Bengals Top Takeaways: A Lot To Be Hopeful About
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor watches a replay of a play in the end zone in the second quarter during a Week 16 NFL football game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelersl, Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023, at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa.
The Bengals defeated the Cleveland Browns by a final score of 31-14 in a game that was mostly a one-sided affair. Despite finishing at the bottom of the AFC North, Cincinnati will end their 2023-23 campaign at 9-8. It marks the first time since 1935 that every team in an NFL division ended their season with a winning record. It also gave the Bengals their third straight winning season.
This win secured the 18th overall pick for the Bengals in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Here are our biggest takeaways from the game today.
Everything will be okay in the wide receiver corps
Bengals fans may very well have seen the last of Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd in Cincinnati.
With Higgins out, that’s likely the end of the Big 3 era of Chase, Higgins and Boyd all playing together in Cincinnati.
“In the Kansas City locker room after the loss, Boyd knew that Higgins would want a green Gatorade and tossed one to his teammate. A few minutes later, Chase…
— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) January 7, 2024
However, based on today’s game, the imminent departure of Boyd and/or Tee is no reason to fret.
In the event that either of the Bengals’ beloved receivers departs for another team, they will have plenty of help in their rookie duo. Charlie Jones and Andrei Iosivas, the two Bengals’ first year wide receivers, also happened to be the two leading receivers for Cincinnati today. Even on a day where not a lot of passing was needed, Jones (three receptions, 49 yards) and Iosivas (five receptions, 36 yards, two touchdowns) stepped up and played a major role in Tee Higgins’ absence.
Bengals fans have grown accustomed to the three headed WR monster over the last three seasons, but finances will likely make keeping the three of them together next to impossible. Even if Boyd or Higgins departs, there’s no reason that the Bengals will have any issues finding a replacement either in the free agent market or the upcoming NFL Draft if they choose to do as such. Even if they don’t, they have two players in Jones and Iosivas who strongly showcased their ability to play a larger role in the offense next season.
Iosivas, who scored twice in the Bengals’ final game of the year, called his two touchdown day “super gratifying”.
“It was super-gratifying” Andrei Iosivas on his 2-TD day and his rookie season pic.twitter.com/y0U9V3g36F
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) January 7, 2024
The rise of Jordan Battle continues
Yes, the Bengals played against the Cleveland Browns practice squad today. However, the performance of the Bengals’ 2023 third round pick cannot be ignored.
Jordan Battle is our best pick out of the 2023 NFL draft. That dude understands everything about football. I thoroughly enjoy the way he plays the game. Major steal
— ZIM (@zimwhodey) December 5, 2023
Ever since the departures of Vonn Bell and Jessie Bates, Cincinnati has been looking for any sign of life at the safety position. While Nick Scott began the year atop the depth chart, Battle has taken over the starting role and has gotten better with each game. Not only did he notch his second career sack, but he also brought in his first career interception on the third offensive play of the game for Cleveland.
Jordan Battle gets his first career INT 🙌
pic.twitter.com/D3YKo03kUs— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) January 7, 2024
The emergence of the rookie safety out of Alabama is crucial for a defense that desperately needs help in the secondary. After struggling in giving up the big play all season long, the defense knew they needed to improve their communication. Assuming a more experienced Battle and a more experienced Dax Hill hold onto their starting roles next season, we are likely to see a significantly more mature and cohesive Bengals secondary in 2024.
Exiting the season with a winning record was exactly what the Bengals needed
Considering all the turmoil the Bengals faced in the 2023-2024 season, escaping the season with a winning record is a highly positive sign for Cincinnati.
The Bengals went 9-8 against the hardest schedule with like six of their games with a healthy starting quarterback pic.twitter.com/9qXENOrXNX
— Timo Riske (@PFF_Moo) January 8, 2024
The Bengals had to deal with the departure of Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell in the secondary. Joe Burrow, DJ Reader, Cam Taylor-Britt, and Tee Higgins, among others, were all injured for large portions of the season. And yet, given all those missing pieces, and despite their last place finish while playing the NFL’s toughest schedule, Cincinnati still won more games than they lost. It marks the first time since 1935 that every team in an NFL division finished with a winning record.
Zac Taylor was heavily appreciative of the fans who showed up, despite the fact that it was a game in cold weather, and the Bengals were out of the 2023-2024 playoff picture.
“We look forward to rewarding them with championship-level football next year” Zac Taylor on the Bengals fans who turned out Sunday at Paycor for the season finale pic.twitter.com/9PEPkYiUn6
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) January 7, 2024
This offseason is a crucial one. With several players like Jonah Williams, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, and DJ Reader approaching free agency, the Bengals will have several important decisions to make. Luckily, they have over $68 million in cap space to play with, so they have flexibility in terms of retaining key players and adding new pieces.
Lou Anarumo has already made it clear that he wants to retain DJ Reader.
"I'd love to have DJ back. Love everything about him… We'd really like to get him back if we can." Lou Anarumo on DJ Reader.
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) January 3, 2024
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