What We Saw: Preseason Week 2

Series Navigation

Bengals @ Football Team

Final Score: Football Team 17, Bengals 13

Writer: Sami Alsado (@samialsado on Twitter)

Preseason Week 2 offers the opportunity for an illuminating look at position battles, a glimpse into the potential of rookies, and reminders of the folly of drawing conclusions on limited sample sizes against a varying degree of competition. Though the defenses in this game appeared much sharper than their evolving offenses, there were bright spots highlighted by the potential breakout of undrafted rookie Jarret Patterson on Washington and worry-inducing drops from assumed stud rookie Ja’Marr Chase that is worthy of deeper analysis. Just like a beta version of a video game, this is not the complete product and I think both teams can find some solace knowing they will both will be better prepared and in rhythm once the regular season kicks off.

Cincinnati Bengals

Quarterback

Brandon Allen: 8/17, 70 yards | 2 carries, 7 yards

Kyle Shurmur: 4/4, 23 yards | 2 carries

Eric Dungey: 3/6 14 yards | 2 carries, 12 yards

From journeyman backup Brandon Allen, to coaches son Kyle Shurmur, and to former Syracuse QB Eric Dungey who most famously upset Clemson in 2017, the Bengals’ lack of investment in the backup QB position is either quite telling of their faith in Joe Burrow’s recovery or speaks to the negligence of their decisionmakers. Regardless, the lack of productivity stunted their offense throughout this game as they attempted to execute a conservative game plan. Through the first half, Brandon Allen led all seven drives and only was able to muster one first down. Although drops and penalties greatly contributed to this, Allen had sufficient protection from his O-Line and was unable to place balls away from coverage with inaccurate throwing downfield. The paltry start forced the Bengals to play Allen into the third quarter when they finally broke through for an eight-play, 64-yard drive finished off by Allen with a one yard QB sneak. Kyle Shurmur then entered the game for one drive which consisted of 4 short passes and 3 penalties that ended in a punt. Dungey then took the final two drives of the game and led the Bengals to a field goal, thanks largely to his ability to scramble and a roughing-the-passer penalty that kept the drive alive.

Despite the lack of inspiration in the above stat lines, Joe Burrow has a lot to be excited about with the protection the new-look Frank Pollack-coached offensive line has provided so far this preseason.

Through two preseason games, the Bengals haven't surrender a single sack. They've been charged with 4 pressures and 3 QB hits.

— Goodberry (@JoeGoodberry) August 21, 2021

Running Backs

Joe Mixon: 2 carries, 4 yards | 2 targets, 1 reception, 8 yards

Jacques Patrick: 6 carries, 42 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 5 yards

Chris Evans: 9 carries, 35 yards

Samaje Perine: 2 carries, 3 yards

Pooka Williams Jr.:1 carry, 9 yards

Joe Mixon is the clear leader of this group and a proven asset in the fantasy community. Although some may bemoan a potentially below-average offensive line, Mixon’s role as the bell cow in this offense is unquestioned and may be enhanced by the departure of Giovani Bernard. In this game, the Bengals first play was a designed screen for Mixon that he took for 16 yards but was called back for holding. Mixon was then stunted for a one-yard run on a toss play brazenly sent right at Chase Young. Although the stat line doesn’t jump off the page, Mixon has the talent and role that should have fantasy owners happy to roster him as a fringe RB1-2 with upside.

With Giovani Bernard now set to be Tom Brady‘s favorite dump-off pass-catching RB, there is some intrigue as to who may emerge amongst the rest of the Bengals’ RBs. Samaje Perine is the likely favorite to spell Mixon through the season and he has run second to Mixon throughout the preseason. However, his current five carries and six yards of production hasn’t staved off calls for more looks from the young backups. The rookie out of Michigan, Chris Evans, seems a seamless replacement to step into the old Bernard pass-catching role which could make him a better complement to Mixon than Perine. Through two preseason games, former XFL RB Jacques Patrick has 21 carries and 113 yards which may be enough to secure him a roster spot or at least a practice squad look. Patrick has rare size at RB, at 6’2, 234 pounds, and has performed admirably in the second halves of the first two games barreling through defenders like a middle schooler playing pee wee football. As of now, it would seem Evans has the edge on Patrick for the last spot but Perine’s lack of burst could lead the Bengals to keep both of them.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Ja’Marr Chase: 3 targets

Tee Higgins: 3 targets, 1 reception, 11 yards

Auden Tate: 2 target, 2 receptions, 23 yards

Trenton Irwin: 6 targets, 2 receptions, 24 yards

Mike Thomas: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 14 yards

Thaddeus Moss: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 6 yards

Scotty Washington: 1 target, 1 reception, 6 yards

Trent Taylor: 2 targets, 1 reception, 3 yards

Mason Schreck: 2 targets, 1 reception, 7 yards

Mitchell Wilcox: 2 targets, 2 receptions

Bengals rookie WR Ja'Marr Chase (fifth overall pick) with three targets, three drops in his second preseason game. 🏈 pic.twitter.com/hQw1Ak2y0U

— The Comeback (@thecomeback) August 21, 2021

Okay, let’s talk about it. This is the topic on the tip of everyone’s tongue questioning both whether the fifth overall pick Ja’Marr Chase is already a bust and continuing to stoke the flames of everyone who was calling for Penei Sewell on draft day. First and foremost, this is a WR who has not played organized football since 2019. He is a rookie in his second preseason game against a solid defense with a below-average backup QB limiting his potential. With that said, the first drop on the slant where Chase had plenty is inexcusable, the second ball also could have been caught but Allen set Chase up to be walloped upon reception which may have affected his concentration. The third ball was tightly contested, although a fully in-form Chase could likely find a way to pull that one in, if not take it upfield to the house.

The eagerness to draw conclusions on such a small sample size is foolhardy, especially considering that Ja’Marr has never had issues with drops throughout his college career. However, given the clear rust Chase is working through, it is evident that Chase is likely being overdrafted at his current 72 ADP.

Making this all the more obvious is Chase’s draft position being ahead of Tee Higgins, who appears ready to continue the breakout we saw through his rookie season. Although Higgins only had one catch in this game, the Bengals clearly prioritized his involvement when they gave him a jump ball in 1 on 1 coverage approaching the end zone.

Tee Higgins goes up for the catch on first down pic.twitter.com/JasXWjTlj9

— Ben Brown 🌻 (@BenBrownPL) August 21, 2021

Given their current trajectories, I believe drafting Higgins over Ja’Marr is an easy decision. But, I can envision a scenario where Chase is an ideal buy low in dynasty leagues and possibly mid-season in redraft. As he knocks off the rust, Chase will round into form and show the body control, high point ability, and chemistry with Joe Burrow that he was drafted to provide.

Washington Football Team

Quarterback

Ryan Fitzpatrick: 7/13, 96 yards

Taylor Heinicke: 11/13, 80 yards | 4 carries, 26 yards

Kyle Allen: 2/4, 23 yards| 2 carries, -3 yards

Ryan Fitzpatrick didn’t show his best in this game and struggled with accuracy. As always he showed effectively mobile avoiding pressure and a workman’s savvy reading and manipulating defenses. His first pass of the game, a simple drag, to Logan Thomas went for 28 yards due to a beautiful play-action fake which froze the linebacker and exemplified the benefits a veteran QB can have in manipulating a defense. Through four drives Fitzpatrick led the WFT to one successful field goal attempt.

Ryan Fitzpatrick has overthrown both a wide open Logan Thomas and Adam Humphries in the end zone on this drive pic.twitter.com/9vWaH8fUv9

— Ben Brown 🌻 (@BenBrownPL) August 21, 2021

Taylor Heinicke continued to show why some WFT members may even prefer if he took the starting job. Heinicke has a consistently great feel for the pocket as he steps up into and around the oncoming pass rush. Although the passing game was rather conservative with Heinicke at the helm, his ability to extend plays and get chunks of yards on play-action rollouts adds a dynamic potential to this offense that could get him some starts depending on how Fitzpatrick performs.

Running Back

Antonio Gibson: 7 carries, 28 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 19 yards

Peyton Barber: 3 carries, 2 yards | 1 target 1 reception, 2 yards

JD Mckissic: 1 target, 1 reception, 4 yards

Jaret Patterson: 16 carries, 71 yards, TD | 3 targets, 3 receptions, 25 yards

Jonathan Williams: 6 carries, 16 yards

Antonio Gibson is primed for a great season. Since the time he stepped onto the field as a rookie last year through today, Gibson has consistently shown the ability to elude defenders, assertively hit the hole with power, and proven his dynamic ability to produce in the passing game. I don’t think anyone can question Gibson’s pure talent as an RB and he demonstrated that burst in this game, consistently breaking tackles and making the most of what his line gave him.

Paging @QBLRyan – 14 yard catch and run by Antonio Gibson pic.twitter.com/YWiJY71IcL

— Ben Brown 🌻 (@BenBrownPL) August 21, 2021

Antonio Gibson keeps his feet moving and converts the first down pic.twitter.com/IiGpaA8xOy

— Ben Brown 🌻 (@BenBrownPL) August 21, 2021

As always with any player analysis, Gibson’s role is another element of the equation and there may be some cause for concern that Gibson will be resting on 3rd downs as he did for a lot of last season resting for Riverboat Ron’s favorite 3rd down pass-catching only back, JD McKissic.

Washington’s offense with Ryan Fitzpatrick has encountered 9 3rd downs during the preseason. RB snaps in those situations:

J.D. McKissic 7
Antonio Gibson 1 (3rd-and-1)
Peyton Barber 1

— John Daigle (@notJDaigle) August 21, 2021

If this trend continues, there could be room to cap Gibson’s ceiling but his talent and role as the primary focal point of the running attack in Washington should leave you comfortable rostering and starting Gibson all season.

Now, on to the story of the preseason in the WFT backfield, hometown kid, undrafted free agent, and soon-to-be fan-favorite Jaret Patterson. Patterson, a rookie from Buffalo, stands a mere 5’8 and will draw comparisons to a bowling ball due to his sure-footed north and south assertiveness that has led him into the hearts of the WFT faithful. Unfortunately, due to his lack of collegiate pass-catching prowess, there were doubts he could carve out a role on the team or even a roster spot. But, after this performance where he ran through D-Lineman like they were tackling dummies and showed a spry burst as a pass-catcher, there is potential that Patterson could wedge himself into some regular-season touches if his preseason production continues to mirror his renowned work ethic. How did this guy go undrafted?

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Terry McLaurin: 2 targets, 1 reception, 5 yards

Logan Thomas: 2 targets, 1 reception, 28 yards

Steven Sims Jr: 1 target

Dyami Brown: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 33 yards

Adam Humphries: 3 targets

John Bates: 1 target

Ricky Seals-Jones: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 20 yards

Isaiah Wright: 1 target, 1 reception, 7 yards

Antonio Gandy-Golden: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 38 yards

Cam Sims: 3 targets, 2 reception, 19 yards

It should be noted that Curtis Samuel sat out his second preseason game, although he is nearing a return. Logan Thomas continues his ascent in the league being one of the rare few to make the QB to TE switch. Thomas was targeted on two of the first three passes of the game and has some hope to be a low-end TE play this season or a streamer at worst.

Terry McLaurin, the unquestioned leader of this WR group, got a schemed jump ball in the end zone which he had no chance of bringing down. Terry has consistently put up great numbers despite poor QB play and there is reason to believe Fitzpatrick can lead him to a career year, though that will largely depend on how big of a role Samuel may garner.

Outside of the first team, Dyami Brown continues to flash rare athleticism and field-stretching ability that will likely push him into the WR rotation through the year. Although there isn’t much room to speculate on a big enough role to make a difference in fantasy, Brown is looking to be a draft-day steal after being picked 82nd overall and a potential dynasty boom once he wedges into a more solid role.