Bengals showed must-have championship trait in win vs. Bucs
At halftime, the Cincinnati Bengals defense was backing up every storyline heard throughout the week. After days and days of worrying about the health of the defense, they indeed looked -and performed- like a hurt unit. To start out the game, Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were dicing up a Bengals defense missing […]
At halftime, the Cincinnati Bengals defense was backing up every storyline heard throughout the week. After days and days of worrying about the health of the defense, they indeed looked -and performed- like a hurt unit.
To start out the game, Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were dicing up a Bengals defense missing Trey Hendrickson, and Mike Hilton, among other defenders. In just two quarters of play, the Bucs quarterback completed 17 of 23 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns.
Cincinnati adjusted, though. And while a lot of the credit should go to defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo for righting the ship, it's nearly impossible not to stand up and give the depth players on this team a huge round of applause.
"I just thought they did a great job stepping up in the second half, all the guys," Bengals head coach Zac Taylor told reporters following the comeback win.
"I saw Jay Tufele in the backfield, Tre Flowers picking off passes, I saw (Akeem Davis-
Gaither) making plays, Eli Apple – so really, guys just stepped up at every position and
this is the type of year where you’re going to lose some guys."
Out of the Bengals defenders getting a direct shoutout from coach Taylor, cornerback Tre Flowers might've had the best game. The vet defensive back was targeted just once in 13 coverage snaps and that didn't go Brady's way as Flowers picked it off.
"We’re going to count on every guy on this roster at this point," said the Bengals head coach. "And they keep stepping up over and over. No one wants to be the weak link in the defense, and I haven’t found the weak link yet, which is a good thing."
That kind of depth is a championship trait. The playoffs are not always about who's best but who's healthiest.
And the best part about it for the Bengals is that they've shown it on offense, too. First, it was about replacing Ja'Marr Chase and Joe Mixon. They succeeded. Now, they're doing on the other side of the ball.
Speaking of championship traits, the Bengals have players who "want it more," going by D.J. Reader's comments following the win.
"There are a lot of smart guys in this locker room, a lot of guys who care about football,
who are gritty," the Bengals' star defensive tackle told reporters. "They love the game, they love what goes into the game, and they want to be great."
Featured image via Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
