Bengals vs. Lions Recap
by Dave Ryan
For two teams that lean so heavily on the passing game, finding a future starter at the tailback position proved to be more difficult than anticipated.
Lions 27, Bengals 10
Now that the ultra-productive Rudi Johnson has started to slow down, the Bengals were eager to get an extensive look at former first-round pick Chris Perry. Perry has been unable to stay healthy to this point in his career, but his legs look strong and he appears to be running with the same type of aggressiveness that made him such a successful collegiate at the University of Michigan.
Perry put together a few nice runs early on, but he was bottled up soon thereafter by Detroit’s defense as they began to key in on him. Last season’s leading rusher for the Bengals, Kenny Watson, looked great as he made multiple defenders miss with his excellent cutback ability. Watson put together three straight big runs on a drive that started on Cincinnati’s one yard line, one that resulted in a touchdown.
The Lions, on the other hand, have been looking for a franchise tailback since Barry Sanders’s abrupt retirement. Third-round pick Kevin Smith is an early favorite to claim the starting spot, but veteran speedster Tatum Bell is also still in the mix. Smith showed a small glimpse of his running power, but his north-south style did not produce much with the first team. A home-run threat like Bell would appear to be an ideal fit in Detroit’s new zone blocking scheme, but he looked slow and almost too patient while waiting for running lanes to develop.
One bright spot for the Lions, however, was the play of power runner Artose Pinner. Pinner, who has always been a productive, late-game bruiser with great goal-line ability, smashed through Cincinnati defenders late in the game to amass a nice portion of yards.
He is still a long shot to make a serious impact for Detroit this season unless Bell or Smith go down with an injury, but he could see more time if he continues his successful preseason performance. With a vertical passing game that looks explosive, the final two games will be crucial for Detroit to determine their running back situation.
Other than their respective running back situations, both teams played a very physical brand of football in this game. The Lions clearly dominated the line of scrimmage on each side of the ball and even made an impressive goal line stand in the third quarter to hold the Bengals out of the end zone. Detroit’s new-look offensive line gave its quarterbacks plenty of time to scan the field, resulting in a high completion rate. Because of each team’s effort to jump start its running attack, the game lacked flashiness on offense. The 27-10 final score was hardly indicative of the game itself, as the Lions poured on two late touchdowns with Drew Stanton under center in the fourth quarter.
Lions Notes
Cornerback Ramzee Robinson was draped all over opposing receivers for most of the game; he saw most of his action with the second and third units. He had his hands on multiple errant passes and just narrowly missed an interception that could have resulted in a defensive touchdown.
Newcomer Brian Kelly played well against Chad Johnson in Cincinnati’s first offensive series. After knocking a ball out of Johnson’s grasp on a previous play, Kelly came up with an interception on the next play that looked more like a strip directly from Johnson’s hands. Chad Johnson came down awkwardly on the play and left for the locker room soon thereafter. He did not return.
Starting quarterback Jon Kitna stepped up nicely in the pocket and hit a streaking Calvin Johnson perfectly in stride for the game’s first score. Kitna was excellent from the start, continuing his solid play this preseason.
The Lions opened up the game with a deep pass to Calvin Johnson. Johnson’s excellent leaping ability was on display as he attacked the ball at its highest point to make an acrobatic reception over Cincy’s Leon Hall. Johnson was impossible to cover at times, and he gave both Hall and Jonathan Joseph trouble with his size and athletic ability in limited action.
Defensive end Dewayne White recorded a block on a field goal attempt by the Bengals in the first quarter. White is in great shape compared to last year, and he flashed his speed from the edge on many occasions to disrupt the quarterback.
Quarterback Dan Orlovsky entered the game extremely early and managed the game well into the fourth quarter. He ran multiple bootlegs with minimal success. He did show good poise and above-average arm strength but was not effective outside of the pocket.
First-round pick Gosder Cherlius played most of the game, lining up at each tackle positions and looking ferocious. He used his hands very well and showed the brute strength that made the Lions fall in love with him on draft day.
Although he had to wait until the middle of the fourth quarter to take a snap, Drew Stanton entered the game in a juncture in the game. With the Lions holding onto a slim lead, he threw a beautiful 50-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Cedric Middleton to clinch the game.
Bengals Notes
Carson Palmer faced increasing pressure from the Lions as the first quarter drew to a close. He didn’t seem to recover completely after hard hits on back-to-back plays. After looking sharp in the early going, he struggled with consistency without Chad Johnson on the field.
Ex-Ram Ryan Fitzpatrick looked very nimble and made multiple plays with his feet. He threw an abundance of underneath passes in the early going, unable to stretch the defense for most of the first half. His most impressive throw came on a ten-yard touchdown pass to receiver Glen Holt. The Bengals utilized the Harvard product for much of the game. He was finally replaced by Jeff Rowe, and the offense sputtered.
Tight end Ben Utecht made a crucial drop on a Fitzpatrick pass, but he recovered nicely halfway through the third quarter with a great fingertip catch.
Rookie defensive tackle Pat Sims (Auburn) recorded an impressive tackle early on in the second half but went down with a right knee injury and was carted off the field.
Rookie receivers Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell each showed an ability to move the chains in the game. Simpson showed a glimpse of his blazing speed with a 42-yard catch in the fourth quarter. Until he was tripped from behind on the play, it looked like he was going to take the ball into the endzone.
Once a prominent name among the league’s leaders in interceptions, cornerback Deltha O’Neal was on the field for nearly the entire game. He cemented his starting punt return job with a few shifty moves on special teams, but he was also beaten on several occasions by Detroit wideouts.