Cincinnati Bengals: Notes, Takeaways from win over Buccaneers

Issues Aside, Bengals Offense Is Still Clutch

Luckily for the Bengals, the Cincinnati offense yet again proved able to come up strong in the clutch and deliver a win.

This may be a new thing in the grand scheme of the franchise, but as far as 2018 goes it is a clear trend throughout this season. They’ve led game-winning/-tying/-sealing drives more often than you might think this year:

• Vs. Indianapolis, they scored 10 points on final two offensive drives, turning a 23-17 deficit into a 27-23 lead
• Vs. Baltimore, field goals were kicked on both of the final two drives to save a 28-23 lead (making it 34-23 at the end)
• Vs. Atlanta, they scored a game-winning touchdown with 0:08 left in a 37-36 win
• Vs. Miami they were down 17-0, but went on to score FG/TD/FG as Def added two TDs (27-17 final)
• Vs. Pittsburgh, they scored a touchdown with 1:18 left for a 21-20 lead; had the defense held up, they would’ve won.

That list should not have even had a chance to be added to this week, but the offense definitely did their job and came away with another game-winner. With 1:05 remaining when the offense took over for the final drive, they proceeded forward by doing just enough to come out victorious.

They faced (and converted) an early third down, and with the 0:33 seconds left Dalton connected with Green for two plays (23 yards and 11 yards; the latter included a five-yard penalty tacked on as well) to set up Randy Bullock’s 44-yard field goal to bring home the win.

Despite the victory and the apparent clutch gene inherent to this year’s Bengals on offense though, the team has plenty to worry about for their hopes of success the rest of this season.

This should not have come down to needing a final game-saving drive when they had an 18-point lead with 2:10 left in the third quarter. A backup quarterback with a history of interception-happy performances should not tear them up in a low-odds comeback attempt and almost succeed. They’ve played so many close games and been forced into this same situation so often in 2018 because that same offense keeps going cold for long stretches.

Still, this penchant for making plays on offense when they need them most is a good sign in spite of everything. It is one of the top reasons they are in the thick of the playoff race at the midway point of the season, and based on the flaws inherent to the team this year Cincinnati will desperately need this offensive trend to continue throughout the stretch run of their schedule.

This has historically been a risky proposition for teams to rely on for consistent success, but they may have little choice but to hope they can keep it up if they are to make the postseason. At the very least, they’ve found that brand of success enough this year for them to believe they can do so when they need to; that belief alone can give a team an edge when the stakes are raised. All that remains is for them to prove themselves right.