Cincinnati receiver A.J. Green said it best following the Bengals’ 24-21 loss at Chicago on Sunday. “They didn’t stop us one time,” Green said. “They didn’t really stop us on offense. We were doing whatever we wanted. The biggest thing we had was turnovers.” Indeed, Cincinnati maintained an 11-point lead in the third quarter and led 21-17 in the final stanza before Mohamed Sanu fumbled at Chicago’s 19-yard line. That turnover, which was one of three on the day for the Bengals, changed the complexity of the game and ultimately cost Cincinnati a road win.
Chicago’s offense looked pedestrian for most the game, which was surprising in light of the fact that head coach Marc Trestman was hired during the offseason to revamp the Bears’ attack. Trestman, who coached the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes the past five seasons and it known as an offensive guru, admitted that his team looked sluggish during the entire first half. “I think it tested us and our backbone because it didn’t go the way we wanted it to go, certainly, in the first half,” said Trestman. Based on the numbers below, Chicago earns our misleading final score alert for week one of the 2013 NFL campaign.
Team Statistical Comparison:
Cincinnati Chicago
First Downs: 18 17
Total Yards: 340 323
Yards per Play: 6.2 5.3
Yards per Pass: 8.4 7.3
Turnovers: 3 1
After reviewing the tape of this game, we are more convinced than ever that Cincinnati should reach at least nine wins this season, which is good enough to win the division. Meanwhile, the Bears continue to learn a new playbook under a new head coach from the CFL, and we expect the growing pains to continue in Chicago.