Cincy Jungle
After a 48-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, the Bengals have plenty of players that will need to step up and perform at a high level on Monday Night Football against the Denver Broncos this week.
Orlando Brown Jr. had one of his worst performances as a Bengal last week. He was credited with allowing three pressures on the game. His 41.5 pass blocking grade was 12 points lower than even his own subpar performance against Cleveland in Week 1.
Brown will be tasked with containing the likes of Nik Bonnito and Jonathan Cooper. Those two players have accounted for 33 pressures combined through their first three games this season.
If Brown is unable to keep them from wreaking havoc, the Bengals offense will likely be in for another long night in Denver.
The Bengals are paying Tee Higgins like a number one receiver. He inked a four-year extension during free agency this year to remain a Cincinnati Bengal.
They are getting nowhere close to number one or high end number two receiver production. Higgins has just 7 receptions, 104 yards, and 1 touchdown this year through three games.
I don’t blame the lack of success solely on Higgins. The performance of the line, the lack of running game success to open things up, and the large amount of turnovers have all contributed to poor overall offensive performances. He has only been targeted 14 times in comparison to 27 targets for Ja’Marr Chase.
With that said, the Bengals need Tee Higgins to start performing this week. Ja’Marr Chase is likely to draw Patrick Surtain for the majority of the game. Higgins will need to take advantage of playing against rookie Jahdae Barron and/or Riley Moss this week.
Higgins was fantastic last season against the Broncos. We may need another performance like that in order to pull out the victory in Denver.
Dax isn’t on this list because he has been playing bad this season. In fact, he has been one of the few bright spots early on this year. His ability to be moved around to different spots has added a dynamic weapon for Al Golden’s defense.
Dax will need to continue his quality play in coverage, run support, and blitzing off the edge this week. The Bengals defense as a whole will likely need to keep this game close. A timely turnover or sack from Hill could end up being the difference in the game if it is.
Who do you think has to step it up this week for the Bengals? Sound off in the comments below.
