The Cincinnati Bengals fell to 2-2 with the loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Like Joe Burrow said after, it’s not an “Armageddon” situation by any means just yet. Winnable game, unfortunate injuries, key mistakes, that sort of thing.
Even so, there are some really obvious winners and some equally concerning losers to go over from the game before the Bengals attempt to pick up the pieces and get back on track.
Losers: Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins
Ja’Marr Chase was the victim of a flag that wound up getting him injured. Now everyone plays the waiting game on whether he can get back in time for next week.
Tee Higgins suffered an injurytoo. Yes, he had 11 catches for 157 yards. But he also got hurt late, tried to go back in the game and lasted just one play before getting pulled for good.
It’s an “adductor” injury, so no telling just yet if he needs to miss time.
Winner: Boye Mafe
Remember when everyone wondered if Boye Mafe could make a Trey Hendrickson-like leap after joining the Bengals? It wasn’t that long ago. Mafe had another monster showing, recording five total tackles, one sack and three tackles for loss.
Losers: Demetrius Knight and Jordan Battle
The obvious weak points are still weak points. Demetrius Knight had a mostly not-great game and was, at one point, watching from the sidelines while Oren Burks played.
Jordan Battle is an even bigger concern. He’s blowing tackle attempts that should’ve stopped being a thing years ago. The defense is coughing up massive third-and-long conversions strictly because of him and perhaps his effort, too. It’s probably time for a change.
Winner: Dohnte Meyers
He’s just not going to stop winning, is he? Dohnte Meyers once again had his name called in the base offense and responded in a big way, catching seven passes for 82 yards on nine targets.
Loser: Zac Taylor
Look, Joe Burrow threw two interceptions. Back-breaking turnovers two weeks in a row now. But he threw it 54 times on the day. He’s going to lob a few he wished he could have back, especially while working with backups because his top two wideouts were hurt.
A lot of this comes back to Zac Taylor, though. He’s been unable to scheme up a running game for years. It had 15 carries for 23 yards today. He’s unable to scheme up adjustments with Chase or Higgins goes down. And his overarching program is still throwing weight behind obvious problems like Battle. Keep in mind the lack of aggressiveness and opting to punt in situations that don’t seem optimal, among other in-game issues weekly.
At the end of the day, the reputation as being propped up by the talent is a fair one. These are issues that have plagued Taylor’s team since the start of his tenure. It’s Year 8.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: 2 winners and 5 losers after Bengals drop ugly game vs. Jaguars
