Cincy Jungle
The Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Washington Commanders. It was their second game of the preseason, and despite the win, there are still some serious issues that are troubling this team going into the final preseason game before things get real.
Here are the winners and losers from the Bengals’ win:
**Chase Brown, RB:
Brown’s stat line won’t blow you away. However, his 1-yard touchdown run came with real power, as he met two defenders at the goal line and pushed through for the score. He isn’t known as a power runner or someone who can reliably get that tough yard, so showing that kind of physicality is a big step forward for his game — and his overall ceiling.
**Charlie Jones, WR:
Jones is fighting to secure his spot on the roster. He isn’t exactly on the bubble, but catching a key fourth-down pass and capping off a drive with a tight-window touchdown helps solidify his standing. The back end of this receiver group is getting increasingly competitive, and plays like that make a difference.
**Tycen Anderson, S:
Anderson deserves his share of the blame for struggling against the starters. However, he earned some redemption with a great interception and a few solid coverage plays while filling in for Geno Stone. That kind of resilience and impact play is important for his development.
**Mitchell Tinsley, WR:
Speaking of players pushing Jones for a roster spot — Tinsley has been the talk of training camp, making ridiculous catches. He had the chance to showcase that in-game and did just that — twice — in the end zone. His ability to make acrobatic catches over and around defenders look routine is hard to ignore.
**Barrett Carter, LB:
The rookie linebacker made a big play for the second straight preseason game. He jumped a curl route over the middle to set up Tinsley’s second touchdown right before halftime. While he may not see much defensive playing time early, Carter looks like he has real promise.
**The Starting Defense:
This was a huge test for the defense. They notoriously failed to stop the Commanders’ offense once during last season’s regular-season meeting. With the change to Al Golden as defensive coordinator, this was a chance to show improvement.
Instead, Washington marched 74 yards in just four plays for a touchdown. Then the second unit came in and ran right through them again. Simply put, it wasn’t good enough.
**Lucas Patrick, G:
It’s unclear if his early exit was injury-related, but he was replaced by rookie Jalen Rivers at right guard midway through the second drive. It also doesn’t help that the team brought in Dalton Risner for a visit. All in all, not a great night for Patrick.
Backend wide receivers:
You can include Isaiah Williams, Kendric Pryor, and Cole Burgess in this. Those three and Tinsley were battling for the final wide receiver spots on the 53-man roster. It is probably safe to say after Tinsley’s camp and game...
