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The Cincinnati Bengals had a chance to win late but had penalties and bad miscues spoil the chance in Sunday’s 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
It was an up-and-down showing for Joe Burrow, who flashed massive promise at times and at other points had some expected rookie gaffes. Growing pains, mistakes and expected sloppy play defined a game where the Bengals were never really out of it until the very end.
Here’s a look at some instant analysis with the game final.
Quick Hits
— Joe Burrow’s first NFL drive saw his first completion go to running back Joe Mixon for a short gain. But the drive stalled with a three-and-out after a Joey Bosa pressure focused him to be off-target.
— William Jackson was an early highlight. The Chargers kept trying him and WJ3 — fully healthy after playing hurt last year — was having none of it.
— Jonah Williams got whipped once by Joey Bosa. He’s a “rookie” but it killed a drive. That continued to be a mismatch all game when it happened.
— Burrow decided to do it himself. With the line struggling, his first NFL touchdown was a 23-yard rush to take the lead.
— Williams wasn’t alone in his struggles, not with Bobby Hart getting whipped in pass protection on the other side of the line too. It led to a concerning number of hits on Burrow in the first half.
— The line looked somewhat better early in the second half and Burrow was able to stretch the field vertically. But touchdown passes bounced off the hands of two different targets and the rookie misfired on another.
— Joe Mixon’s quiet day heading into the fourth quarter got worse via his first fumble since 2017. The defense held strong but it still resulted in the Chargers taking the lead via a field goal.
— Burrow was the next to make a critical mistake, as he attempted to flip the ball to Giovani Bernard. He might’ve gotten away with it at the college level but this one ended up right in the lap of a Chargers defender. Call it rookie growing pains.
— Through it all, Burrow got the ball back down just three points after another strong defensive stop and had about three minutes to work with. He indeed drove down the field and had what looked like a game-winning touchdown to A.J. Green before officials called offensive pass interference. The coaching staff chose to take the safe route with a field goal instead of another endzone shot — which Randy Bullock missed.
Key Stat
4: That’s the number of catches for wideout Tyler Boyd, arguably the most consistent presence in the passing attack and owner of consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. Boyd oddly didn’t have a target until the third quarter, which isn’t ideal given what a safety net and playmaker he can be for a rookie passer.
Game Ball
The defense: Time and again the rebuilt defense was put in a poor position and time and again it got a key stop. It wasn’t against the best opponents, but it’s clear the unit is improved already.
What to Fix
Pass protection: Burrow was under fire all day and especially early in the game as both of his offensive tackles got embarrassed. It’s playing with fire to think his body can hold up for 16 games of that many repeated hits, never mind actually winning games.
Top Takeaway
Expectations vs. reality: This was about the best-case scenario for a Bengals team trying to rebound from a 2-14 season with a dramatically overhauled roster during an offseason with no preseason games.
The Bengals kept it close in a sloppy one, didn’t suffer major injuries and have some easy things to focus on for improvement.
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