Never say never! The Cincinnati Bengals were massive underdogs heading into this Week 13 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars but came out on top, winning in overtime. It wasn’t easy by any means (and prayers up to Trevor Lawrence, who left the game with what looked to be a nasty injury) but a win is a win and the Bengals should not be complaining about any wins that come their way for the rest of the season.
With the game officially in the books and the Bengals sitting at 6-6 and still mathematically alive to make the playoffs, let’s check out this week’s champs and chumps. With the Bengals winning the game, we’ll start on the negative side and discuss the chumps.
Chumps
Tyler Boyd
As a receiver, Boyd played fine. He had five catches for 37 yards and averaged 7.4 yards per catch. The reason Boyd makes this list is the comically bad pass he attempted in the third quarter that led to an easy Josh Allen interception and later to a Jaguars touchdown.
Champs
I decided to only go with one chump this week since it’s been awhile since we’ve seen a Bengals victory. I figured I’d go a little easier on the team. Let’s check out the champs from this week’s game.
Jake Browning
After a meh debut in Week 12, Browning got his second NFL start and played as good as you could expect from a quarterback who had only started one other game. He threw for over 300 yards, one touchdown, and rushed for a touchdown as well. He had no interceptions and was only sacked twice. If Browning plays this well every week, the Bengals could make things interesting in the final few weeks of the season.
Ja’Marr Chase
Browning needed help and he got that from Chase. The wide receiver continued to climb the ladder and come up with big-time grabs for his quarterback. Chase finished the night with 11 catches for 149 yards and a touchdown while averaging 13.5 yards per catch.
In times like these, quarterbacks need a guy to step up to the plate for them. Chase was that guy for Browning on Monday night and showed that he can be the difference-maker in games even without Joe Burrow throwing to him.
Joe Mixon and Chase Brown
Hey, the run game finally got going! Altogether, the rushing attack finished with 31 carries for 156 yards and three touchdowns while averaging 5.0 yards per carry. Mixon led the way with 19 carries for 68 yards and two scores but rookie Chase Brown got in on the action too! The Illinois product tallied 61 yards off of nine carries, including a long of 31 yards.
Evan McPherson
Yes, McPherson missed a field goal earlier in the game but he made up for it with his game-winning kick in overtime. McPherson went 2-of-3 on field goals (with one of those two being the game-winner) and he also 4-for-4 on extra points. Keep doing what you do, Money Mac!
