The Cincinnati Bengals couldn’t avoid an 0-3 start, largely because Zac Taylor’s offense simply couldn’t get going in a Week 3 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
The Bengals went down 21-17, showing brief signs of life offensively in the second half but it coming too late to compensate for a tired defense. Coming out of the game, a few winners and losers stick out.
Winner: Sam Hubbard
The breakout continued — Hubbard had a forced fumble in the second quarter and was once again seen applying pressure at a consistent clip. He finished the day on the box score with six tackles, five of them solo.
Loser: John Ross
Ross dropped a pass in the first quarter, then fumbled in the second. That was the problem with getting too happy about his “leads the NFL in receiving” talk out of Week 2 — that happened after a 41-17 loss. He eventually evened out and didn’t make major mistakes, finishing with just two catches.
Winner: Germaine Pratt
After we wondered why the Bengals weren’t playing the athletic rookie linebacker more over the first two weeks given the poor state of the unit overall, Pratt saw some notable time early. He even had a run stop on that drive, while elsewhere Nick Vigil was struggling. While he wasn’t perfect, this is a start for a rookie who might just be the best linebacker on the roster.
Loser: Shawn Williams
Williams exited the first quarter alone with a pair of injuries, walking off under his own power after the second. He was trying to make plays out there but was again targeted by an opposing offense. He ended up leading the team in tackles with nine total, but overall it was discouraging.
Winner: Joe Mixon
Mixon finally looks back to almost 100 percent after an ankle injury and sitting out most of the preseason. He was more decisive and sudden with his cuts and finished the day with 15 carries for 61 yards on a 4.1 average. He caught two passes for 34 yards and a critical score.
Loser: Nick Vigil
At one point, Vigil left the field for LaRoy Reynolds, a special-teams player who was signed in the second week of September. We don’t have the exact reasoning for this, but Vigil’s play beforehand wasn’t exactly inspiring. He was part of the reason the Bills were beating the tar out of the Bengals in space outside the hashmarks.
