Stars, studs and duds from Bengals’ win over Jets in Week 3
Most Cincinnati Bengals players and otherwise emerged looking like stars after the team’s 27-12 Week 3 win over the New York Jets.
That’s a huge shift in the conversation compared to what happened after each game of the 0-2 start to the season.
That’s also just how it goes when a team goes from looking downtrodden against struggling teams to dominant against another struggling opponent.
Joe Burrow’s offense kicking into gear helped, though so did the defense putting in a quality four quarters.
Here’s a look at some of the notable winners and losers from the contest before we start previewing the Thursday night game against the Dolphins.
Star: DE Trey Hendrickson
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A big 2.5 sacks. Four quarterback hits. In on multiple forced fumbles. Hendrickson was an unstoppable force on Sunday, just feasting against the Jets’ left tackle and any tight end unfortunate enough to get in his way. Not unexpected, but it was still a welcome sight, especially since it helped compensate for the injury loss of DJ Reader.
Stud: QB Joe Burrow
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It was easy to tell from the opening snap that Burrow was back to feeling like his old self. Whatever ailed him over the first two games — just like last year — was mostly gone. He was comfortable in the pocket, escaping it and seeing the field well en route to 275 yards and three scores.
Dud: RB Joe Mixon
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This one partially means the offensive line, too. But Mixon was miserable for most of Sunday, turning 12 attempts into just 24 yards (2.0 average). The line didn’t help, but he wasn’t breaking a ton of tackles, either. New York has a good run defense and the offensive line isn’t playing so hot in this area right now, but the team is still fair to expect more. Samaje Perine came in late and averaged 5.2 yards per over nine attempts.
Star: WRs Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins
Syndication: The Enquirer
Boyd took a wicked shot, bounced off and went 56 yards for a touchdown and had 105 yards on the day. Higgins took a headshot but returned and ended with five for 93. Both guys were key components in getting the offense going while Ja’Marr Chase had a so-so day (yet still scored a touchdown).
Dud: OG Jackson Carman
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There aren’t many duds to speak of coming out of a win like this so let’s look at something a bit different. Carman, a second-round product in his sophomore season, was already a healthy scratch by Week 3. Waiver claim Max Scharping got the nod over him as a backup, which is about the end of this saga altogether, barring something dramatic.
Star: LBs Logan Wilson and Akeem Davis-Gaither
Syndication: The Enquirer
Wilson’s uncanny ability to nab interceptions continued on Sunday and ADG stepped into a starting role with Germaine Pratt down and came up with a team-high 13 tackles, one for a loss.
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