Simply what the physician ordered. Or no less than Bengals head coach Zac Taylor.
Effectively, not precisely. Tampa Bay received Saturday night time’s wild preseason opener when the Bengals’ fourth-and 12 stand within the final minute was negated by a move interference name that turned a 14-10 win right into a 17-14 loss.
However on an attractive 73-degree night time in entrance of a big crowd on their new area at Paycor Stadium, quarterback Joe Burrow opened the yr with a crisp 12-play, 73-yard landing drive to match the climate.
Rookie vast receiver Jermaine Burton seemingly bookended the night time with 3:33 left within the recreation when he ran a stop-and-go earlier than catching a 37-yard landing move on a pearl from quarterback Logan Woodside down the left sideline to offer the Bengals a 14-10 lead.
However Tampa Bay hit 4 straight passes earlier than the stand. Going through fourth-and-12, Bengals rookie cornerback Lance Robinson was known as for move interference. On the following snap, with 57 seconds left, the Bengals had operating again Ramon Jefferson stuffed on the 4, however let him get out for the profitable run.
Woodside attached once more with Burton for one more bomb, this time for 38 yards with 41 seconds left. However they went for the win and could not get the primary down on Woodside’s scramble on fourth down.
Means again within the first ten minutes, the Bengals’ first protection made it a whole night time for the Ones by forcing a three-out of their solely motion of the night time.
Burrow, making his first look since struggling a season-ending throwing wrist damage Nov. 16 in Baltimore, was his deadly self in hitting 5 of seven passes for 51 yards. His final one was a 10-yard flip for a landing to vast receiver Tee Higgins and the Ones had been capable of escape the sweats on the sidelines for the remainder of the night time, their work achieved within the first 6:26.
Higgins was the middle of the drive with two catches for 19 yards and almost hauled in a 58-yard landing when Burrow went bootleg and threw a pleasant ball into double protection. Higgins had it, however it was poked out on the final minute. He got here again to attract a move interference penalty on security Josh Hayes on third-and-17 contained in the Tampa Bay 10.
After which Higgins victimized Hayes once more when he caught a move on the 5 and pivoted leaving Hayes within the mud.
Burrow threw three arrows in his first begin ever in a preseason opener. He began the night time with a nine-yard fast hitter to Higgins up the seam, a 23-yarder in stride to vast receiver Andrei Iosivas operating away from security Tykee Smith on third-and-five, and a excessive nine-yarder drilled over the center hauled in by vast receiver Trenton Irwin.
The Bengals used quite a lot of formations on the drive and bought good blocking from tight finish/fullback Drew Pattern on a few Chase Brown runs. Brown carried 5 occasions for 10 yards, however did have runs of 5 and 6 inside.
Brown took the primary return of the brand new NFL kickoff rule at his one and went up the center to the 27.
The offense beneath backup quarterback Jake Browning did not generate one other first down till he discovered tight finish Tanner Hudson on third-and-four with 35 seconds left within the first half. On fourth-and-seven with 13 seconds left, Hudson once more slithered for seven extra yards to arrange Evan McPherson’s 58-yard area aim strive that went vast proper and ended the half tied at seven.
The Bengals survived three straight three-and-outs and Browning’s interception on an extended ball to vast Kwamie Lassiter II. The protection bent giving up 195 yards, however did not break regardless of giving up 5 yards per rush.
Cincinnati stayed in it with flash performs by some younger defensive gamers within the second half to maintain it shut.
The Bucs had a tricky time blocking deal with Travis Bell, beating them for a deal with, a sack, and a third-and-one disruption. On one other third-and-one, rookie linebacker Maema Njongmeta got here down hill to stuff it. Then on fourth-and-two from the Bengals 3, linebacker Devin Harper knocked down quarterback John Wolford’s move as the sport moved into the fourth quarter.
Then with six minutes left within the recreation, the protection bought the ball again, because of rookie security P.J. Jules’ alert play on Wolford’s bootleg rollout.
The Bengals had a tricky sequence after Tampa took a 10-7 result in open the second half and it summed up the night time for the offensive reserves.
Rookie security Michael Dowell was known as for holding on the kickoff, the primary of three holding calls on left deal with Jackson Carman worn out Browning’s 15-yard third-down conversion move to Lassiter, and an ineligible downfield name on proper deal with Devin Cochran was declined.
The Bengals did not rating in Browning’s seven drives as he completed 10 of 18 passing for 52 yards.