I can think of 5 parts I really did not like. They easily could have lost a game where they played pretty well on offense and defense. The first part was the 103 yard kick off return. The Giants score a TD looking really good and gave the momentum back immediately. I read here that somebody called Board for going around a block and not through it. But that hole the kick returner ran through was huge so I think it was a few players who did not execute.
The second was the Bengal fake punt. Here I don't know who screwed up but I was pissed that it happened especially coming after the kickoff return. Two big mistakes by STs is too much.
On that last punt, he outkicked the coverage. I couldn't tell if that was the plan and the gunners were blocked or they weren't expecting that long a punt. That never should have happened.
I also did not like the way Peppers returned punts or in this case, did not return punts. He didnt catch some punts that looked catchable or fair caught others where he had room to run. When he has space, he's a weapon. It almost looked to me that he was instructed to avoid turnovers at all costs.
The last part that bothered me were the consistent short kickoffs by Gano that let the Bengals run the returns beyond and way beyond the 25 yardline. Im assuming this was planned because I think it happened everytime.
To me special teams is mostly about effort and this team plays hard on both sides of the ball so maybe its something else, maybe lack of talent here. On the other hand, I like the ST coach and with Judge involved, ST should be a team strength. You can beat the Bengals playing ST this badly but I dont think we can beat many or any of the teams if this continues.
I think last week’s game was more of an aberration than the norm..
That was frustrating for sure. Also not sure what Peppers was doing. Hell I could have done what he did 2 or 3 times.
1 - Cinci has very very good returners and specials.
2 - We had some injuries to ST players (Ebnar especially) and some ST players are being asked to play more on D now too.
I felt like this was the case and their returner, Brandon Wilson, returned a kick last season, so he obviously is no slouch. On the fake punt it looked like we had one side of the line overloaded for pressure and they saw this and called the pass away from that side. Their gunner on the right side ran an immediate slant to the middle taking our only defender on that side with him and leaving it wide open. This seems like something we should have done earlier in the year when our gunner was left uncovered. But I wonder why we didn't kick it out of the end zone? Is it not a given that Gano can do that?
Quote:
However, is it possible that after the TD kickoff return Judge ordered Gano to keep the kickoffs short, in case Cincinnati had spotted a weakness in our regular coverage?
I felt like this was the case and their returner, Brandon Wilson, returned a kick last season, so he obviously is no slouch. On the fake punt it looked like we had one side of the line overloaded for pressure and they saw this and called the pass away from that side. Their gunner on the right side ran an immediate slant to the middle taking our only defender on that side with him and leaving it wide open. This seems like something we should have done earlier in the year when our gunner was left uncovered. But I wonder why we didn't kick it out of the end zone? Is it not a given that Gano can do that?
While Gano has an accurate leg on FG and knows how to kick from distance, he is not exactly a boomer on kickoffs. Except when wind is a factor, you are not talking about kicks that regularly go out the back of the end zone and Cincy was playing like they had nothing to lose versus someone like Dion Lewis who rarely brings it out even if it is only a yard into the endzone.
Exactly. At that point in the game the goal was to have Cincy start as far back in their own territory as possible.
As far as ST goes, the coverage is what was poor this game. The kicking and punting continues to be outstanding.
Regarding a couple of points in the OP,
Presume the short Gano kickoffs were to cause some confusion, change up the returner and throw off timing of blocking schemes. You sacrifice some yardage here but they must have been worried the big kickoffs would continue. Was it so windy Gano couldn't get it deep into end zones though?
Pepper's decisions on his own punt returns were indeed awful. One time he let the ball bounce in front of him at the 15 yard line which was just a mistake. And, as noted, one of his last returns he fair caught with basically no coverage pressure on him. Could have been a coach's decision but still...lets use the few weapons we have, particularly since Peppers has been close to breaking a few.
Agreed
1 - Cinci has very very good returners and specials.
2 - We had some injuries to ST players (Ebnar especially) and some ST players are being asked to play more on D now too.
Some injuries?
If you look down the list of our "normal" STs starters, we're down to very few if any of them left besides Peppers - going all the way back to Cody Core our best STs coverage guy on IR from before the season started.
It didn't have to do with COVID
Wasn't the first one he kicked a 103-yard return?
Does Covid recovery come and go?
That being said - the CIN Bengals have excellent special teams. That is a team strength of theirs, so it is not surprising to see them do well.
I said this before the game - this is the NFL. There are no easy games. Every team is capable of putting a can of whoop ass on somebody if they aren't prepared.
Those short kickoffs were on purpose after the 103-yard return. They weren't going to give him another chance to take one back.