The Bengals Rout The Rams And Rediscover Who They Are

Life in prime time can be great. But with it comes the pressure of winning and proving your worth to the nation. Sunday, the Cincinnati Bengals returned to 1 p.m. games and to the routine they had become used to. They were able to dispose of the St. Louis Rams 31-7 and rediscovered who they are in the process. The defense and offense clicked like a well-made timepiece.

Coming into the game, the Rams featured one of the best running backs in the league. Todd Gurley is a rookie with the potential to be one of the greatest. At one stretch, the young man had four consecutive games in which he averaged 6.4 yards per carry and rushed for 566 yards and three touchdowns. Bengals’ defensive coordinator Paul Guenther has tons of respect for his ability and cautioned about him, per the Cincinnati Enquirer.

“He’s good – explosive, strong young guy, runs through tackles, runs hard, keeps his legs working,” Guenther said. “He’s going to be a good one. He’s a good player.”

The Bengals’ defense was able to shut the door on the speedy and powerful Gurley. He was held to 19 yards on nine carries by a Bengals squad that was playing for pride and redemption. In a horrible Week 11 breakdown against the Cardinals, the Bengals’ defense gave up 21 points in the third quarter. The proud unit was determined to avoid the same scenario.

“That’s what we want to do every week. We want people talking about us,” said 10-year nose tackle Domata Peko. “Not about what we say, but what we do on the field, by our actions. How we play. I think today, people will be talking. We put our resume out there today and we let our work speak for itself.”

The Bengals definitely put their resume on the desk of the Rams’ offensive line. Nick Foles was rushed and hurried the entire game. Geno Atkins had the only sack of the game, but he was a handful. The Rams struggled to keep him out of the backfield. Atkins now has the league lead — for an interior lineman — with eight. The Bengals’ defense has limited opponents to 10 points or less in four of the last five games.

“We’ve got a chip on our shoulder,” explained left end Carlos Dunlap. “We want to be the best defense in the league. We wanted to prove a point.”

The Bengals’ offense was back on track and seemed to develop a killer instinct. Instead of going into cruise control against the hapless Rams, the Bengals put their phasers on destroy and kept it moving. Andy Dalton was just as sharp as the early wins in the 8-0 streak. Dalton ended the day 20-of-27 for 233 yards and a sparkling 121.4 passer rating.

“I felt like we played well in all phases of the game,” Dalton acknowledged. “It’s good to get a win, and it’s good to get a win the way we did.”

After a penalty filled game in Arizona, the Bengals’ offense played to their potential. They played with focus and determination. Jeremy Hill was an entirely different beast. The offensive line opened holes, and the second-year back kept his feet moving to rack up 86 yards on 16 attempts. It was the most yards Hill has had since Week 1 against the Raiders.

The Bengals’ passing game gave the Rams a hard way to go. A.J. Green torched the secondary for two touchdowns, and Tyler Eifert contributed with one of his own. There was nothing exotic about the formations. The Bengals just came out and executed to perfection. The result was a blowout win that was much-needed.

“We were able to run the ball efficiently and not put ourselves in some of those situations we’ve been in the past couple of weeks,” Andrew Whitworth clarified. “Where we got third-and-forever. It really helps us. We’re getting better and better and at this time of year it’s important to run the ball.”

“We need to stick to our identity,” defensive end Carlos Dunlap said. “Success is precious. You just have to stick to what you do.”

Rediscovering yourself is a precious thing indeed.

[Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images]