7 Winners & 3 Losers From Week 2 Against The Giants

[BFritz21]

CincyJungle listed 7 winners and 3 losers from the preseason game against the Giants, and, besides for the offensive line's struggles, it's good news for the outlook of this team!

WINNERS

Quote:Offensive guard Cordell Volson: All eyes were on this rookie offensive guard with most of the starters sitting tonight. This was his golden opportunity to show he has surpassed Jackson Carman in the left guard competition while last season’s second round pick was out with a positive COVID result.

Volson did not disappoint. He even got to face the starting defensive line for the Giants. He had a couple of ugly plays, but for the most part, you didn’t notice him in pass protection, and he opened running lanes. We should see him seriously considered for the starting spot at left guard.

Like I mentioned that I thought he would, Volson stepped up and helped solidify himself! Also, like I said, I hope this Volson and Carmen both keep pushing each other.

Quote:Safety Dax Hill: No surprise here. Hill popped in Week 1 of the preseason, and he only built off of it this week. He managed to make an incredible stop in open space that led to a turnover on downs the very next play, and he brought in his first interception diving for a tipped pass. He continues to show how much of a steal the Bengals got in Round 1.

Like I said in the Bates thread, Hill is a playmaker and I'm very impressed with his play. At this point, I'm tired of Bates and I hope we can pull off the tag and trade and maybe help improve the offensive line?

Quote:Wide receiver Kendric Pryor and Kwamie Lassiter II: Pryor was the human highlight reel from Week 1. He managed to show off how well he makes contested catches again this week with some amazing grabs.

Lassiter led the team in catches (7) and yards (91) on the night. He was able to create separation fairly easily, and his only down moment was dropping a 2-point conversion late in the fourth quarter. He made up for that with a clutch catch on the final drive to get them into Giants territory.

Lassiter impressed me last week and, besides for that drop, he continued to impress me this week.

I was impressed with Pryor's route running that I noticed.

It's nice to have so many weapons for Burrow to throw to!

Quote:Quarterback Brandon Allen: Allen missed most of the Week 1 outing with a concussion. He came out and did as well as he could with all the penalties holding the offense back.

I was satisfied with Allen's play and it's nice to have insurance if Burrow would need to come out for a few plays.

Quote:Defensive line depth: We once again saw the likes of Joseph Ossai, Cam Sample and Zac Carter make a number of plays. These guys will see the field during the regular season. They were getting penetration, and making hustle plays on screens. They weren’t perfect, but they give plenty of excitement for how well of a rotation this team will have on the defensive line.

Sample made a play or two that made me take notice and then I was SHOCKED by Carter and it's giving me hope that we might have found a guy that can develop into a good player!

Quote:Punter Drue Chrisman: Chrisman was the only one of the punter to actually punt in this game. He did a very good job with a 48.5 yard average on his three punts. He also ran down a returner on one of his kicks.

Whatever.

LOSERS

Quote:Offensive lineman Jackson Carman: After having a really terrible outing in Week 1, he got to watch Volson do very well in his absence. This is a battle that will likely be an ongoing one, so Carman can potentially try and make his way back from this. However, he will have to play the best football we have seen him play yet to make up any ground next week.

It's unfortunate but glad Volson took advantage and hopefully Carman comes back hard and they both push each other to improve.

Quote:Offensive line depth: Penalties were still a huge issue this week. It seemed like early and often, we were seeing holding penalties calling back any sort of big play. You can argue they were facing the starters on the Giants defense, but this is the talent level they will see if they have to fill in for a starter. In fact, they will probably face better. We just have to hope the starters stay healthy this year.

Yeah. I thought they looked better as the game went on and the Giants were playing players that weren't as good, but the starters worry me, so having no depth also scares me.

Quote:Punter Kevin Huber: Things aren’t looking good for the longest tenured Bengal. He didn’t kick a single punt, and he rotated with Chrisman as the holder for Evan McPherson. We will have to see how things shake out in the coming weeks, but it seems like Cincinnati is favoring the young guy currently.

Oh well.

I liked what I saw from some guys but the o-line just still scares the shit out of me.

There was one play early in the game where the defense rushed ONE guy and got to the QB (or made him rush the throw. I forget but I mentioned it in the game day thread.)