Allen remains best of few options for Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals started the season with a hotshot rookie quarterback and lots of hope.
Now they’re going with a quarterback who was on the practice squad two weeks ago, and with five games in the 2020 season left they remain stuck on last year’s win total — two.
In short, it’s shaping up to be another typical Bengals year.
Brandon Allen, who had started only three NFL games, was moved into the starting role when No. 1 overall draft pick Joe Burrow suffered a season-ending knee injury Nov. 22.
Allen was unremarkable in Cincinnati’s 19-17 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday, but second-year coach Zac Taylor said he’s staying with the 28year-old who, because of COVID-19 protocols, has been physically separated from the team’s other two quarterbacks most of the season.
Allen got the starting job over Ryan Finley, who was Burrow’s backup but looked overwhelmed when he had to come into the game in the second half of the loss to Washington after Burrow’s injury.
“(Allen) had three days of reps with our guys,” Taylor said. “You try to consider that a little bit in what you put in the plan, in what he feels comfortable with to get him started on his first week here. That will continue to grow as he gets going and gets more comfortable with everything we’re doing.
“I expect good things from Brandon. We had an opportunity today and we just didn’t take advantage of it.”
Taylor said Allen played well enough to earn another opportunity next week against Miami.
Allen was 17 for 29 for 136 yards and an interception. He also threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Tee Higgins in the fourth quarter. But Allen fumbled while being sacked on the Bengals’ last drive to seal the win for the Giants.
“Throughout practice the whole week, he was putting them where they needed to be, and I feel like he played good today,” Higgins said. “There were some mistakes, but that happens in football.”
It’s not all on the quarterbacks for Cincinnati, which has been plagued by injuries on both sides of the ball. The running game stalled when Joe Mixon went out with a foot injury on Oct. 18 and Giovani Bernard had to carry the load.
Knowing that the Bengals were onedimensional, the Giants sometimes dropped eight defenders into pass coverage.
Taylor, who is 4-21-1 in two seasons, said the results are not due to lack of effort.
“They’re playing hard for each other, and it’s going to turn for us at some point,” he said. “It’s not fun to lose, but we know that this tide is gonna turn for us, and we’re going to look back on this and this was a necessary part of our growth.”