Al Golden, Bengals’ defense can take a well-earned victory lap after carrying Cincinnati to a win unlike any from this century
Golden’s defense came to play when it mattered on Sunday.
The pessimism surrounding Al Golden’s defensive vision for the Cincinnati Bengals was growing louder. Training camp hype was being phased out by preseason woes in which the Bengals’ new defense looked just as dreadful as last year’s version. The team’s new defensive coordinator took responsibility, claiming he was saving all the real stuff for the real games.
Things certainly got real in Week 1, and Cincinnati has a real 1-0 record because of Golden’s unit.
It was a game of two halves for the Bengals in their 17-16 season-opening victory against the Cleveland Browns. While the offense scored two touchdowns on its first three possessions in the first half, it moved the ball approximately 21 feet during the final 30 minutes of the game.
Seriously. The Bengals did not net enough for a first down in the second half and still won the game; on the road, no less. If that isn’t a massive win for a defense, I don’t know what is.
Cincinnati’s defense wins Al Golden’s first game as DC and helps make history
Let’s talk about that stat because that was not hyperbole. Cincinnati gained a total of seven yards in the second half. Seven in two quarters of real football, and a win was still the outcome.
Per ESPN Research, as stated by ESPN’s Browns reporter Daniel Oyefusi, seven yards is the fewest second-half total by a winning team this century.
Cincinnati may’ve found the end zone twice, and Evan McPherson’s field goal gave them a total of 17 points, but the offense amassed just 141 total yards on the day.
Per ESPN’s Keith Jenkins, that’s the fewest amount of offensive yards the Bengals have ever had under head coach Zac Taylor.
Offensive struggles were prevalent leading up to the end of the game. They were never so obvious as when Joe Burrow was sacked on three straight dropbacks in the middle of the fourth quarter, with two of them courtesy of All-Pro Myles Garrett.
“There’s opportunities where I could put us in a better position,” Taylor said after the game. “So I look forward to correcting all that after a win. It’s a lot easier.”
Taylor admitted fault for dropping back Burrow for a deep shot on third down of the series in question, but made sure to tip his cap to Garrett as well.
“We ran play action on the first one,” Taylor said. “And I didn’t see exactly how 95 got in there, but he did, and we’re trying to account for him on every snap. And he just finds a way to win sometimes.
“Second play was very similar. I think they played Tampa (2) and they got us, and then the third play that’s a regret that I have is on the nine yard line, calling a deeper throw like that, probably something, just get the ball out of our hands quicker so we can save some space for the punt, because it was a third and really long in that situation.”
While the offense sputtered, the defense came away with two interceptions off dropped passes. Safety Jordan Battle secured one in the third quarter that led to Cincinnati’s final points on the day, and cornerback DJ Turner snagged the other when the Browns had a chance to march down the field for a potential winning field goal with under two minutes remaining.
Historically low yardage may not matter when the turnover battle is heavily in your favor.
“Plus-two in the turnover battle, so the defense did a helluva job,” wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase said after the win.
The Bengals will not get many chances to win division games with Chase posting 26 yards on just two receptions. They will need to figure out things on that side of the ball, like they always do after a sluggish Week 1 outing.
On Golden’s side of the operation, they can revel in the plays that were made to win the game. Despite all the doubt and backlash from the last eight months, it was Cincinnati’s defense that became the catalyst for a 1-0 start.
“If we’re playing a game where our defense is doing that, I’m gonna feel really good about the outcome,” Taylor said.
Not every victory deserves a victory lap to accompany it, but Golden and his players certainly earned it Sunday.
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