The Cincinnati Bengals got back on track in Week 11 with a 32-13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.
Cincinnati had lost the last two games to both the New York Jets and the Cleveland Browns in a somewhat embarrassing way after briefly taking the top spot in the AFC. For a moment it looked like this game could go in that direction too, after the Bengals’ first drive ended with a strip sack from Joe Burrow, which immediately put the Raiders in goal position.
But the Cincinnati defense got stuck in the red zone and only kept the Raiders on a field goal on the drive. As it turned out, this trip was a sign of the future. The Bengals Defense controlled the game for much of the afternoon, making several other important stops in their own territory. This performance gave the offense enough time to get back on track after a slow start.
In the end, Joe Mixon’s 123 rushing yards and two touchdowns combined with Burrow’s timely (though not necessarily explosive) passing gave the Bengals everything they needed to claim victory in enemy territory.
Why the Bengal won
For starters: your defense. The Front Four Front held Josh Jacobs in check for the entire game, and Derek Carr never looked particularly comfortable. Sam Hubbard and Trey Hendrickson continued to play in the backcourt. Jessie Bates III made several big plays coming into the box from his safety position, and both Eli Apple and Chidobe Awuzie made big pass breaks on plays in the field.
The offense fought to protect Joe Burrow for much of the game, but the Bengals came up with a number of timely conversions. They scored 8 of 15 on the third down and routinely kept the drives alive at the last moment. Tyler Boyd was overshadowed by Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins for most of the season but made it big in that game. Chase also came on the board with a late touchdown and Joe Mixon had one of his best games of the year on the floor – even from a slow start.
Why the raiders lost
The Raiders just couldn’t stop undermining themselves with penalties in the worst moments. They took seven in total, which is not an outrageous number, but they routinely extended Bengals Drives or gave them second chances in the conversion.
Her offenses were also kept in check throughout the day. By the end of the fourth quarter they were still averaging less than 4 yards per game. That is embarrassing. The Raiders were also 0 for 6 on the third downs during the competitive portion of the game. (Your first third down conversion of the afternoon was 2:10 to go in the fourth quarter.) That just can’t happen if you’re planning on winning a soccer game.
Turning point
With 10:57 remaining in the second quarter, the Bengals got the ball back on their own 28-yard line, 6-3 back. They proceeded to rewind a 12-play, 72-yard drive that ended in a Joe Mixon touchdown run that gave Cincinnati a lead that it would never give up.
This drive included two massive penalties for the raiders. The first was an offside penalty against defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson, which destroyed a third down sack from Joe Burrow and gave the Bengals another chance to convert. They did just that and kept moving down. The second penalty came deep in Raiders territory with another third down and also extended Cincinnatis Drive. On the third and eleventh rounds, Burrow made a short pass to Tyler Boyd, but Brandon Facyson was called in for unnecessary roughness in a helmet-to-helmet hit.
The Bengals scored at the next game and never looked back.
Highlight playback
Here’s the aforementioned Mixon touchdown that gave the Bengals the lead.
It’s a really nicely designed game. Tee Higgins hit the formation holding the defense on this side of the field, jet moving from right to left. Mixon also took a step in this direction to build up a counter game.
The key, however, was smuggling Stanley Morgan Jr. back to front as a lead blocker. He cleared the way for Mixon to hit the ledge, and Mixon could do the rest from there.
What’s next
The Bengals are now 6-4, one game behind the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North race. Cincinnati owns the tiebreaker due to its week 7 win, but the two teams will be back in week 16. Next week, the Bengals will welcome the Pittsburgh Steelers to town for a divisional matchup with serious playoff implications.
Losing the Raiders drops their record to 5-5. They are in third place in the AFC West ahead of the Denver Broncos due to the tie break. Vegas is currently not in the playoff position. The Raiders take a short break before heading to Dallas to take on the Cowboys on Thanksgiving. Dallas could do without both Amari Cooper (COVID-19) and CeeDee Lamb (concussion) for this game.
