Tyler Barrick - Getty Images
6 months ago: CINCINNATI, OH - NOVEMBER 27: Adam Jones #24 of the Cincinnati Bengals looks to a teammate during the game agains the Cleveland Browns at Paul Brown Stadium on November 27, 2011 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Tyler Barrick/Getty Images)
There's no such thing as a "satisfying loss", but the results around the league in Week 17 really softened the blow of the Bengals loss to Ravens. Even though they had a poor showing in their home finale at Paul Brown Stadium, the Bengals still managed to eke their way into the playoffs, making this season a relative success.
In the battle against the Ravens, there were many players who stepped up and contributed to the Bengals near-comeback and we like to recognize those kind of efforts. Jason Garrison has already posted our MVP picks of the week, so none of those players will be listed in this post. We also try to spread this prestigious award around to different players, if at all possible.
We'll look at the guys who did their respective jobs, even though those jobs might have gone unnoticed.
The much-maligned return man, Brandon Tate, had a solid game against the Ravens. He consistently gave the Bengals good returns on both kickoffs and punts. There weren't any huge plays from Tate, but there were a few solid returns and most importantly, no major gaffes on his part due to the chaotic wind. I still think that Tate has brought quality performances to the squad this season and deserves some credit.
There's also backup running back, Bernard Scott. He had the lone Bengals touchdown of the day, a 25-yarder, and had a couple of other nice runs on the day. He finished with a strong 5.7 yards per carry average and provided a spark in relief of Cedric Benson. The one negative about Scott's day was the drop of a perfect pass from Andy Dalton, which would have resulted in a touchdown. But, he ended up scoring on the big run just a couple of plays later to atone for his mistake.
Who gets your vote for the "Unsung Hero of the Week Award"?
0 recs | 8 comments
Kelly Jennings
I am not a huge fan of the guy but I think we have to admit he has beena decent pickup this past offseason. He made a couple big plays that kept Cincy in the game. He is not All-Star caliber but like most of the guiys on defense he just seems to be a hard worker. I think but he and Jones have stepped up and played quite well. The play of our safties— now that is another story. Nelson is hit or miss and Crocker is well not good enough.
Yarin - January 3, 2012
+1
when Hall first went down Jennings was doing terribly. He has since stepped it up and I retract my former unflattering comments.
keithster - January 3, 2012
I nominate Dunlap. He wasn't spectacular, but solid.
redrifle14 - January 3, 2012
Hawkins
The kid had a good run and a great catch. There wasn’t much that really stuck out to me in this game. Besides the refs really took the game out of the players hands. My second would be Nelson for that jaw dropping hit that looked okay to me but drew a flag from the worst officiating crew I’ve ever seen.
Bigcatdaddy - January 3, 2012 via Android app
Had a great catch, really impressed with his hands. Big third down conversion.....
The Van Buren Boys - January 4, 2012
Tough call, since really no one seemed to stand out with any huge plays, especially on offense.....
I chose Pacman just because he helped shut down Smith compared to the last time we played. Other than that, was hard to pick someone out.
The Van Buren Boys - January 4, 2012
DWTS
I don’t know if anybody else has noticed, but it looks like Tate has finally stopped looking like he is auditioning for Dancing With the Stars and has started to get the ball and head straight up field. I have been very pleased with him over the last few games. If he can break a big return against the Texans it could be the difference in the game.
AWC71 - January 4, 2012
+1
He has been doing very well
Oregonbengalsfan - January 4, 2012
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