Bungals 37, Stillers 30 .....Nov 20, 2022 ………Game # 10
Stillers-Bungals Postgame Analysis and Grades
The 3-6 Stillers hosted the 5-4 Bungals. Somehow, the Stillers went into the locker room at halftime with a 20-17 lead. This was a tight game, with Cinci eking ahead for a 4 point lead in the 4Q. Sure enough, The Softee Defense got gashed and carved on a lonngggg, 93 yard TD march, sealing the loss.
Grades:
QB: KP got the start. Good 22 yard strike to Pickens, 1Q. Stellar job of hanging in the pocket and then firing the TD pass to Pickens, late 2Q, absorbing a big hit in the process. Good job of “climbing the ladder”, late 2Q, and then hitting Fryboy for a big gainer to set up a chipshot FG just before halftime.
Had some struggles in the 2H, with the entire offense sputtering and wheezing. Was 25 of 42 for 265, with no INTs. I do see some improvements here and there, which is one positive. C+
RB:
Harris – Dropped a very catchable 3rd down pass, 1Q. Good TD scamper, early 2Q, vaulting over a defender and getting into the EZ. Good, shifty 1st down run, with good authority, for 6 yards at 5:30 2Q. THAT is what I need to see more of. Good 13 yard run, 4Q. Good TD plunge, late 4Q. Had 20 rushed for 90, and 4 grabs for 26. The grade would be a bit higher without the drop. B
Warren – nifty catch of a tough pass, and good footwork to stay IB and move the chains, 1Q. Superb play. Pulled a ham and did not play in the 2H.
Snell – Didn’t play on O.
FB: Watt played here and there.
WR:
Dionte – grabbed a short pass, late 2Q, and then meekly fell onto his buttocks. Flagged for a false start, 0:31 2Q. Had 4 grabs for 21 yards. Good thing Omar Kahn caved in to Dionte’s childish sit-in during camp, and lavished him with a fatty, long-term deal ! D
Sims – Ran a jet sweep that had ZERO chance, losing 3 yards.
Boykin – no PT on O.
Pickens – Good grab for 22 yards, 1Q. Good block on Harris’ 2Q TD run. Stumbled while being WIDE open in the EZ, although there was a hold by the Oline on the play. Good TD grab. Terrific two grabs in the 2H, with amazing hands and footwork. Dropped a TD pass just after the 2MW, late 4Q, which of course would have been entirely meaningless. B
Gunner – grabbed a downfield pass late in the game. Then grabbed a richochet near the GL.
TE:
Pat FryBoy – dropped a very, very catchable pass right in his HANDS, 6:30 2Q. Good 2nd and 3rd effort on his RAC, late 2Q, to help set up the chipshot FG just before halftime. Flagged for a hold on a ground play, 4Q. Grabbed a few extra passes in garbage time. B-
Gentry – Good block on Harris’ 2Q TD run. Grabbed a clever shovel pass and gained -1 yard. Had 1 other short grab, and seemed to be targeted incessantly.
OL: Overall, the line (Moore, Dotson, Cole, Daniels, Okorafor ) played adequately.
Moore was flagged for a hold, 2Q. Got completely abused, last offensive play of the 1H. He then got completely humiliated on a 3rd & long pass play, early 4Q, which caused a sack.
DL:
Heyward – abused the rookie LG and helped nabbed the RB for a 2 yard loss, 1Q. Finished the 1H with ZERO solos and 1 A. Put a lick on the QB right after he threw, early 3Q. Got a slop assist on a short designed run by the QB,mid 2Q. Got a Dong Sack when Burrow basically ate the ball, late 3Q. Had 4 solos; when ya ignore the stat sheet and watch the game, it was a very bland, ordinary effort. C
Ogunjobi – did little.
Adams – did little.
Alu Alu – got a bat, late 3Q.
Wormley – did little.
LB:
Bush – got shoved to the ground easy as pie on the 1Q 29-yard screen pass for a TD. Finished with 2 solos and 5 As, which ain’t nearly good enough. D+
Jack – got tooled badly by Hurst for a 21 yard gainer, 1Q. Tipped a pass while rushing, 3Q. Played ok. B
Watt – deflected a pass, 2d series. Spectacular INT off a bat attempt, 3Q. Had 2 solos and 4 As. B
Highsmith – Good rush to split the sack with Watt, 3Q. Had ZERO solos the entire game, which ain’t nowhere near good enough. D+
Spillane – Foolishly grabbed the mask of a RB on a 3d &1 that was stopped short, giving Cinci a 1st down and the 15 yards. A few plays later, Cinci scored on a long screen pass. Got shrugged off like a toddler by Perine on a TD grab and run, 2Q. A shoit play by a shoit player. Actually did something, getting a fingertip on a pass, late 2Q, which was INT’d by Wallace. C-
Malik Reed – did little.
DB
Wallace – good INT, late 2Q. Solid bustup of pass to Higgins, early 3Q. Got humiliated in press coverage on Higgins, 3Q, and got whipped for a deep completion. Foolishly over-ran a simple 9 yard out, 4Q, and allowed Irwin to gain an extra 12 yards. B
Cam Sutton - quiet, but wasn’t abused.
Norwood – didn’t play much on D, if at all.
Edmunds – got completely abused by Higgins, 2Q, on a 3d & 4, good for 24 yards.
Minkah - fairly quiet. B-
‘Spoon – sat out again.
Maulet – Got tooled for a short TD, mid 3Q. Then got abused by Boyd for a long downfield pass, 27 yards. Got whipped by Boyd 3 plays later, for 12 yards.
Kazee – The Great Savior did very, very little.
Spec teams:
Harvin – barfy 39-yard punt, early 3Q. Overall, though, he punted adequately. B
Matt Wright – was 3 of 3 on FGs. His KO’s were a bit shallow.
Sims – fumbled an early punt into his own EZ; at least recovered it and got to the 5. Good 39 yard KO return, late 1Q. Solid KO return, mid 2Q. Wasn’t fond that he fielded a punt on his own 3, early 3Q.
Allen – applied a couple good licks on stop in the kick coverage chores.
Atrocious KO coverage, late 3Q.
OC: Matt Canada oversaw an okay offense in the 1H, followed by a wretched, moribund O in the 2H.
1st play of game – a TWO INCH pass to Harris running into the sideline chalk, gain of ONE yard. Brilliant!
Big INT by Watt, Stiller ball at the Cinci 22, crowd fired up. What does Canada call? A skinny post to ......Jach Gentry !! Brilliant again!
Right after the big grab by Pickens on the long lob, what does Canada order? A grab-azzed flea flicker….!!
Canada went to the grab bag, time and time and time again. Complete vomit. F
DC:
Austin had his vaunted “3 Safety” defense at his disposal for the first time all season. It was no more safer than a raging fire next to a pallet of fireworks.
So much for all the praise and adulation over this overall vaunted defense. Mid 2Q, they got horrifically gashed for a NINETY TWO yard TD march. 10 plays, with only 1 being a 3d down.
In a 4 point game, The Softee Defense allows a NINETY THREE yard TD march, eating up gobs of scarce time in the 4Q, to seal the loss. The drive was such a cakewalk that Cinci never once faced a 3rd down. $108M defense, the highest paid in the league, and they get gashed, at home, for a game-losing 93 yard TD march.
With J. Chase injured, Tee Higgins was the obvious main threat. What did Austin do? NOTHING! He allowed Higgins to roam free as an antelope, mostly with coverage by the bootfooted Maulet. Higgins, of course, finished with 9 grabs for 148. D
HC: Mike Asslin oversaw yet another soft, tepid defense performance. Add in the litany of blunders, drops, boners, flags, and so on, and it points to a poorly coached team. And with Matt Canada proving his incompetence once again, why hasn’t Stoogelin fired him? F
Synopsis: Another feckless loss. Sure, this team is marginally capable of beating the dregs of the NFL, but nothing more. This was a winnable game well into the 4Q, but just like their head coach, the team folded under pressure.
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