BIG PLAY
The Bengals’ Cam Taylor-Britt came into the weekend as Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded cornerback in coverage and found himself locked up with Commanders’ No. 1 receiver Terry McLaurin when McLaurin made one of the key plays of the game. He bolted between Taylor-Britt and safety Geno Stone down the middle late in the first half for a 55-yard pass that put the ball on the Bengals 4 and led to Daniels’ touchdown run that made it 21-10.
“I knew the deep shot was coming, but at the end of the day I’ve got to run,” Taylor-Britt, “You’re on a guy like that. I didn’t have the chance to get a hand on him. I wasn’t in press, I was off. He stemmed me outside. I have to open up and have to run. Good guy. You know what type of receiver he is. I never take that away from him. But it was my technique.”
2nd-AND-20
Burrow said if there’s been a common denominator of the first three weeks, “We’ve had opportunities and didn’t cash in on those.”
The defense had a great shot when they had to get the ball back with the Bengals trailing, 31-26 with 9:42 left. Thanks to Bengals Pro Bowl edge Trey Hendrickson’s third sack of the season, Washington was backed up into a 2nd-and-20.
But the Bengals allowed the Commanders to convert a first down with three passes of eight, eight and nine yards, the last a fourth-and-four killer with Daniels working against the blitz and finding tight end Zach Ertz in front of safety Vonn Bell. They didn’t get the ball back until 2:10 left, down 12 points.
The Bengals didn’t have starting defensive tackles B.J. Hill and Sheldon Rankins (hamstrings), and while backups Jay Tufele and Zach Carter started, the first two guys off the bench made their Bengals debuts. Rookie Kris Jenkins Jr. played 25 snaps with a cast on his surgically-repaired thumb, and 14-year vet Lawrence Guy played 18 after signing Tuesday with no training camp.
Seven times the Commanders’ offense had third-and-two or shorter, or fourth-and-two or shorter. Six times they got the first down.
“That’s just too manageable. That’s usually way better for the offense than the defense,” said Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson. “(Daniels) was taking what we give him when he can. First couple of reads, and if it’s not there, just find a way to get a few yards. And it’s second and five and then it’s third-and-two, and third and manageable. We just couldn’t find a way to get them off the chains We didn’t have TFLs or anything like that to get them off track.”
Wilson and fellow backer Germaine Pratt led the team with nine tackles each. They each have 33 total tackles this season, tied for the most over the first three weeks of a season by any Bengals player since at least 1987.
Pratt nearly came up with his signature fourth-quarter turnover on the last drive when he caused Ertz to fumble on the first play at the Washington 31, but an offensive lineman grabbed it away on the ground.
“They scored every time they had it. We have to get a stop. That’s what it came down to,” said left end Sam Hubbard. “It felt like we were never in control with their tempo and muddle huddle.”
Stone said Daniels’ pace was a factor.
“They were doing a lot of hurry-up and speed-breaking us. That’s on us,” Stone said. “We have to communicate and make sure we’re all on the same page.”
Wilson says the Bengals have to get back to winning the close ones.
“All three games we’ve lost are by one possession,” Wilson said. “In this league, you have to find a way to win those.”
