This was the first major domino in the Bengals’ loss to the Eagles.
This game swung on one play.
Fourth and one.
Some would argue that the game swung on the missed field goal. True, it did lead to the Eagles scoring at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second half, but the Cincinnati Bengals offense got in the end zone immediately after that.
However, it was a different story after the Bengals failed to convert on fourth and one from their own territory.
The defense gave up a field goal immediately after the failed conversion, despite holding the Philadelphia Eagles to six yards. They gave up a touchdown on the following drive and a field goal on a short field on the drive after that.
The offense only had four more plays after this before throwing the white flag and putting Jake Browning on the field. They gained 16 yards and turned the ball over twice.
I’m getting ahead of myself, though. That is what happened after the doomed fourth-down call, but let’s talk about what was going on in the game at that moment.
There were 45 seconds left in the third quarter. The Bengals were down seven. They were in their own territory. They had not been able to run effectively all day and had only gained one yard on the previous two plays (both runs).
The best fourth-and-short play is the quarterback sneak, but that’s not a good option when your IOL has been getting pushed around all day and is a worse option when you are a shotgun offense with a 215-pound quarterback.
If you punt, with your impressive rookie punter and emerging special teams star Tycen Anderson, you might be able to pin them deep. This makes it tough on the offense. If they pinned them inside the 3-yard line, the Eagles would have probably blown a down or two on a QB sneak, just to give them some room to work, and don’t forget about Sam Hubbard’s safety earlier this season.
Either way, you are at least making them earn it.
Going for it and not making it meant that the Eagles were already in field goal range, so despite a three-and-out, they still got three points.
This was the turning point in the game. It was a bad call to go for it and a worse play call. People keep talking about the defense being cooked at that point, but it’s not true. The defense had stopped the Eagles on two of their final three possessions. Of course, those two stops still resulted in six points because of where the offense gave them the ball.
If the Bengals punt the ball away, I like their chances of getting a stop and tying the game on the following possession. By going for it, they dug themselves into a two-score whole that they couldn’t overcome.