A valiant defensive effort from the Cincinnati Bengals mattered little in Sunday’s 17-10 loss at the hands of the Oakland Raiders.
The Bengals fall to 0-10 on the season after Zac Taylor’s offense could only muster 246 total yards. Ryan Finley threw for just 115 yards and took five sacks in the process, rendering a strong Joe Mixon performance also a moot point.
Here are the winners and losers coming out of the loss.
Stud: Joe Mixon
Mixon was one of the biggest winners last week thanks to his 100-yard performance. Turns out that was a sign of things to come — Mixon scored his first touchdown of the season in the first quarter and then gave the ball to his mother:
The strong early showing was a sign of things to come, as Mixon finished with 15 carries for 86 yards (5.7 average).
Dud: Tyler Boyd
Boyd couldn’t escape the trappings of the offense. The No. 1 wideout on paper, Boyd managed just one catch on three targets. It’s yet another rough outing from the star slot receiver, who simply hasn’t been involved in the gameplan enough, nor has he been able to shake free when all the attention is on him.
Stud: Geno Atkins
Atkins has sporadically had monster games this year, though they’ve decreased in number. But Sunday was one of those monster games. He was routinely disrupting the interior of the Raiders line and ruining the timing of Oakland’s offense. He finished with 1.5 sacks and seemingly countless other plays where he made a visible difference.
Dud: John Jerry
As usual, feel free to sub in most of the offensive line here. But Jerry was a noteworthy standout as a dud on the left side. A bad rep in the first half led to Ryan Finley’s fumble. It wasn’t all bad for Jerry in the line, but the unit isn’t any closer to looking like one that doesn’t need a major revamp this offseason.
Stud: Josh Tupou
Tupou has been a quiet gem for the Bengals inside when healthy. Sunday, he made one of the biggest plays of his season by going behind a Raiders ball-carrier and punching the ball out. It led to the Bengals scoring an offensive touchdown. It’s the sort of play front offices look at and wipe defensive tackle off the whiteboard over in the needs column.
Dud: Ryan Finley
After giving an opponent 14 points the week prior, Finley lost a fumble in the first quarter. By the end of the first drive in the third quarter, he had completed just nine of his 20 attempts for 75 yards. He threw a pick on the game’s final drive to end it. The rookie did what he could, including 47 yards on the ground, but he was thoroughly outplayed by Derek Carr. That was the biggest difference in the outcome.
Stud: Jessie Bates
Another week, another pick for Bates. He had his problems like anyone else to start the season. But as this slog has continued, he’s started to edge closer to being the turnover-prone ballhawk fans saw last year. The arrow continues to point up.
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