The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: Bengals vs. Dolphins Recap
The Bengals suffered a close loss to the Miami Dolphins Sunday 29-26. They had the lead going into the fourth quarter but were outscored 15-6 in the fourth, including a 4th-and-15 conversion by the Dolphins for a touchdown to seal it.
There were both high points and low points for the Bengals during their third and last preseason game. They will cut their roster down to 53 players in a couple of days and then start their regular season against the Vikings on September 12th. Let’s look at the good, the bad, and the ugly for the Bengals after the home loss.
The Good: Young Bubble Players
Many young bubble players came out and showed why they deserve to be on this team. RB Chris Evans had a great game, including a touchdown catch to solidify his backup spot behind Joe Mixon.
Trent Taylor had another great game with a few nice catches to help his case to make the final roster. Lastly, the rookie kicker, Evan McPherson, hit a 57-yard field goal. A Bengals team that has struggled to find a reliable kicker seems to have found a good prospect for the spot.
The Bad: Ja'Marr Chase Drops
Not to completely single him out, but a common theme recently has been dropped passes by Ja’Marr Chase. In his defense, he only got one chance to catch a ball, but it was a screen pass from Burrow.
Bengals fans are looking forward to the Burrow-Chase connection, and if this continues to be a problem, it can put a big issue in the Bengals' offense. It can probably be attributed to preseason jitters, but as we go into the new season in two weeks, it is not very encouraging to see out of your 1st-round draft pick.
The Ugly: Penalties
There were many costly penalties throughout the game, but the worst part of the game for the Bengals was the fourth quarter. The Bengals struggled to hold on to late-game leads last season. A blown lead in the last preseason game is not the way you want to go into the regular season.
The Dolphins were able to score two touchdowns in the 4th quarter, including a 2 point conversion that put them up by three with only about a minute and a half left. The frustrating part of the second touchdown was that it came from a 4th and 15 conversion for a touchdown.
If the Bengals want to be a playoff-contending team, they need to know how to get and hold leads.
On to the Regular Season
The Bengals will now look to cut their roster down and take these next 2 weeks to sort out all of their issues. The Vikings will be traveling to Paul Brown Stadium on September 12th, so the Bengals will be hoping to get off on the right foot at home to get their season started right.
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