Postgame Observations: Defense Hangs Tough, Bengals Lose to Washington 17-13

Cincinnati falls to 1-1 in the preseason.

CINCINNATI — The Bengals' first-team offense struggled on Friday night, but the defense flashed its' potential for a second-straight week.

Cincinnati lost to Washington 17-13, falling to 1-1 this preseason. 

Here are some postgame observations. 

Dominant Defense

The Bengals' first-team defense continues to play well. They allowed just 52 total yards and two first downs in three drives. They had one sack and forced one turnover.

Logan Wilson forced a fumble and Mike Hilton recovered. Watch that play here.

It's also worth noting that newcomers like Chidobe Awuzie, Trey Hendrickson and Larry Ogunjobi all made plays to help the defense get off the field.

Darius Hodge and Jalen Davis also made big plays in the backfield in their quest to make the 53-man roster. 

Rookie Struggles

Ja'Marr Chase had a bad night. The rookie wide receiver was targeted on three third-down plays and the ball hit his hands all three times, unfortunately he couldn't hang onto any of them.

Chase's timing with backup quarterback Brandon Allen was clearly off, which didn't help matters, but he should've caught at least two of the passes. Watch one of the drops below.

St-Juste being tested on back to back plays by the Bengals. Fights to jam Chase on 3rd and 5, does enough to disrupt his path. Uses length at the end to get his hands in at the catch point too pic.twitter.com/LO6juRVWzG

— Mark Bullock (@MarkBullockNFL) August 21, 2021

Offense Struggles

The first-team offense only scored three points and it was because the defense forced a turnover to give them good field position. 

They only out together one sustained drive all night long that ended with a Brandon Allen quarterback sneak for a touchdown. 

Offensive Line Update

Quinton Spain and Xavier Su'a-Filo got the start at left and right guard, respectively.

Spain was called for a holding penalty that negated a 17-yard screen play to Joe Mixon on the Bengals' first drive. Riley Reiff also cost his team five yards with a false start.

Jackson Carman played with the second-team offense at right guard. Michael Jordan played at left guard with D'Ante Smith not playing. Isaiah Prince and Fred Johnson played left and right tackle. Rookie Trey Hill played center. The second team offensive line was in the game for more than a half. They were out there until the start of the fourth quarter. 

Rookie Wins Job

Evan McPherson hasn't officially been named the Bengals' starting kicker, but the competition with Austin Seibert is over. 

McPherson was a perfect 2-for-2 on field goal attempts, drilling a 50-yarder and a 37-yarder in the fourth and first quarters, respectively. 

He has a chance to be one of the best kickers we've seen in a long, long time.

No doubt about it! @McPherson_Evan FROM 5️⃣0️⃣

Watch: https://t.co/xcpjddxlae pic.twitter.com/OdG9bTrf11

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) August 21, 2021

Hodge Does it Again

Rookie defensive end Darius Hodge had a big game last week against Tampa Bay. He followed that up by making plays against the Washington starters. Hodge had one quarterback hit and another pressure that resulted in a Taylor Heinicke fumble.  

Unfortunate Injury

Rookie defensive end Cam Sample suffered a right shoulder injury in the fourth quarter of Friday night's game. He didn't return. The severity of the injury is unknown, but the Bengals were already playing without Joseph Ossai. 

Play of the Night

Auden Tate had the catch of the night. It helped set up the Bengals' only touchdown. Watch it here. 

Up Next 

The Bengals play their final preseason game at home against Miami on Sunday, Aug. 29 at 4 p.m. 

Make sure you bookmark AllBengals for the latest training camp news, including exclusive interviews, highlights and so much more!

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