The Bengals left Houston with a 20-6 win and their first road victory of the season, but the tape told a split story on the offensive line. One side held up. The other one was a problem.
Orlando Brown Jr. had the roughest afternoon. He was charged with four pressures, and three of those became sacks of Joe Burrow.
Brown also drew two penalties, and his 35.6 PFF pass-blocking grade matched the kind of day it looked like on film. When Burrow is getting hit four times, that’s simply not good enough.
There’s no shame in getting tested by Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter. The Texans have what is arguably the league’s best edge-rushing duo.
But that doesn’t change the Bengals’ reality. If they want to get back to the playoffs and beyond, they need better play from their left tackle.
Brown’s issues against speed rushers keep showing up. He was never the most athletic tackle, and now he’s on the wrong side of 30.
That puts pressure on Cincinnati’s coaching staff to help him more often, especially when the matchup is tilted. Tight ends and running backs may need to chip in his direction more regularly, because there isn’t an easy in-house fix if the struggles continue.
On the other side, Amarius Mims kept flashing the kind of ceiling that has people thinking All-Pro down the road. His size, power, and athleticism stood out again against Houston’s pass rushers. Mims was credited with giving up just one pressure in the game, following a Week 1 outing against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in which he allowed none.
That kind of start puts him in rare company. Among offensive tackles who have played at least 50% of their team’s snaps, only Garrett Bolles has fewer than one penalty. After that, Mims, Lane Johnson, and DJ Glaze are the only tackles who have allowed just one pressure this season.
His 57.3 PFF pass-blocking grade doesn’t really capture how dominant he looked on Sunday. Against two of the league’s best pass rushers, Mims looked fast out of his stance, recovered well when he had to, and shut things down once he got his hands on defenders.
In Other News...
Bengals Suddenly Have A Veteran QB Question Fans Can't Ignore
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For Bengals fans, the detail worth watching is Joe Flaccos place in that discussion. His name has surfaced as a possible option because of his experience and his connection with head coach John Harbaugh, but there has been no official indication of a pursuit yet. Still, whenever a proven veteran quarterback enters the market, it tends to create a few moments of pause for teams and fans alike, especially when the leagues quarterback picture starts shifting this quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Burrows Week 3 Status Just Became The Bengals Biggest Concern
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Still, Cincinnati is hardly out of the woods heading into the Week 3 game against the Steelers. Burrows availability has quickly become the teams biggest concern, because even when he is practicing, the Bengals have to monitor how his back responds and whether he can hold up through Sundays physical matchup. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Suddenly Have A New Health Worry Before AFC North Test
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Zac Taylor tried to steady the picture by offering a broader health update, including on Joe Burrow, who is sore but is still expected to play. Even so, the timing is hardly ideal for a team trying to navigate a division matchup with its margin for error shrinking and its injury list growing at the wrong moment. [Read more 🡒]