The lopsided start to the second half means the Bengals have been outscored 55-44 in the third quarter this year, while they have outscored their opponents 222-128 in the other three quarters and overtime.
Taking into account all four quarters in Arizona, here are the grades from a second consecutive loss after an 8-0 start:
Rush offense: D
By gaining 99 yards on 28 carries, the Bengals failed to break 100 yards for the third consecutive game and averaged less than 4 yards per carry for the third time in the last four. It was the first time since Week 3 that neither Jeremy Hill nor Giovani Bernard averaged at least 4 yards per rush. And it was the third week in a row that someone other than a running back had the longest run of the game.
Pass offense: C+
On the surface, 315 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 99.9 looks pretty solid for Andy Dalton, but there also were a few of missed chances and a lot of pressure from the Arizona defense. The four sacks were a season high, and Dalton was under pressure on countless other dropbacks. On one play when he wasn’t pressured, Dalton overthrew Marvin Jones on a deep ball that would have been a touchdown, and Jones dropped another long one that would have produced points. Dalton also failed to give Jones a chance to do what he does best, leap and out-battle the defender, on another deep ball when he threw it too far right and out of bounds. And the incompletion on the third-and-2 play that ended up leading to Mike Nugent’s game-tying field goal was a terrible throw that should have been intercepted.
Rush defense: A-
The Bengals have given up some long runs this year, but the biggest play the Cardinals had on the ground went for 9 yards. Arizona had fewer yards and a lower average than the Bengals pedestrian run game, finishing with 25 carries for 82 yards (3.3). Only two of their 21 first downs came via the run.
Pass defense: D
The two early interceptions and a late sack and forced fumble, which Arizona recovered, are all that keep this from being an F. Carson Palmer had his way against a depleted Bengals secondary for most of the night, completing 65 percent of his passes for 317 yards and four touchdowns. While the Bengals were without starting cornerback Adam Jones and had backup Darqueze Dennard leave with a shoulder injury in the third quarter, the Cardinals were without Michael Floyd, Palmer’s top target the last five games. Floyd’s replacement, rookie J.J. Nelson, had three catches all year but torched the Bengals for 142 yards on four receptions, including a 64-yard touchdown.
Special teams: A-
Nugent’s game-tying 43-yard field goal with 1:03 remaining was clutch, and the coverage units were solid. The Bengals held dynamic Arizona punt returner Patrick Peterson to 23 yards on three attempts, and the Cardinals’ best starting position after a kickoff was their own 26. Punter Kevin Huber rebounded from a poor opening kick to averaged 48.6 yards per attempt with a strong 44.0 net. Brand Tate’s only kickoff return went for 58 yards, and he had a 41-yard punt return that negated by the only real blemish the special teams had in the game – a block in the back on Dre Kirkpatrick that forced the Bengals to start at their own 8 instead of the Arizona 43.
Coaching: C
The play call that will draw the most scrutiny is the long pass on third and 2 with time running out in the fourth quarter, but we don’t yet know if that was the call from the sideline or a check Dalton made at the line of scrimmage. It’s obvious from the film he saw the blitz coming and knew where he was going with the ball. When the ball is in the air, no other receiver is even looking at Dalton. And while none of the 10 penalties for a season-high 108 yards were called on the coaching staff, at some point Marvin Lewis and company have to bear the responsibility for what is becoming an undisciplined team. The flagfest was not an aberration. It was the third time in four games and sixth time this season the Bengals have been whistled for at least nine penalties. But Lewis and his staff deserve some credit for keeping things from imploding and finding a way to get back into a game that looked as though it was turning into a rout.
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