Cincinnati Bengals: Takeaways from Week 12 loss vs. Browns
By Kenn Korb
The Backup Quarterback Slot Appears Secure
Let’s have at least one positive note here to start. Cincinnati was yet again essentially out of the game by halftime, and the second half had few favors for them. Their starting quarterback, Andy Dalton, wasn’t having a good game: He passed for a touchdown before the half, but that came after he led drives which ended in a missed field goal, a quick punt and an interception.
The second half got even worse somehow though, with a high snap on Cincinnati’s first post-half drive turning into a fumble and getting him sent to the locker room with a thumb injury.
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It would be yet another devastating blow for a team still technically fighting for the postseason for their starting quarterback to be lost for any amount of time. In the meantime, it was good to see what came once Dalton was out of the game: An actual functional offense, led by Jeff Driskel.
In the second half, Driskel led five different offensive drives, and made this game a lot more enticing than one might think in a contest where his team was down 35-7 when he entered the fold. He began with a three-and-out, but became a force for good the rest of the way. He then led touchdown drives each of the next two times out, and long ones at that, going 75 yards on one and then 94 yards in 14 plays on the other.
With 6:12 left, the Bengals were all of a sudden down 35-20 with the ball in their hands. Driskel led an 11-play drive that got Cincinnati to Cleveland’s 13-yard line before it sputtered out, but he made multiple key plays — including converting a fourth down — along the way.
By the end, Driskel came away looking pretty good: 17-of-29, 155 passing yards, one passing touchdown, no interceptions, and a rushing touchdown. Coming into this year, there were clear questions as to whether Driskel could be counted on as the No. 2 behind Dalton; after years with A.J. McCarron in that spot, he proved his merit.
This game provided little good for Cincinnati, but at least in the short term they now know they should feel okay if Driskel must be forced into action again.