The Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Tennessee Titans, 27-19 in a game that may have been closer than the final score indicated. The Bengals jumped out to a 17-3 lead, but the Titans made things interesting until the end despite making just two out of five field goals.
Titans vs. Bengals: Bloggers react to Bengals victory
The Bengals didn’t have much trouble taking care of the Titans on Saturday. See how our local bloggers reacted to the game.
Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Josh Kirkendall of Cincy Jungle had several takeaways from the game. He's enjoying the backup quarterback battle between Josh Johnson and John Skelton, but is worried about the offensive line as Andy Dalton took plenty of big hits:
..the Bengals backup quarterback competition is enjoyable. Neither John Skelton or Josh Johnson are relenting and the competition is making both perform better.
...The first team offensive line wasn't very good. Kyle Cook committed his third penalty of the preseason, and even Kevin Zeitler was struggling to maintain in pass protection.
...Continuing from the previous point, Andy Dalton was hit a lot. At one point he ankle turned outward, forcing the medial staff to re-tape the quarterback's foot. Dalton played three snaps and showed signs of feeling the ankle (a slight grimace mostly), but wasn't noticeably limping.
Titans blog Music City Miracles was happy with the play of quarterback Jake Locker, but bemoaned the numerous missed opportunities, most notably the poor special teams play:
Helped out by the dropped passes, the Titans offense stalled out in enemy territory, but like the days of old, field goals were there for the taking. After striking first, the Titans missed three straight field goals leaving 9 points on the board and making the game seem more lopsided than it was. Camp kicker Maikon Bonani didn't help his case by missing one after two straight shanks by incumbent Rob Bironas. Bironas has been hampered by a sore back and is hopefully just knocking off the rust. The Titans ball control offense will need him to be reliable once the season starts.
Thankfully this is what the preseason is for. Hopefully the Titans can knock off the rust in these areas and capitalize on other wise good play and play-calling alike. While Locker seems to be holding his own, it looks like the rest of the team needs to gel and come together around him.
Check out Cincy Jungle for more Bengals coverage, and head over to Music City Miracles to get your Titans fix.
See More:
