The Cincinnati Bengals pulled off a 33-31 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night. The Bengals had terrific performances from Joe Flacco, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Chase Brown. The offensive line stepped up in a big way to allow the skill position players to thrive.
Jalen Rivers has stepped in to fill the right guard spot the past
month of the season. His play has been a bit up and down throughout this stretch of games. That continued to be the case against a tough Steelers defensive front. He was credited with giving up five pressures, a sack, and a holding penalty.
Overall, his performances still give hope for him being a long-term solution for the right guard position. It is expected for rookie offensive lineman to have some growing pains. For Rivers, he has never been a right guard prior to this season. I expect to see him continuing to improve throughout the season at his new position.
Amarius Mims was matched up with TJ Watt for a majority of the game. Watt finished with just one tackle and a half sack. Mims has really taken a step forward in his second season with the team. His athleticism and foot speed for his size always stands out.
I have continued to be impressed with the combination of Dalton Risner and Orlando Brown Jr. on the left side of the line. Risner has filled in admirably for the injured Dylan Fairchild the past two weeks. It may be tough to take him out of the lineup going forward. Left guard has always been his more natural position. He is playing at a high level in that spot. Him and Brown consistently opened up running lanes against the Steelers. Their performances helped the Bengals have their first 100 yard rushing game on the season.
The Bengals will have a chance to get back to .500 on the season when they play the New York Jets next Sunday. The offensive line will need to continue giving Flacco enough time to find his star receivers.
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