Cincinnati Bengals: Takeaways from Week 4 win vs. Falcons

In Boyd He (Dalton) Trusts

For years, it was A.J. Green and Green alone who the Bengals’ fire-haired passer would turn to whenever he needed to make a play. Fortunately, Tyler Boyd is stepping up to prove that Dalton has at least one other player to rely on in the most important moments.

We had some hints of this being a possibility before the 2018 season even began. It was Boyd who caught the touchdown which gave Cincinnati the season-ending win over their rivals from Baltimore last year. If you’ll remember, that play came on a fourth-and-12 from the Baltimore 49-yard line with under a minute remaining.

More from NFL Spin Zone

• Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
• Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
• Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
• Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
• Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens

Boyd not only got behind the defense for an easy completion, but he turned around quickly, gott outside on Maurice Canady, broke some weak tackle attempts, and easily ran in for the winning score. Who could’ve known this would be a harbinger for what we’d see in 2018?

This year already, we’ve seen multiple games where Boyd has been a key part of the attack plan. His work in previous games this year made me think he could have a big day, but he surpassed even my expectations.

He set career highs in targets and receptions while reaching 100 receiving yards for the second week in a row. His totals in all those areas led the team this game, and now through four games no Bengal — not even Green — has more targets (36), receptions (26), receiving yards (349), 20+ yard plays (6), yards after catch (79), or first downs (18).

The times Dalton looked for him should be remembered just as much as any stat, though. He had just three catches during that torrential first half scoring spree, but would consistently be the target for Dalton on third and fourth downs throughout the second half. In that half, he would be targeted a dozen times, with many of them being on the most important downs, with him more often than not converting those into chain-moving receptions.

Seven times he was targeted on third or fourth down in the second half. Six times, those turned into first downs — and the one where he didn’t convert came on a third down right before he would convert on fourth down.

The connection between Dalton and Boyd bears watching. Boyd is proving to be the most ready to truly step into the No. 2 role alongside the brilliance of Green, and give Cincinnati the second high-level weapon they’ve long needed on offense. If Cincinnati will in fact return to the postseason in 2018, a major factor in that will be the strong trust Dalton has now shown in Boyd, and the timely plays it will hopefully continue to produce.