The Cincinnati Bengals went in to Charlotte in a true must-win situation and left with a much-needed 34-24 victory over the Carolina Panthers. Some players had great days, while others had some struggles. Here are the winners and losers from today’s contest.
Winners:
Chase Brown: Chase Brown looked dynamic nearly every time he touched the ball Sunday. Brown exploded through holes and brought a really nice change of pace to the offense. The running back split continues to be around 50/50, but Brown is making a strong argument for more touches. He finished with 15 carries for 80 yards (5.3 yards per carry average) and two touchdowns.
Kris Jenkins Jr.: The interior of the Bengals’ defensive line needs help, and Sunday, Jenkins looked like the player the team drafted him to be. After finally getting on the field last week, Jenkins was all over the place Sunday. If you watched the broadcast, you heard his name plenty. In the first quarter, Jenkins made a great play to stuff Carolina on a 4th and goal from the 1-yard line. Jenkins looked to be a strength in the middle, which this defensive line desperately needed.
Ja’Marr Chase: Chase needed a big, explosive play after a rough start to the season. While he scored two touchdowns in Week 3, we saw a signature Chase play on Sunday. Joe Burrow found him on a third down, and then Chase bounced off of Panther defenders on his way to a 63-yard touchdown. Chase finished with three catches for 84 yards and the touchdown.
Tee Higgins: Higgins, in his second game of the season looked much like the player we’ve come to expect him to be. With the Panther defense focused on Chase, Burrow looked to Higgins early and often. Making tough catches, drawing pass interference calls and using his large frame showed Higgins’ value for the Bengal offense. Higgins finished with six catches for 60 yards.
Amarius Mims: Mims got his first NFL start Sunday and was matched up with Jadeveon Clowney, which isn’t an easy task. Mims played great, looking very comfortable anchoring the right side of the offensive line. Mims allowed pressure by Clowney once on a play that ended with Burrow throwing an interception, but Mims played very well outside of that. With Trent Brown out for the season, it will be Mims the rest of the way, and Sunday should inspire a lot of confidence in the rookie going forward.
Daijahn Anthony: While he didn’t play much on defense, Anthony made a huge play when he broke up a 4th-down fake punt attempt, which effectively gave the Bengals a field goal to take a 31-14 lead. It appeared the Panthers tight end Feleipe Franks caught the ball, but Anthony ripped it out at the last possible second. Had that been converted, this game may have turned out differently.
Vonn Bell: You know this was a big game for Vonn Bell after he signed with the Panthers in the 2023 offseason before getting cut after just one season. He recorded an interception that the offense turned into the Bengals’ first touchdown of the game. Bell also recorded six tackles and a pass deflection.
Losers:
Cam Taylor-Britt: Taylor-Britt has been in the media for the wrong reasons as of late after some trash-talking, and Sunday wasn’t his best day. In the first half, Taylor-Britt got beat a few times as Andy Dalton seemed to be picking on him. Taylor-Britt did make a nice play on the ball for an interception, but it was wiped away after he was called for holding as the Panther receiver made a double move. At the end of the third quarter, he was matched up with Diontae Johnson and surrendered a touchdown to keep Carolina in the game after the Bengals took a 31-14 lead. We have all seen Taylor-Britt look like one of the best corners in the entire NFL at times, but Sunday wasn’t one of them.
Cordell Volson: In an all-around good game for the Bengals’ offensive line, Volson had a relatively tough day. Early in the first quarter, Volson was driven back and stepped on Burrow’s foot, but Burrow showed a limp afterward. Burrow stayed in the game and looked fine, but that could have been tragic. Volson was also called for two holds in the game, one negating a 3rd and 17 pickups when Zack Moss broke free on a draw play. Volson has played solid this season, but some plays on Sunday need to be cleaned up.