Arkansas Bengal Posted October 16, 2023 Report Share Posted October 16, 2023 Cincinnati's defense came up big in the second half By Bryan DeArdo 16 hrs ago Fittingly, a big defensive play sealed the Bengals' 17-13 win over the Seahawks. With Seattle threatening to win the game, Bengals defensive lineman B.J. Hill forced Geno Smith to throw an incomplete pass on fourth down from Cincinnati's 9-yard line with 41 seconds left. A defensive duel broke out after three touchdowns were scored on the game's first four drives. In fact, the Bengals' only points in the second half (a 52-yard field goal by Evan McPherson) were set up by Cam Taylor-Britt's interception with Seattle threatening to take the lead early in the fourth quarter. The field goal was big in that it forced the Seahawks to try to score touchdowns instead of field goals on their final two drives. Seattle came up empty both times while falling to 3-2 on the season. The win propelled the Bengals to a 3-3 record after an 0-2 start to the season. The Seahawks got the ball first and took an early lead on Kenneth Walker III's 1-yard touchdown run that capped off an 11-play, 75-yard drive. Cincinnati countered with consecutive drives that ended with Joe Burrow touchdown passes. Burrow first hit veteran Tyler Boyd for an 8-yard touchdown pass before be connected with rookie Andrei Iosivas for the go-ahead score. Burrow completed 15 consecutive passes in the first half that included five completions for 67 yards to Ja'Marr Chase, who caught just one pass in the second half. Seattle managed to cut its deficit before halftime on Jason Myers' 55-yard field goal that was set up by a 21-yard run by Walker and DK Metcalf's 12-yard catch on a third-down play. The catch was Metcalf's only one during the first half. The two teams combined to score just two field goals in the second half. Red zone woes played Seattle in the second half, while the Seahawks pass rush helped limit the Bengals to just 71 total yards after halftime. Here's a closer look at how the Bengals pulled out the win. Why the Bengals won Cincinnati's defense came up with several big stops that included Taylor-Britt's critical pick, Mike Hilton's pick of Smith midway through the third quarter, Hill's pressure on Smith on Seattle's final offensive play and Sam Hubbard's sack of Smith on fourth-and-goal on the Seahawks' second-to-last drive. Logan Wilson was a constant thorn in Seattle's side with 11 tackles and a key sack that forced a Seahawks punt in the first half. Wilson and Co. helped limit Walker to just 16 yards on nine carries in the second half. Why the Seahawks lost While their defense played winning football, Seattle's offense was unable to make a critical play in the second half when it needed it most. An example of that was Smith's first pick after Tre Brown picked off Burrow on the Bengals' ensuing possession. Seattle was only able to come away with a field goal after a 23-yard punt return by DeeJay Dallas gave the Seahawks the ball on the Bengals' 43-yard line late in the third quarter. Turning point Seattle was threatening to take the lead after Smith hit rookie wideout Jake Bobo for a 23-yard gain shortly after Brown's pick of Burrow. But Seattle came up empty when Smith's pass intended for rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba was intercepted by Hilton at the Bengals' 3-yard-line. Yes, we would love the ball back. Thanks!#SEAvsCIN | 📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/X1PAS93pb1 — Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 15, 2023 Taylor-Britt's fourth-quarter pick was just as big as it forced Seattle to have to go for it on consecutive fourth downs in the game's final minutes. Showing out on his birthday 👏 @CamTaylorBritt_#SEAvsCIN | 📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/WvGZj2E6T9 — Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 15, 2023 Play of the game Hill deserves some love for his game-winning play on the Bengals' final defensive play. Hill's play came after Trey Hendrickson came up with a big play of his own after he sacked Smith for a 12-yard loss on Seattle's previous drive after the Seahawks had reached the red zone. Hubbard then finished the drive by sacking Smith on fourth-and-goal. Yes, we would love the ball back. Thanks!#SEAvsCIN | 📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/X1PAS93pb1 — Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 15, 2023 Quotable "We got the win. It's a lot easier to fix things when you're 3-3 than if you had lost this one. Never going to apologize for a win." -- Burrow on the Bengals' win Bengals birthday boys deliver Taylor-Britt and Iosivas both had memorable games on their 24th birthday. Along with is pick, Taylor-Britt came up with another big play when his breakup of a third-down pass intended for Tyler Lockett forced Seattle to settle for a field goal on its second drive of the second half. Iosivas' touchdown catch proved to be the game-winning score. First NFL TD on your birthday? Doesn't get better than that 🥳 @AndreiIosivas#SEAvsCIN | 📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/a3JzzNXMeN — Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 15, 2023 What's next Cincinnati will enter its Week 7 bye before facing the 49ers in San Francisco in Week 8. The two teams played in a highly entertaining game back in 2021 that was won by the 49ers in overtime. San Francisco saw its 15-game regular season unbeaten streak end Sunday in Cleveland. Seattle will return home to face the Cardinals next Sunday in an NFC West division showdown. Arizona entered the day with a 1-4 record with its only win coming against the Cowboys back in Week 3. https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/bengals-vs-seahawks-score-takeaways-cincinnati-gets-to-500-after-winning-defensive-battle-against-seattle/live/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkansas Bengal Posted October 16, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2023 Bengals 17, Seahawks 13 What it means for Seahawks: It’s a tough loss, but not worth dwelling on. Seattle lost because it went 1-of-5 in the red zone, including a bad interception by Geno Smith. The Seahawks were terrific defensively, limiting Cincinnati to 214 yards on 4.0 yards per play. Essentially, clean up some situational football, limit the turnovers and everything should be fine. What it means for Bengals: With Joe Burrow still struggling, Lou Anarumo has his defense taking charge. Against a powerful Seahawks team, Cincinnati permitted 381 yards but only allowed one red-zone touchdown on five trips. With the Niners and Bills coming up after the Bengals’ bye, Cincinnati needs its defense to continue playing excellent football to climb back into the AFC North race. https://www.si.com/nfl/2023/10/15/2023-nfl-week-6-recap-game-by-game-analysis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatternMaster Posted October 16, 2023 Report Share Posted October 16, 2023 Glad to see the defense step and show that they can be the elite unit that we fans thought they could be. Hopefully, the defense keeps that same level of play and the offense can find its groove, especially the run game...and specifically the interior of the line. If this offense can be more balanced and Joe continues to progress from a health and timing perspective then I think this team will be one of the best in the NFL capable of beating anyone. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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