Winners and Losers from the Bengals' Win over the Vikings
The Bengals pulled out a tough overtime win against the Vikings on Sunday. After leading most of the game, Cincinnati gave up a game-tying field goal as time expired in regulation to send it to overtime.
Here are four winners and two losers from the Bengals week one win:
WINNERS
Ja’Marr Chase
Anytime a rookie can have a big performance in their first game, it’s an exciting thing. A game like today is big for any player, but especially for a rookie that's had drop issues. Chase finished with five receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown.
Joe Burrow
Burrow didn't skip a beat in his first game since last November. The offense started slow, but Burrow got going and points followed. The second-year quarterback went 20-27 for 261 yards and two touchdowns. One of the big question marks for Burrow was his ability on deep throws. He closed out the first half with a 50-yard touchdown pass to Chase, which gave the Bengals their first lead of the day.
Jessie Bates
Bates was all over the field on Sunday and showed why he deserves a long-term contract. He led the team with nine tackles and also played a part in Dalvin Cook's fumble in overtime that put the Bengals in position to get the win.
Evan McPherson
The rookie kicker had a huge in the Bengals' win over the Vikings. He went 2-for-2 on field goal attempts, including a 53-yarder and the game-winning field goal in overtime. He also nailed all three of his extra point attempts. McPherson was perfect in the preseason and he got off to a great start this week.
LOSERS
Trey Hopkins
The Bengals offensive line allowed five sacks in their opening game. All of which don’t fall on Trey Hopkins, but he did have the worst performance of his career. He’s coming off a torn ACL and looked a little slower as expected. Hopefully for the Bengals, Hopkins can get back to being a solid interior offensive lineman. He only played three preseason snaps.
Zac Taylor
The Bengals pulled out a win, but the play calling was a little too conservative at times. They started slow, failing to get anything going past their line of scrimmage. A decision by Taylor to go for it on 4th-and-1 on his own 30-yard line almost cost the Bengals the game. The win is the only stat that matters from this game. Hopefully Taylor can learn from his mistakes and grow as a coach.
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