Cincinnati Bengals vs Los Angeles Rams
The Bengals held the ball for 32:43, and the Rams held it for 27:17. The final score was Rams 24-Bengals 10, but the Rams dominated this game. Most of the Bengals stats were compiled in garbage time, and as such the game was heavily skewed towards their passing attack. It was 10-10 until the Rams pulled away, but it seems like the Rams will pass often no matter the game script.
Cincinnati Bengals
Quarterback
- Andy Dalton: 35/52, 329 yards, 1 touchdown
Andy Dalton was his usual inefficient self today. He was under pressure for the good majority of the game and was never able to get in rhythm. The Bengals at least showed an effort to involve their running backs in the passing game this week, which helped them move the chains on several occasions. It worked, so of course, the Bengals moved away from doing it as the game progressed. Dalton was inaccurate with many of his throws, and it’s fair to say that he is missing A.J. Green tremendously. Green is scheduled to come back by week 10, so Dalton may be a bit better then. His stats were inflated by garbage time, as the game was not as close as the score indicates.
Dalton showed some signs of life today but it still not startable in 1 QB leagues. In 2-QB leagues, Dalton is only startable as a bye-week fill in. The Bengals are likely to move on from Dalton after the season, but it is not all his fault. Head coach Zac Taylor refuses to show any kind of creativity with the offense, which limits Dalton’s upside tremendously. If there are any positives to take from this game, the Bengals defense looked abysmal once again, so the game script will always be in Dalton’s favor.
Running Backs
- Joe Mixon: 17 carries, 66 yards | 4 targets, 4 receptions, 11 yards, 1 touchdown
- Giovani Bernard: 3 carries, 31 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 14 yards
Joe Mixon was the lone bright spot on the Bengals offense today. He looked like his old self and was finally used in the receiving game. This game proved that Mixon is not completely done, but you are not going to roll him out each week with any sort of confidence. He was used as the workhorse in this game, but he is the workhorse on what may be the worst team in the league. If you can get him for cheap in leagues, I would advise to go for it, but he is no more than an RB3 with upside at this point. Giovani Bernard continues to be explosive when given the ball, but he is firmly behind Mixon at this point and isn’t even worth rostering as a handcuff.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- Tyler Boyd: 9 targets, 6 receptions, 65 yards
- Auden Tate: 13 targets, 5 receptions, 65 yards
- Tyler Eifert: 9 targets, 6 receptions, 74 yards
- Alex Erikson: 7 targets, 6 receptions, 97 yards
The Bengals wideouts were all serviceable today. Tyler Boyd and Auden Tate soaked up targets and even Alex Erickson was able to continue his hot streak. They were mostly used in garbage time and can be used as low-upside plays each week, and Boyd can continue to be a WR2. With A.J. Green’s return looming, I think Erickson would be the odd man out if he is inserted back into the lineup. Tyler Eifert is still a good start given how much of a crapshoot the tight end position is. A lot of this group’s reliability hinges on whether Green is traded before the deadline. The weapons for the Bengals were not the problem today, so if they are looking for more draft capital, dealing Green may be in their best interest. Against a better defense, these pass-catchers will struggle given who is throwing to them but also given garbage time, they might get some numbers. Simply put, they are all unreliable besides Boyd and maybe Eifert.
Los Angeles Rams
Quarterback
- Jared Goff: 17/31, 372 yards, 2 TD’s
Jared Goff was very good today-for the first half. His stats look good, and he made some great throws, but as usual, he was inaccurate and downright lazy with the ball at times. He had two easy interceptions dropped and got flustered easily when his first read wasn’t open. Head coach Sean McVay got a little more creative with the offense this game, including an elaborate flea-flicker that led to a long touchdown. Hopefully, McVay realizes that this type of play-calling works, and that Goff is not the type of quarterback to drop back and pick apart a defense. The Bengals were not able to get any sort of pressure, and their secondary is abysmal, so there isn’t much to analyze about Goff that we did not already know. He should remain a starter most weeks, although you might want to look elsewhere for his remaining matchups against the Bears and 49ers-with the 49ers matchup occurring during week 16.
Running Backs
- Todd Gurley: 10 carries, 44 yards, 1 TD | 1 target, 0 receptions
- Darrell Henderson: 11 carries, 49 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 20 yards
Todd Gurley, due to the offense he is in, is always going to get touchdown opportunities. He had a decent day today. But for almost the entire second half of the game, rookie Darrell Henderson took over. Gurley’s knee was being looked at late in the game, meaning that Henderson should be rostered in all formats. Gurley may be starting most weeks but his upside is limited by his knee. Even if he isn’t fully out of the game, he is nowhere near his former dominant self. Henderson looked more the part of a complete feature back today, and his explosiveness is evident with his every touch. As long as he is healthy, Gurley is still going to be the preferred back in LA. But if you can sell high to someone who hasn’t realized just how much he has been splitting time, do it as fast as you can. He is not a bad every-week start but can’t be started with much confidence.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- Robert Woods: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 36 yards | 4 carries, 6 yards
- Cooper Kupp: 10 targets, 7 receptions, 220 yards, 1 TD
- Gerald Everett: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 15 yards
- Josh Reynolds: 8 targets, 3 receptions, 73 yards, 1 TD | 1 carry, -1 yards
Cooper Kupp is unreal. The 3rd-year wideout is silencing anyone who doubted his ability to come back from his ACL tear last year. He is Goff’s favorite target by far and is a machine in every area of the field. He consistently gains yards after the catch and is looked at almost exclusively in the red zone. Goff often zones in on Kupp almost to a fault. In contention for the WR1 overall this year, fantasy owners are going to be missing Kupp next week for the Rams’ bye.
Elsewhere, it seems as though the times of the Rams offense supporting 3 wide receivers are over. The offense is not nearly as potent as the last 2 years, and as a result, the likes of Robert Woods and Gerald Everett will not be consistent on a week-to-week basis. Woods is solid if uninspiring, and Everett is strictly boom-or-bust. Josh Reynolds was able to have a nice game with Brandin Cooks being taken out of the game early. He caught a touchdown, but it could just as easily be Woods or Everett that catches it another week. Outside of Kupp, the Rams pass-catchers cannot be started with confidence each week.
— Ryan Comeau