The Cincinnati Bengals returned to Paycor Stadium for Week 3 of the preseason this afternoon, as they welcomed the Indianapolis Colts to the Queen City.
It was an ugly one today as the Bengals lost to the Colts in blowout fashion, 41-14.
In the final week of the preseason, with the majority of the starters sitting for the Bengals, today presented an opportunity for players on the roster bubble or fighting for depth chart positions to gain ground as final roster decisions loom.
Now, let’s take a look at the winners and losers from today’s game.
The Bengals’ running back room is quite full with experience at the moment, but that did not stop Kendall Milton from trying to cement his spot in that running back room this afternoon.
The former Georgia Bulldog running back spent the majority of last season with the Bengals, whether on the practice squad or the active roster. Now in his second season in the system, it was clear how comfortable he was today.
Not only showing off his speed, it is his vision and patience that really stood out against the Colts.
It will be hard to get reps as the regular season comes, but this was a statement game for Milton, showing the coaching staff and the front office what he can bring when he gets the chance to carry the ball.
There were not a lot of bright spots on this defense today, but one player who did stand out is second-year linebacker Maema Njongmeta.
After appearing in 17 games last season primarily on special teams, Njongmeta burst onto the scene last season during training camp, and it appears he is making some more noise this season.
This defense still has a long way to go, but it appears Njongmeta could bring some juice if Al Golden calls his number.
Tinsley won the hearts of Bengals fans on Monday with his impressive game against the Commanders. Well, he must have won over the staff as well, as he did not see the field today but was in uniform.
This likely means he has made the roster.
One of the biggest worries heading into the regular season is the depth of the offensive line. That concern still remains today as the group struggled operationally.
When the O-line tends to be a weakness, you really have to be sure you are staying ahead of the chains to take away obvious play-calling situations. At the moment, if the starters on the line go down, I think it is safe to say it could be an interesting ride to see who sticks at those backup positions.
Burton was one of the few players expected to be a solid rotation piece on the offense that got some early looks in today’s game. Despite a few good throws from Desmond Ridder, Burton was relatively quiet.
Now, the wide receiver position is the one spot on this roster that there is not much to worry about, but the lack of production is quite concerning heading into week one.
Early on, the pass defense looked fairly decent against Riley Leonard and the Colts’ offense in today’s game. That quickly changed as the second quarter began.
It was a fairly ugly game for the pass defense. Although it was back-ups that saw all of the reps today, Al Golden and his defensive staff are going to want to get that cleaned up, as the season opener against the Browns could come down to a few key plays in the passing game.
Ridder comes back to Cincinnati after an awesome career with the Bearcats, as he is looking to kick-start his career. Today was not his day, though.
Heading into the preseason, many thought that Ridder could make a run at Jake Browning’s job as the backup QB. That seems like a stretch at the moment, as the former is going to be lucky just to make the practice squad.
Ridder didn’t do everything wrong today, but the competition battle for the 2nd-string QB ended.
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