Cincy Jungle’s Anthony Cosenza gives in the inside scoop on Cincinnati
With the New York Giants facing the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 6, we turned to SB Nation’s Cincy Jungle for this week’s ‘5 questions’ segment. Anthony Cosenza answered our questions.
Ed: The preseason over/under for the Bengals 10.5 victories. They were expected to be a playoff team. Yet, they sit at 1-4. How shocking is that, and what is the explanation?
Anthony: The 1-4 start is shocking, for sure. Yes, slow starts like 1-1 or 0-2 seasons were seen from Zac Taylor’s Bengals the last three years, but they’ve never dug themselves this deep of a hole. Even in Joe Burrow’s rookie year of 2020, the struggling Bengals started 1-3-1 through their first five contests and the big surprise this year was that there were a few very winnable games on the September slate.
The short and easy explanation is the defense’s performance, or lack thereof. Lou Anarumo has been praised for his unit’s performances against elite passers (Patrick Mahomes, for example), but the truth is that his unit has always been a “bend-but-don’t-break” one, relying on extremely timely turnovers, sacks and stops on fourth-down tries. Those aren’t occurring this year, issues with tackling that popped up last year are happening again and injuries along the defensive line have been felt.
That said, each loss they’ve suffered has been by a one-possession margin and the offense has been operating at a high level. They need to recapture the magic they had from 2021-2022, where the ball was bouncing their way and they were creating some of their own luck. It’s no easy task to achieve midseason.
Ed: The Giants obviously undervalued B.J. Hill, trading him to the Bengals for Billy Price. What has Hill meant to the Cincinnati defense over the past few seasons?
Anthony: Not to rub salt in the wound, but Hill has been one of the best trades in Bengals history, quite honestly. Some of the best we’ve seen from Hill was when they had him rotating snaps and working in conjunction with Larry Ogunjobi in 2021. But, even with Ogunjobi’s departure, Hill has stepped up in big ways, creating plays against the pass and run, including a wildly unforgettable interception against the Vikings last year. He signed a pretty big three-year extension back in the spring of 2022, but with it set to expire after this season, it will be interesting to see what the Bengals do with him going forward.
Ed: If you could take one player off the Giants’ roster and put him in the Cincinnati lineup who would it be? Why? Oh, and taking Malik Nabers isn’t fair because of the receivers the Bengals already have.
Anthony: I was a big Kayvon Thibodeaux guy from watching him often in his Oregon college days, but I think the clear answer, given the Bengals’ needs right now, is Dexter Lawrence. Having a highly-effective nose tackle who can also rush the passer in the AFC North is a valuable commodity and most agree that the Bengals have been missing D.J. Reader this year.
Ed: Tell us about a couple of under-the-radar players we should be aware of on Sunday.
Anthony: On defense, look for guys like Kris Jenkins, Jr., a rookie interior defensive lineman. He’s flashed since starting off the season injured, but they want to see more consistency from him. DJ Turner is stepping in at the other starting boundary corner spot for the injured Dax Hill—both Jenkins and Turner were former second round picks the past two classes (Hill was a first-rounder the year before them), so expectations are high.
On offense, keep an eye on rookie tight end, Erick All, Jr. He was injured coming into the draft process (torn knee ligament), but rehabbed like an animal and was ready to go for training camp. He’s looking like the next great player from “TE U”, AKA Iowa, and has been a solid all-around player in the offense, be it catching everything thrown his way and/or opening running lanes.
Ed: The Giants win this game if what happens? The Bengals win it if what happens?
Anthony: The Giants win if Daniel Jones plays clean football and the New York offense shows the ability to both run and pass. New York will also need to use its vaunted pass-rush and able defensive line to fluster Joe Burrow, which hasn’t been anywhere near as easy as a task compared to previous years, as the Cincinnati offensive line is playing well and Burrow continues to use his trademark escapability.
The Bengals win if they tackle and get back to basic fundamentals on defense. One of the team’s leaders, veteran corner Mike Hilton, helped spearhead a “players only meeting” for the defensive unit this week, saying they can’t allow any more wasting of Burrow’s MVP-like campaign. We’ll see how that resonates.
— See Cincy Jungle for more Bengals’ perspective on Sunday’s game.
