Cincinnati managed just 23 net yards and one first down over the first four drives before finally moving the ball, but went into halftime trailing 10-0. Green Bay scored 17 points in the second half to stave off a second-half rally.
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
1. Losing streak continues
The Bengals are 0-4 without Joe Burrow this season, and they have been outscored 140-55 in that stretch. The defense has been doing enough to keep them in games early, but with the offense failing to move the chains, players slow down on the defensive side of the ball in second halves.
That again was the case Sunday, as Cincinnati failed to play “complementary football.”
It wasn’t until the fifth drive that the Bengals managed to get a second first down and turn it into multiple. Evan McPherson nearly got the Bengals on the board before halftime with what would have been an NFL record 67-yard field goal if Green Bay hadn’t called timeout as he was about to kick. His initial try didn’t count, though he hit the crossbar and got it through the uprights. The second attempt was short and wide right.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
While the offense struggled in the first half, Cincinnati got four stops on five Green Bay drives, including an interception by Geno Stone after DJ Turner deflected Jordan Love’s pass in the redzone on the opening drive. The Packers also punted twice and settled for a field goal after another third-down stop.
In the second half, the offense scored on three consecutive drives, but the defense couldn’t get stops as the Packers scored touchdowns on back-to-back series and then sealed the win with a field goal with 1:52 left after Ja’Marr Chase caught his 50th career touchdown to make it a six-point game.
2. Flacco provides lift
The first half didn’t look any better than it did in Jake Browning’s three starts, but it didn’t take until garbage time for Flacco to start finding a rhythm and he didn’t have any turnovers.
That’s at least an encouraging sign moving forward.
Cincinnati moved into Green Bay territory on each of its last five drives, recording 19 first downs, after failing to cross midfield on those first four. Flacco threw for 219 yards and two touchdowns – to Chase and Tanner Hudson – and McPherson made a 45-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Chase finished with 94 yards and one touchdown on 10 catches, and Tee Higgins had 62 yards on five catches. Andrei Iosivas had two big drops, and the running game still struggled to be effective early. Chase Brown finished with 42 yards rushing on nine carries.
Browning had eight interceptions over 15 quarters of action and seemed to spiral mentally, but Flacco remained poised even after the slow start. He took just one sack.
3. Injuries take a toll
It didn’t help the Cincinnati defense losing Trey Hendrickson for the entire second half. Bengals coach Zac Taylor called the injury a back contusion but didn’t have an update on the seriousness of it.
Cincinnati struggled to get pressure on Love and finished with just one sack. Hendrickson has been the only consistent force in the pass rush, which is still missing rookie first-round draft pick Shemar Stewart because of an ankle injury.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
After Stone’s fourth-quarter sack, helped by a Joseph Ossai pressure, the defense failed to buckle down the next play and it proved costly. Love connected with Matthew Golden, who burnt Jordan Battle on the play for a 31-yard completion, and that got the Packers into field goal range for the final points to seal it.
The Bengals also lost Mike Gesicki to a pectoral injury in the first quarter and were without rookie left guard Dylan Fairchild for the game, then had Amarius Mims go down in the fourth quarter, getting replaced by Cody Ford. Dalton Risner stepped in for Fairchild and Jalen Rivers remained at right guard with Lucas Patrick still working back from injured reserve, and there probably wasn’t a noticeable difference.
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