Bengals adapt, defense proving it’s ‘tough as nails’
Late in the second quarter, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a 17-point lead and nearly 200 more total yards than the Cincinnati Bengals. Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady looked unstoppable, especially with the Bengals' two best pass rushers and two best cornerbacks out with injuries.
But the Bengals bounced back from adversity and rattled off 34 straight points to win their sixth straight.
“We heard from the old savvy vet that we're a ‘fairly tough' defense,” said Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt, quoting a pregame remark by Brady. “Four turnovers, I'd say we're tough as nails.”
Pratt had an interception Sunday, one of four turnovers the Bengals forced in the second half to spur the comeback.
It was a remarkable turnaround. For the entire first half, the Bengals couldn't pressure Brady without Sam Hubbard (calf) and Trey Hendrickson (wrist). Brady picked on the Bengals' rookie cornerbacks Dax Hill and Cam Taylor-britt.
Tre Flowers' pick with 9:42 remaining in the third quarter flipped the script. After that, the Bengals forced fumbles on Tampa Bay's next two possessions. They out-schemed Brady with blitzes, getting him to turn over the ball. Hill and Taylor-britt played tighter coverage, and there weren't any more easy throws for Brady over the middle. When Taylor-britt left the game in the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury, recently elevated practice squad cornerback Allan George stepped up.
Nearly everyone was involved in the 34-23 victory.
“Nobody wants to acknowledge what we're doing on defense in this six-game stretch,” Bengals cornerback Eli Apple said. “We know what the difference has been. We just want to keep it going.”
As the clock ran out, a crowd filled with Bengals fans started chanting “Who Dey,” and when the game was over, some Bengals players were smack-talking Brady as they ran to the locker room.