Bengals postgame wrap following loss to Ravens
Enquirer beat writer Kelsey Conway breaks down the Bengals’ 24-0 loss to the Ravens on Dec. 14.
The Bengals, coming off a shutout loss to Baltimore, next face the Dolphins in Miami on Dec. 21.Both the Bengals and Dolphins were eliminated from the playoffs with losses in Week 15.Joe Burrow will make his fourth start since returning from his toe injury.
The Cincinnati Bengals travel to Miami to face the Dolphins in Week 16 at Hard Rock Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. on CBS/Local 12 (WKRC-TV).
Cincinnati (4-10) is coming off a 24-0 loss to the Baltimore Ravens and Miami (6-8) is coming off a 28-15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Dolphins will have quarterback Quinn Ewers under center after benching Tua Tagovailoa. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will make his fourth start after returning from a turf toe injury suffered in Week 2.
The Bengals and Dolphins were both eliminated from playoff contention following their Week 15 losses.
Here are the keys for the Bengals to get a fifth win:
Don’t let Quinn Ewers beat you
Quarterback Quinn Ewers will make his first NFL start against the Bengals on Sunday, Dec. 21. The seventh-round pick replaces Tua Tagovailoa, who appears to be on his way out of Miami.
The Dolphins aren’t a team that pushes the ball downfield via a deep passing game, but they do run the ball well and attempt to get the ball in the hands of their skill players on the perimeter, which the Bengals struggle to stop on both fronts.
The Bengals have lost to three different quarterbacks making their first career starts: Joe Flacco, Lamar Jackson and Mike White.
Let it fly on offense
The Bengals were shut out for the first time in the Joe Burrow era last week in the loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The offense drove the ball deep into Ravens’ territory multiple times, but either failed on fourth down or turned the ball over to stop the drives.
Zac Taylor said the Bengals are still playing to win, so it’s time to try and unlock the offense and make the Dolphins try to keep up.
Burrow and the offense need to turn their fortunes around and flip the script from last week’s shutout. The best way to do that is to take the top off the Dolphins’ defense with Ja’Marr Chase.
Don’t take points off the board
The Bengals took at least six points off the board last week by going for it on fourth down instead of kicking field goals that would’ve been 50 yards or less. While the frigid temperatures probably played a role in the decision to not kick field goals, it did not go in the Bengals’ favor. Nothing last week did.
Cliches exist for a reason and not taking points off the board is something most championship teams do on a regular basis.
Instead of going for everything early in the game, realize there’s nothing wrong with being down 7-3 early in a game and working from there.