These were the crucial aspects of the game that, more than any other, determined the outcome for the Cincinnati Bengals in their 38-33 loss to the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football.
The Drive
The Bengals came out of the gate with momentum, taking an early 7-0 lead. Their next drive looked promising. The first seven plays took them 48 yards to the Washington 29-yard line, but then Tee Higgins may have fumbled the ball. A quick pass to Chase Brown prevented a replay but brought it back a yard.
Then, as time expired in the 1st quarter, the Bengals signaled to empty the quads with four receivers on one side of the formation. Alarm bells went off in my head that a quick block was coming.
Unfortunately, those bells rang for the Commanders as well. Immediately after the snap, cornerback Mike Sainristil darted inside and knocked down Andrei Iosivas, and the game was buried. An incomplete pass on third-and-long and the drive was over.
To make matters worse, Evan MacPherson missed the ensuing 48-yard field goal.
For the rest of the game, the Bengals tried to catch up.
4. Descent
The Bengals (6-10) and Commanders (5-9) were pretty similar on 3rd downs. What made a big difference was that the Commanders made 3/3 on 4th down. The Bengals only had to make a stop on one of those three plays and the outcome of the game could have been different.
Red Zone
The Bengals were 2-4 in the red zone, while the Commanders were 3-3. The Bengals’ defense has always been built to be tough, and it always collapsed here. Their offense made a few mistakes, and that cost them eight points.
At the end of the day, it was Washington who performed the best in the game’s crucial moments and the Bengals didn’t. It’s that simple.
