Bengals @ Falcons
Final Score: Bengals 13, Falcons 13
Writer: Brian Hartman (@TooMuch_Brian on Twitter)
The box score may not say there is one, but we’re all feeling like losers in this one. With a new pre-season rule of no more overtime, we find ourselves looking at an awkward score of thirteen a piece. While the final outcome may not be the most exciting thing, we came away feeling a sense of relief when it came to backup quarterback play.
If you weren’t an avid NFL fan you might think that yellow was a team color with the amount of flags thrown in this game. The Falcons grabbed four on their opening drive aline. All in all we didn’t see near as much of the starting offense for the Falcons, but the small taste we got showed us that these skill players will be electric.
Three Up
- QB Jake Browning – Raised some eyebrows as much as a 3rd stringer can
- QB Taylor Heinicke – Heinicke does what he does and it works more often than not
- WR Andrei Iosivas – Peppered with targets, good size
One Down
- QB Desmond Ridder – He’s the solution at QB? Oh boy…
Cincinnati Bengals
| Preseason Week 1 |
Quarterback
Trevor Siemian: 7/14, 62 yards
Watching Siemian out there on the first drive just reassured how badly we need Burrow out there this season. The flat truth is this team will struggle to keep up with the top QBs in this conference with Siemian throwing passes. He looked good enough for your backup but gave no hope of being able to keep the team afloat past the first month of the season if Burrow has a setback for any reason.
Notes
- He looked like he was playing the game managing role tonight.
- He refused to push the ball down the field and looked hesitant behind that shaky O-line.
Jake Browning: 16/22 140 yards, INT | 4 carries, 50 yards
Talk about adding in some excitement into a week 2 preseason game!! This guy Browning was a huge shock once he stepped in for Siemian. He definitely showed that he’ll have to work for the second string position but I think he showed enough to challenge for it. Browning gave the offense just a bit more to work with because of his mobility.
Notes
- Browning played with an aggressiveness that was noticed this week. I loved seeing him willing to push the ball downfield.
- Browning finished with 50 rushing yards in the game and I think his ability to move out of the pocket could give him a better shot of moving this offense if they find themselves without Burrow for an extended about of time.
Running Back
Chris Evans: 7 carries, 15 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 20 yards
Despite Evans being given 11 opportunities tonight, he came away flat in the running game. Seeing him finish with 2.1 YPC only brings more clarity to the fact that Mixon will have as much as he can carry in this backfield.
Notes
- He looked good in the passing game catching both of his targets.
Chase Brown: 9 carries, 18 yards, 1 TD | 2 targets, 1 reception
While Brown was able to punch in the lone TD for the Bengals, he did so from only a couple yards out and maintained the two yards per carry for the remaining series he played in.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Andrei Iosivas: 10 targets, 5 receptions, 44 yards
I hadn’t heard of this guy going into tonight but he has made the radar! Seeing a game high 10 targets, this rookie out of Princeton is a huge target at a towering 6 foot 3 inches. With little to offer in re-draft leagues this year, he has a chance to fight for that number four spot on the depth chart behind Chase, Higgins and Boyd.
Charlie Jones: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 36 yards
We’ll probably see a good chunk of his play in the special teams department. Jones showed an ability to be a reliable target underneath.
Shedrick Jackson: 4 targets, 4 receptions, 42 yards
Jackson caught a great 18 yard pass across the middle but all in all looked as if he will be fighting for a roster spot.
Drew Sample: 1 target, 1 reception, 13 yards
We have not seen much of a breakout or a consistent play from Joe Burrow’s tight ends so far but I’ll be watching to see if Drew can make himself a streamer, even if only in a small Sample..
Atlanta Falcons
| Preseason Week 1 |
Quarterback
Desmond Ridder: 7/9, 80 yards 1 INT | 1 carry, 7 yards
With Heinicke right on his tail, I don’t know how long of a leash we’ll see on Ridder. He didn’t give me any confidence in this offense when he was on the field. We saw several fun catches from the great skill players on the Falcons until you realize those catches were so poorly thrown that it required an acrobatic catch.
Missed Opportunities
- Despite the uneasy play and the four penalties, Ridder got them to the Redzone just in time to throw a pass that was bobbled and intercepted.
- Ridder will get plenty of shots early in the season, but with the head coach possibly on the hot seat this season I would expect a QB change at some point.
Taylor Heinicke: 13/21, 162 yards | 2 carries, 14 yards
Heinicke has his flaws. No one here is arguing that, but he brings so much more to the career backup category. He only had two rushes but that doesn’t show the amount of plays he was able to scramble to give the receivers more time. I think with Heinicke’s time in the league we’re going to see more of a willingness to take shots and give guys like London and Pitts the ability to shine.
Running Back
Bijan Robinson: 4 carries, 20 yards
It wasn’t a lot but it was something. After Tyler Allgeier took the first carry, Bijan busted threw the line for a 12 yard gain. He pulled in his lone target with one hand after a poor pass from Ridder.
Godwin Igwebuike: 14 carries, 61 yards
Carlos Washington took away the only Falcons touchdown of the night, but Igwebuike stole the show with his 52% carry share. Regardless, these backs are fighting for the third rotation spot in this backfield.
Carlos Washington: 5 carries, 15 yards, TD | 3 targets, 3 receptions, 23 yards
Washington pushed the TD in to take the lead at the time. He seems to be playing more of the pass catching role for the team but this still means little for his fantasy relevance.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Drake London: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 33 yards
London looks ready to take another step forward after a great rookie season. It looks like the only thing stopping him from being that great fantasy option is going to be quarterback play.
Notes
- He pulled in an amazing off target pass for 21 yards to give you confidence in his large frame being able to develop as the tandem of Ridder and Heinicke work things out.
Mack Hollins: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 20 yards
The total amount of passes in this offense leads me to believe that there can’t be many relevant pass catchers in Atlanta, but Hollins is giving his best attempt to be a staple this year.
Kyle Pitts: 1 target, 1 reception, 9 yards
One target, one reception, and one hand. That’s all Pitts needed to put his exclamtion point on this drive. Pitts showed that his extreme athleticism is no match for Ridder’s off target passes. He showed to be moving just fine after coming off his injury last year.
Scottie Miller: 5 targets, 1 reception, 5 yards
While he only pulled in one pass, I felt they called his name all night. Miller showed his speed is still in the top of the league and he can give Ridder an easy under route or a streaking deep target for Heinicke.