Losing Close Games is a Bad Indicator

[Essex Johnson]

(09-21-2021, 11:53 PM)Fan_in_Kettering Wrote: “We lost but we were close.”

Were we really?  No.  The eventual margin of victory may have been only a few points but losing close games has been the hallmark of the Bengals’ play since 2016 and it’s even worse under Zac Taylor.

Close games are lost by not converting on third down when on offense and not getting off the field after third down when on defense.  The Bengals are horrible on third down on either side of the ball.

The Bengals go for it on fourth down a lot because they’re faced with fourth down a lot.  This is due to shoddy play calling which disregards down and distance; just move those chains!  Sure, there are times where taking a shot downfield makes sense but not at the expense of giving up possession.

On defense the Bengals allow far too many third down conversions, even from third and ten — or more — situations. Lou Anarumo has the defense tackling better and playing better in general but the third down scheme remains weak.  Even on third and long somehow the opponent seems to convert.

Somehow Zac has to find a way to score early and often and put the game out of reach by halftime.  Right now nobody on the roster has the confidence of a winner and that’s sad.  I watched the Ravens the other night as they came back and beat the Chiefs and on both sides of the ball I saw purpose, energy, and most of all a cohesiveness which is lacking in Cincinnati.  Everything Baltimore did looked effortless.  The Bengals look like they are working hard but going nowhere.

Defense was solid on 3rd down, offense struggled in 3rd and manageable