The Cincinnati Bengals broke into the win column by beating the New York Jets in Week 3, 27-12, at the MetLife Stadium. The Bengals finally showed the form that helped them reach Super Bowl LVI to book their first W of the 2022 NFL season. Here are some critical takeaways from the Bengals’ huge Week 3 win.
Seeing the Bengals pick up their first victory of the season was good, but more importantly, Bengals fans saw a handful of key players resemble their old selves again. The Joe Burrow attack, for instance, seemed better prepared than it had in the previous two games. He put up huge numbers straight away. The defense performed admirably, too, limiting Jets QB Joe Flacco to 53.8 percent completion.
The Bengals are now 1-2 ahead of a tight turnaround for a Thursday night game against the red-hot Miami Dolphins. They'll need to be in sharp form for that one as well. Here are our four takeaways from the Cincinnati Bengals' Week 3 win vs. the Jets.
4. Nobody fears Evan McPherson anymore
We have to talk about Evan McPherson now, right? Since the injury of long-snapper Clark Harris, McPherson has missed a couple of kick attempts. This includes Sunday's 41-yard miss, which is generally a routine effort for him. There's no need to press the panic button just yet, though. He averaged 8.1 points per game last season. Now, he's averaging 8.0 per contest. His field goal percentage is a bit lower at 77.8 percent now (84.8 percent last season), but the sample size is still pretty small. Bengals fans hope McPherson can have additional time working with the new long-snapper in order to solve these difficulties.
3. Ground game struggles anew
For whatever reason, the Bengals' retooled offensive line is struggling to establish a push in the running game. Consequently, reliable RB Joe Mixon had a terrible stat line on Sunday. He had a total of 24 rushing yards on 12 carries for a paltry 2.0 YPC. A huge part of that was how he wasn't getting adequate run blocking on practically every handoff. Whether it's execution, system, or something else, the Bengals must address this. Remember that a subpar rushing attack can often lead to elite defenses keying more on stopping their passing attack.
To make matters worse, Mixon has an injured ankle. It called into question his availability for Week 4 against the Dolphins. The Bengals have a short week of recovery before playing again on Thursday, but despite the limited time to heal from injuries, head coach Zac Taylor believes Mixon will be on the field against the Dolphins. Let's hope Mixon appears on the field for TNF.
2. Terrific Trey Hendrickson
One of the best narratives of Week 3 was what Colts DE Trey Hendrickson was able to do. He sacked Joe Flacco three times, caused two turnovers, and pressed him several times more. He appeared to be the same Hendrickson we saw last season.
Trey was an ANIMAL today. pic.twitter.com/0xMnqslJzt
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) September 25, 2022
Hendrickson's 2.5 sacks are a personal best for him. He's had two-sack games before, but this was the first time he brought down the quarterback three times in one game. This is a solid contender for Hendrickson's greatest game as a Bengal. He also accomplished all of these while using fewer snaps.
The Bengals appeared to rotate their defensive line more in this game, as Hendrickson finished with 46 snaps (59 percent of the team total), down from 50+ and 85-90 percent of snaps in the preceding two games. Despite that, he appeared to come in fresh and have a significant influence on the game. This could be an interesting framework for the Colts moving forward.
1. Joe Cool is cool again
After two rocky outings, star Bengals QB Joe Burrow finally seems to be back to his old self. He put up a nice effort in this game, taking what the defense gave him while also attacking down the field.
Burrow threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns while avoiding any interceptions. He also had a 0.38 EPA/play and a total EPA of 16.4 points. When it comes to advanced statistics for the season, these are by far his best numbers.
According to the eye test, he also looked great. Joe Cool possessed lethal precision down the field, allowing his wide receivers to catch the ball. Tee Higgins, in particular, had a great game with a couple of well-thrown 50/50 balls for him.
Finally, Burrow's pocket presence appeared to be much better yesterday than at any other moment this season. He avoided sacks, effectively extended plays, and trusted his offensive line. Overall, the Bengals quarterback had a strong showing, and fans hope to see more of this for the rest of the season.
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