On Sunday, the Cincinnati Bengals improved to 2-0 as they secured an impressive win against the Houston Texans on the road.
The team’s offseason additions proved their worth as Cincinnati limited the Texans offense to only six points. The Bengals did not have any games where the opposing team scored 13 points or fewer last season.
Cincinnati invested heavily in their defense after allowing the third-most points in the NFL last season, and through two weeks the investment appears to have paid off. However, despite the result, there are still areas that the Bengals could improve. Among them is the play of an important Bengals starter, who struggled against the Houston Texans’ defense.
Cincinnati Bengals Offensive Lineman Called Out
During the game, Locked on Bengals podcast host Jake Liscow posted on X: “The left tackle spot is a problem today
Tried to give him help and Anderson gets inside for a big hit, Burrow is a bit slow to get up
AND Amarius Mims walks off slowly without a shoe after previously getting rolled up on a bit when Brown gave up an earlier pressure”
Tried to give him help and Anderson gets inside for a big hit, Burrow is a bit slow to get up
AND Amarius Mims walks off slowly without a shoe after previously getting rolled up on a bit when Brown gave up an earlier pressure
Meanwhile, Bengals Wire’s Chris Roling wrote: “Joe Burrow didn’t appear to be feeling the pocket very well in the first half, but severe struggles from Orlando Brown at left tackle weren’t helping.” Roling noted that Burrow appeared to be more comfortable in the pocket during the second half, when Brown began getting some assistance by a tight end.
Regarding the offensive line as a whole, Bengals on SI’s James Rapien wrote: “The Bengals’ offensive line struggled for most of the day. They were called for five penalties, including multiple false starts by Orlando Brown Jr.
Burrow was sacked five times and the Texans tallied another 10 quarterback hits. Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter made their presence felt, but Burrow weathered the storm and got into a rhythm in the second half.
Once he got into a rhythm, he had no problem going off script and using his legs to help create plays downfield.
This was a big test for the offensive line and they struggled, but Burrow was good enough to keep the offense in a good position—especially in the second half.”
Brown Jr. is a fixture of Cincinnati’s offensive line. The left tackle has earned over $119 million in career earnings.
Cincinnati Bengals Defense
While the Cincinnati Bengals will certainly hope for improvement out of their offensive line going forward, the story of the game was undoubtedly the team’s defense.
In particular, Dexter Lawrence, who the team traded a first-round pick for this offseason, had a dominant performance against the Texans.
Rapien wrote of Lawrence’s performance: “Bengals defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence was dominant on Sunday. He finished with three tackles, one quarterback hit and one tackle for loss. The tackle for loss happened on 4th-and-inches in the first half, which kept the Texans scoreless.
Lawrence broke through double teams, opened things up for his teammates and was the best player on a defense that controlled the game.
The Bengals finished with four sacks: one from Kris Jenkins Jr. and another by Jonathan Allen. Then, Shemar Stewart and Cedric Johnson got sacks with the Texans running the two minute drill late in the fourth quarter. They also hit CJ Stroud five times and forced six tackles-for-loss as a unit.”
Bengals $119 Million Starter Called Out Despite Win Over Texans