LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

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Since 2004

Tag: zach moss

  • Three Important Takeaways from the Bengals Close Loss to the Chiefs

    Three Important Takeaways from the Bengals Close Loss to the Chiefs

    by Chris Ball

    Loveland, Ohio – Though the Bengals fell 26-25 against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday it was a heartbreaking loss. As seems to happen so often against Kansas City, that loss came after yet another questionable call that benefited Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. This time it was a pass interference penalty on the Bengals’ rookie defensive back Daijahn Anthony that gave Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker an opportunity to nail a 51-yard game winner as the clock expired. But as heartbreaking a defeat as the game represented, there were at least three positive takeaways to come out of it.

    One – Joe Burrow Is Back to Form

    After the loss to the New England Patriots there were rumblings from others, mostly outside of Bengals fandom, that Joe Burrow might not be as effective after his wrist injury last year. The Bengals’ quarterback put those questions to bed this past week. He went 23-36 for 258 yards with two touchdowns, outplaying Mahomes in the process. He looked more confident in the pocket and was able to push the ball downfield, something he did not attempt to do much against the Patriots.

    With Burrow not playing snice November of last year, it was reasonable to expect some rust in his return to game action in 2024. While that rust showed itself week one, it’s equally apparent that Burrow is getting into the flow of the game and is ready to carry this team in the most difficult of situations, just as he did at Arrowhead on Sunday.

    Two – The Bengals Pass Defense Answered the Call

    The Bengals’ secondary, led by Cam-Taylor Britt and Dax Hill limited Patrick Mahomes to just 151 yards on Sunday. It was the fewest yards the Chiefs’ quarterback has thrown for since October of 2019 where he threw for just 76 yards before being injured just before halftime. They intercepted Mahomes twice, including one of the prettiest interceptions you might ever see from Taylor-Britt:

    Cincinnati clamped down on the Chiefs’ passing game despite the fact that they got almost no pressure on Mahomes outside of Trey Hendrickson. Cincinnati’s defensive end continues to be a terror on opposing quarterbacks and he was the highest-graded Bengal in week one:

    Unfortunately, the others on the Bengals’ defensive line have not played up to anything close to Hendricks’ level this year. The hope is that when the team gets former top pick Myles Murphy back from injury and that he can continue the progress that he showed towards the end of last year.

    Mike Gesicki Has Revitalized The Bengals’ Tight End Situation

    Gesicki’s touchdown against the Patriots should have counted. But the Bengals’ tight end didn’t dwell on the past when he took the field against Kansas City. He hauled in seven catches for 91 yards. Although he didn’t score, his 37-yard reception early on really opened things up for Burrow and the offense. His 91 yards was the fourth-best performance in his career. The Bengals struggled to get much of anything out of the tight end position last year, but the progression of Gesicki and rookie Erick All (who had four receptions of his own on Sunday) bring a lot of promise to the position this season.

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    Hey readers… have an opinion about sports? How about a topic you’d like to see written about in Loveland Magazine or a thought about one of our articles?

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    Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.

  • The Bengals Fall in Shocking Week One Loss to the New England Patriots

    The Bengals Fall in Shocking Week One Loss to the New England Patriots

    by Chris Ball

    Loveland, Ohio – The hallmark of great teams is that they identify their problems and do all they can to at least fix them, or perhaps even turn them into strengths. But for the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday’s loss to the New England Patriots made it painfully clear that they have many of the same problems that plagued them in 2023. The Patriots came into Paycor Stadium and exposed Cincinnati’s flaws on their way to a 16-10 victory.

    The Bengals had the seventh-worse run defense in 2023. They allowed 2,145 yards at a clip of 4.7 yards per carry. It was a major flaw that only got worse after the departure of DJ Reader to the Lions. Though the team signed Sheldon Rankins, but his primary specialty is rushing the passer. The hope was that drafting Kris Jenkins out of Michigan might help in that department, but he was inactive against the Patriots due to injury. Essentially the Bengals banked on their existing players finding a way to be more effective in stopping the run.

    And that bet failed to pay any dividends on Sunday.

    Rhamondre Stevenson and the Patriots punished Cincinnati to the tune of 170 yards on 39 carries for a 4.4 yards per carry average. Those yards hurt the worst in the first half and then again to seal the game in the fourth quarter. Time and again Stevenson, and even journeyman quarterback Jacoby Brissett broke tackles and frustrated the Bengals defense on their way to tough yards and big first downs.

    The Patriots had the seventh-worst rushing attack last year and only averaged 3.9 yards per carry and a paltry nine touchdowns. And yet, the Bengals looked overmatched in every phase of the running game on defense. They were blown off of the ball bullied on numerous occasions.

    It bodes ill for future games against the likes of the Baltimore Ravens. They rushed for 185 yards on 32 carries in their loss against the Chiefs this week. Lamar Jackson accounted for 122 of those yards and is a much more dynamic athlete than Brissett, who had 32 yards of his own (for a 4.6 average) against the Bengals this week.

    The first game of the year clearly demonstrated that the Bengals’ weakness against the run hasn’t been addressed. It’s fair to say it’s unclear exactly what the plan might be to improve in that area apart from simply hoping that the defense finds ways to play better or perhaps develop a scheme to limit the damage on that front.

    It is a tale as old as time. The Bengals show up the first week of the season utterly unprepared and Zac Taylor makes excuses as to why it continues to happen. The Bengals are 1-10 in weeks one-two since Taylor has become the head coach for Cincinnati. This is yet another concerning aspect of this team that continues into 2024 without any signs of being addressed.

    Whether it was Charlie Jones’ fumble on a punt return or Tanner Hudson’s inexplicable fumble holding the ball out for anyone to take, there were plenty of instances on Sunday that made it clear this team was firing on less than all cylinders. While the players have to make plays on the field, the overall composure and tempo of a team is tied directly to the preparation and readiness instilled by the game plan put in place by the head coach going into a game. Those aspects were sorely lacking in Sunday’s game.

    Perhaps the most questionable of all of Zac Taylor’s decisions came with just 2:56 to play in the fourth quarter. It was fourth and 5 when Taylor chose not to trust in his franchise quarterback but punt the ball away to the Patriots and trust in his defense to get a stop. That defense promptly allowed the Patriots to run all over them to put the game out of reach, rather than give Joe Burrow or Ja’Marr Chase a chance to make a special play and come back to win the game.

     

    For once in what seemed like a long while, injuries weren’t the major holdup that prevented the Bengals from having a successful offseason. Burrow, Chase, Higgins, and many others were physically healthy and able to have a complete camp and preseason together to focus on 2024. But while the physical health might have been there, there were plenty of other issues that robbed this team of the necessary reps during the summer. Whether it was Higgins’ dissatisfaction with his lack of a big contract or Chase’s desire for his own mega-deal, there was never a feeling that the Bengals’ most explosive and important players were on the same page so that they would be ready to start the season off strong. And that is what we saw on Sunday, a disjointed team that looked out of sync and unprepared to win a game against a team they should have handled comfortably.

    Another major flaw in this team was their inability to run the football. One of the few rushing defenses worse than the Patriots was the Bengals’ last year. They managed just 1,527 yards at 4.0 yards per carry, the second worst rush offense in the league. They replaced Joe Mixon with Zach Moss and hoped that Chase Brown could step up to be a dynamic back.

    On Sunday the Bengals ran the ball well, at least statistically. While Cincinnati was able to manage 4.4 yards per carry, they only mustered 70 total yards on the ground. The Bengals offense operated in fits and starts overall and turnovers certainly did not help them gain any real momentum. The run game was certainly a victim of that.

    Like it or not, the Bengals will go only so far as Joe Burrow will take them. Cincinnati fans were understandably excited to see their franchise quarterback on the field for the first time since November of last year. While it was good to see Burrow’s accuracy on display, he took no chances down the field and kept it vanilla. He averaged just 5.7 yards per completion and had 164 yards passing on 21 completions.

    Whether it was the play calling by Taylor and new offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher (who has plenty of questions of his own to face after this game), Burrow’s rustiness, or even his lingering injury, Bengals fans are fair to have some trepidation about their all-pro quarterback, epically given that he had a full and healthy offseason to prepare for this game. What is most perplexing is that Burrow put up such low numbers while facing so little pressure:

    There isn’t any way to sugar coat things. The Bengals head to Arrowhead next week to take on the Kansas City Chiefs. The defending Super Bowl champions are fresh off a close but impressive win against a very good Ravens team. That have a good running back in Isiah Pacheco and a dynamic quarterback in Patrick Mahomes. If the Chiefs are allowed to run the ball with impunity, then it makes Mahomes all the more deadly in the passing game. The Bengals have a lot of work to do before next Sunday, and this loss against the Patriots clearly demonstrated that if they don’t fix those issues, things could get very ugly very quickly.

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    Hey readers… have an opinion about sports? How about a topic you’d like to see written about in Loveland Magazine or a thought about one of our articles?

    Just need to vent and get out your frustration about the Reds, Bengals, or any other sports issues?

    Feel free to share with an email to lovelandmagazinesports@gmail.com!

    We would love to hear from our readers, and we thank you for your support and engagement.

    Also, don’t forget to follow us at The Loveland Sports Desk at the below links:

    For Facebook, click here.

    For X, click here.

    For Instagram, click here. 

    Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.

  • Going Camping! Four Captivating Storylines to Watch as the Bengals Start Camp

    Going Camping! Four Captivating Storylines to Watch as the Bengals Start Camp

    Photo of Rookie Jermaine Burton running a route at Bengals’ Minicamp, Courtesy of the Bengals on X.

    by Chris Ball

    Loveland, Ohio – As fall approaches the inevitable excitement for the return of Bengals football grows to a fever pitch. The start of that excitement usually begins with the commencement of training camp, which begins this week. There are plenty of interesting storylines to track as the Bengals ramp up for their season opener on September 8th against the New England Patriots. Here are just a few:

    Joe Burrow’s Health

    Any conversation about the Bengals understandably begins and ends with Joe Burrow. His preseason injury disrupted the beginning of the team’s 2023 campaign and his injury against Baltimore in week 11 nearly spelled the end of it.

    All of that is thankfully in the past and the Bengals franchise quarterback has looked smooth and focused in the limited preseason action that we’ve seen so far. Physically his hand appears strong and Burrow’s throwing motion is solid. Keeping him in good health is a top priority not only during the season but also throughout camp and during Cincinnati’s preseason games. The trick is that those concerns are also balanced against the need to get Burrow on the field as much as necessary to build the cohesion of the offense.

    No, he does not have to, nor should he, play large chunks of the preseason. But this camp will be important because the more he can connect with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins and sharpen their timing and communication now, the faster the Bengals can hopefully find success once the season starts. Early injuries have hurt this team in the past and that’s been evident in their record over the early part of the season. Last year they started 1-3, in 2022 it was 2-2. But with both Burrow and Higgins completely healthy, watching them get in sync during camp will be a great thing to watch for.

    Dax Hill’s Position Switch

    When the Bengals drafted Dax Hill with the 31st overall pick in 2022 it was as a safety. There was a lot of hope that the promising young man out of the University of Michigan could eventually step into the shoes of Jessie Bates. However, the plan hasn’t necessarily come to fruition in the way that we all thought.

    Part of the need to switch Hill from safety to corner has been his struggles there, but also because of the emergence of Jordan Battle and the signing of Geno Stone from the Baltimore Ravens. With two solid players in the back of their secondary it allows more flexibility to get Dax Hill meaningful reps on the field, albeit at a different position. Moving positions doesn’t come without risks, though.

    Playing cornerback requires physicality at the line of scrimmage and with less space to operate it really puts a player’s speed and flexibility to the test. It’s a tough transition but if there is anyone who has the versatility to pull it off it is Dax Hill. But training camp is the place where fans and coaches will be able to see his progress at his new position and evaluate what he might bring either as a nickel or slot corner or to backup Cam Taylor-Britt or DJ Turner. In today’s NFL a team cannot have enough experienced defensive backs and however the Bengals can get their former first round pick on the field they should absolutely embrace those options.

    A Major Offensive Line Battle

    As discussed above, Joe Burrow’s health is the team’s paramount priority. Burrow has played behind patchwork offensive lines since he entered this league, and the world has seen the results. Bengals fans have suffered through the lowlight reels time and again, of their only hope for a Super Bowl running for his life or being crushed by pass rushers so gargantuan that it seems almost criminal to witness. Burrow has been sacked 148 times in his first 52 games played, which simply cannot be allowed to continue.

    This year 4 out of the 5 starting positions are likely set, but this week revealed some interesting news. On Tuesday the Bengals placed OT Trent Brown on the Active/Non-Football Injury list. Brown signed a one-year, $4.75 million contract with the Bengals in March of 2024 after his tenure with the New England Patriots and many had him pegged as the starter at right tackle given his prior experience. However, the future at the position almost surely rests with Amarius Mims, who the Bengals drafted with the 18th overall pick this season out of Georgia.

    With Brown’s absence, Mims will receive critical first-team reps during training camp. Fans and coaches alike will be able to see and evaluate his ability to play right away at a position that is critical for this team and to protect its most valuable asset in Joe Burrow. There was always a chance the right tackle position would turn into a heated battle between the veteran and the up-and-coming young rookie, but it looks like that battle will happen much earlier than we all expected, adding yet another layer of excitement in this year’s camp.

    The reason for Brown’s placement on the non-injury list hasn’t been made clear yet. Though Brown has his own significant injury history, this list is for issues that arise while players are away from their teams. Brown will not be able to practice until he’s activated from the list, but that activation can happen at any point this summer. So as of now, it’s a waiting game for Brown’s return, but until then, many eyes will be watching the progress of Amarius Mims.

    There were more than a few analysis that believed that Mims was a “project” when he was selected, given the lower amount of snaps that he played while at Georgia. Though Mims’ size and talent have the potential to make him into an all-pro type player, there are questions as to just how much time it would take to get there. Now, he has the chance to prove that he is ready now to start in this league, and show that the “project” is well ahead of schedule.

    A New Era At Running Back

    Joe Mixon had over 6,400 yards and 62 touchdowns during his 97 games with the Bengals in a career that included many great moments for the Orange and Black. He’s now with the Houston Texans and the man signed to replace him is Zach Moss. He played last year for the Indianapolis Colts and had 794 yards on 183 carries and reached the end zone 7 times. He will also be sharing at least some measure of his carries with Chase Brown, the Bengals’ 5th round draft pick in 2023. Brown had just 179 yards on the ground but showed an electric ability to catch the ball out of the backfield where he had 15 catches for 156 yards (an 11.1 average).

    Moss and Brown might not have the carry volume of Joe Mixon, but for his part Moss graded better in a key area that the Bengals need (just as they need with the offensive line): pass protection. Brown is also a much more significant threat to catch the ball out of the backfield and that aspect of his game will only get better as his time on the field increases. Their workload and fit into the Bengals offense will also be very interesting to watch as camp, and the preseason, get ramped up.

    ———————-

    Hey readers… have an opinion about sports? How about a topic you’d like to see written about in Loveland Magazine or a thought about one of our articles?

    Just need to vent and get out your frustration about the Reds, Bengals, or any other sports issues?

    Feel free to share with an email to lovelandmagazinesports@gmail.com!

    We would love to hear from our readers, and we thank you for your support and engagement.

    Also, don’t forget to follow us at The Loveland Sports Desk at the below links:

    For Facebook, click here.

    For X, click here.

    For Instagram, click here. 

    Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.