Bengals Week 8 Snap Counts vs Eagles: Tee Higgins' absence opened doors for Mike Gesicki, Jermaine Burton
Times are tough for the Cincinnati Bengals as a 37-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles drops the club to 3-5 on the year. Injuries before and during the game only complicated matters and made a must-win game harder to achieve, but the Bengals tried to overcome them by giving others an uptick in playing time.Let's […]
Times are tough for the Cincinnati Bengals as a 37-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles drops the club to 3-5 on the year. Injuries before and during the game only complicated matters and made a must-win game harder to achieve, but the Bengals tried to overcome them by giving others an uptick in playing time.
Let's check out what the snap counts had to say about the game.
No Tee? Try a TE
The Bengals didn't have Tee Higgins available for the third time this season, which required another pass-catcher to step up for a larger role. Tight end Mike Gesicki (31) emerged to be that weapon as he played his most snaps in a game since Week 3. He made the most of this opportunity, posting seven receptions for 73 yards on eight targets. Call it the National Tight End Day boost.
Gesicki had been TE3 for Cincinnati over the last month of football behind Erick All Jr. (24) and Drew Sample (18). Sunday's game plan called for a pass-heavy approach and the Bengals' inability to run the football only exacerbated Gesicki's importance in the pass game.
Highs and Lows of Jermaine Burton
Higgins' absence also opened a window of opportunity for rookie wideout Jermaine Burton (24). He started off on the wrong foot as he failed to get off the field in time for the Bengals to run a quick play against a substituting Eagles defense, and later let his one end zone target be knocked away by veteran cornerback Darius Slay.
Quarterback Joe Burrow (55) didn't give up on him as he connected with Burton on a 41-yard go ball. Burton has caught two passes all season and they've both gone for at least 40 yards on the same route.
Burton's 24 snaps nearly matched his 25 entering the week. He played more than Trenton Irwin (14) against a talented Eagles secondary. This was a prove-it game for the rookie who's been on the outside looking in and is still earning trust from the coaches. He's still got a ways to go, but making one play is better than none.
Other notes
Left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. (29) played half the game before re-aggravating his knee injury and didn't return. Cody Ford (29) held down his position for the second consecutive week and managed once again, but it's concerning that Brown couldn't return.
Cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (60) appeared to suffer an injury in the second half but it ended up being a cramp and he returned after one play. Rookie Josh Newton (6) came in for Taylor-Britt on that one snap and also played a handful more.
Safety Jordan Battle (3) didn't see as much playing time this week as Vonn Bell (57) rarely came off the field. One of the few plays Battle was in saw him as the victim of a highlight reel touchdown catch by Devonta Smith.
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