Things didn’t start well for the Bengals. The offense didn’t produce a first down until the second quarter while the defense reprised its penchant of missing tackles. The biggest miss came when S Marvin White and CB Deltha O’Neal failed to bring down Packers WR James Jones on what turned into a 30-yard touchdown pass. O’Neal had the initial coverage on Jones, who caught a pass at the 15 from QB Aaron Rodgers. White came up from his position to deliver a big hit but all that accomplished was knocking off Jones’ helmet. The rest of him spun away and ran into the end zone for the score and a 10-0 Packers lead.
The Bengals woke up offensively in the second quarter and held Green Bay scoreless until there were less than four minutes left in the game.
A synopsis of Monday night’s game:
*THE GOOD: There were several positive points for the coaching staff to praise. Topping the list is RB Chris Perry. He rushed for 42 yards on 11 carries, including a 7-yard touchdown run in which he bulled his way over defenders at the goal line. Perry got a terrific lead block from pulling LG Andrew Whitworth on the play. Perry also caught two passes for nine yards…
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick played well, completing 6 of 9 passes for 59 yards. He was poised in his command of the offense and moved well in and around the pocket…
The Bengals had a 3-1 advantage in turnover margin department. S Dexter Jackson and LB Corey Mays had interceptions while rookie S Corey Lynch sealed the win with a fumble recovery…
The Bengals were flagged for just two penalties on the game…
P Kyle Larson had eight boots in the game, averaging 39.5 yards per kick. That doesn’t sound like a great night but Larson showed his value on his final punt when he forced a fair catch at the Green Bay 10 with a perfectly placed 25-yard kick…
*THE BAD: Figure on defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer going back to the practice field with an emphasis on tackling. White’s missed tackle was the biggest example but not the only one. Packers RB Brandon Jackson slipped out of a would-be tackle by DT Domata Peko in the first quarter that instead of a 2-yard loss resulted in a 22-yard gain…
Green Bay gained 383 yards total on offense, 154 yards of which came in the first quarter. The defense did force three-and-outs on six of seven possessions during one stretch that overlapped the second and third quarters but Green Bay converted 8 of 17 third down attempts…
Carson Palmer and the offense went three-and-out the first three times they had the ball, netting just 13 yards in the process. The first teamers were left in the game into the second quarter because of their struggles…
*UP NEXT: The Bengals play preseason game No. 2 against Detroit on Sunday night at Paul Brown Stadium. Kickoff is 7:35 p.m.