The Cincinnati Bengals needed until December to register the first win of the season but that doesn’t make the 22-6 victory over the New York Jets any less sweet.
There, the Bengals jumped out to an early 17-3 lead thanks to the return of Andy Dalton, then fell back on a strong defense to cruise in the second half.
Coming out of victory No. 1, these were the winners and losers.
Winner: Andy Dalton
Who else? Promoted to starter again, Dalton looked sharp compared to the rookie Ryan Finley of the last few weeks. He passed Ken Anderson on the Bengals all-time touchdowns list and helped the team score the second-highest total of the year. He completed 22 of 37 attempts for 243 yards and one touchdown against no interceptions.
Loser: Billy Price
Now is a good time for Price to show what he’s got given the evaluation mode of the season. Instead, he got taken back out of the starting lineup for this game against the Jets, presumably due to back soreness he gritted through last week. Rookie Michael Jordan got the start in his place.
Winner: Joe Mixon
Mixon didn’t finish with the greatest average (2.3) on his 19 carries for 44 yards, but he did score a touchdown again. Gameflow also got somewhat favorable in the second half with a lead. Against a Jets defense that entered the game with the top-ranked run defense, Mixon had a strong day.
Loser: Giovani Bernard
Quiet day for Bernard, who didn’t get much usage in the passing game with his two targets for one catch and eight yards, not to mention the one rush. He wasn’t going to see a ton of work against a stout Jets run defense, but the lack of attention otherwise is notable. Call it a trend for most of the season.
Winner: Carlos Dunlap
Dunlap put up three sacks on the day. He had previously looked to be in the middle of a down season. Now he looks fully back a prior injury and has become a stable presence on one edge of the line again. As if the good play isn’t enough, he also passed Geno Atkins in the rush to own the most sacks in Bengals history.
Loser: C.J. Uzomah
Normally catching five passes for 51 yards on six targets wouldn’t qualify a player like Uzomah either way. But his one failed catch on a target came on what would have been a score. This didn’t end up derailing the Bengals like it could have, but the uncharacteristic play for an offense that needs its tight ends to play a part sticks out.
Winner: Zac Taylor
With a win Taylor avoids 0-16. Say what we might about his decision to bench Dalton in the first place, among plenty of other things, the fact he finally has a win is a big deal. It might quiet some hot-seat concerns, at least for now.
