Bengals’ defense finally stepped up when it mattered most
If you want to know what a Cincinnati Bengal is, look no further than Sam Hubbard.
Hubbard, who is officially listed as Cincinnati’s starting left defensive end, ended up playing nose tackle and left defensive tackle in Sunday afternoon’s win over the Carolina Panthers.
“We were down a bunch of guys and had to fill in,” Hubbard said after the game. “Whatever the team needs, I’m down for it. It’s about win, and now we got to start stacking them.”
Hubbard may have only been credited with a couple of assists, but it was his presence all over the field that helped pave the way for another outstanding effort by inside linebackers Logan Wilson and Jermaine Pratt.
“That’s what a Bengal is,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said. “He’s willing to do anything he’s got to do – put ego aside and just go out there and play ball.”
Hubbard was not alone in his efforts. Rookie Kris Jenkins Jr. made perhaps the biggest play of the game when he helped stop Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard on 4th-and-goal from Cincinnati’s 1-yard-line on Carolina’s opening drive of the game.
The Panthers had moved easily down the field on a 13-play drive that began on their own 30-yard-line. Quarterback Andy Dalton completed 4 of 5 passes for 60 yards, prompting visions of last week’s defensive implosions. But not this time.
“Never fold on each other, never give up,” Hubbard said. “That was very important to us.”
Cornerback DJ Turner, who barely got on the field last week, ended up with seven total tackles, including six solo tackles, and a pair of passes defensed.
Joseph Ossai stepped up with four total tackles and a quarterback hit, and Zach Carter finished with three total tackles. Rookie cornerback Daijahn Anthony, who suffered a costly pass-interference penalty in the week two loss to Kansas City, came up with a big pass breakup late in the game that helped seal the victory.
“You never know when your opportunity is going to come,” Hubbard said, “and you make the most of it. We’re going to need everybody in this locker room, and I really love this team.”
Still, the Panthers kept things interesting. After closing to within 31-24, Carolina got the ball back at its own 8-yard-line with just under five minutes remaining. The Bengals’ defense, which was without the services of its top playmaker, Trey Hendrickson, came together and forced a three-and-out.
And the offense responded with a 17-play drive that ate nearly four minutes off the clock and resulted in a 46-yard Evan McPherson field goal. This one belonged to Cincinnati.
“We found a way to finish,” Taylor said. “The defense was able to get that three-and-out at the end of the game. Now we put that one to bed and show back up at home next week for a big divisional game [against Baltimore].”
The hope is this was the start of a special season finally kicking into gear.
