 72-yard touchdown — the longest Bengals place since 2017 — started as a two-yard pass.
— Allen spent most of his day gunning for Tee Higgins as much as he cold. A.J. Green, the wideout on a franchise tag, was a complete non-factor and he finished the day with no catches.
— The Tyler Boyd ejection was a huge momentum swing, as a possible 10-3 lead turned into a 13-7 deficit early in the third quarter.
— Near the end of the third quarter, the Bengals offense had accumulated minus-four yards, to put into context just how much the offense missed Boyd and how badly the line played, especially in the running game.
— A massive brawl involving coaches later broke out, with Cincinnati’s Shawn Williams and others getting ejected. We’ll see plenty of fines and suspensions from that one, though the bigger immediate takeaway is it appears Zac Taylor has lost control.
Key Stat
3-of-12: Another miserable day for the Bengals on third down, which is almost hard to beleive given the presence of names like Boyd, Tee Higgins and A.J. Green.
Game Ball
Tyler Boyd: The No. 1 wideout made the one key play that even had this game looking respectable before a brutal ruling by officials removed him from the game.
What to Fix
The offense: Whatever this is, it isn’t working. The entire thing looks lifeless when Higgins isn’t on the field. Some of it is limitations of the offensive line. Some of it is limitations of the quarterback. But there wasn’t any doubt about this one once the Dolphins hit the 16-point mark.
Top Takeaway
Four more: Only a handful of games stand between the Bengals and a merciful end to this season. That should lead to an offseason of major roster overhaul again, if not major changes to the coaching staff, especially with an offensive-minded staff failing to get anything going.
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