The Bengals offensive line underwent a massive change in Sunday's 36-10 loss to the Steelers in Pittsburgh for the second straight game and for the second straight game they had to like how it worked out when rookie left tackle Hakeem Adeniji made his second straight start and left guard Quinton Spain made his first start ever at right tackle.
They didn't get the win like they did two weeks ago against Tennessee when they had to replace four starters. But they also didn't let the Steelers' NFL-leading pass rush take over the game while providing an effective running attack that produced 5.2 yards per the 15 carries split by running backs Giovani Bernard and Samaje Perine.
With left tackle Jonah Williams (neck-stinger) limited in all three practices last week, head coach Zac Taylor opted to keep him active in an emergency role and went back to Adeniji, the sixth-rounder from Kansas for whom they have high hopes.
Right tackle was a bit trickier. Bobby Hart (knee) was out again and Fred Johnson, his backup that played so well against the Titans, was on the Covid list. Two guys that appeared to be emergency options, center Trey Hopkins and left guard Michael Jordan, were back in the middle after missing the Tennessee game and they apparently didn't want to mess with that chemistry.
Spain may be a career guard, but after coming off one of the more remarkable debuts in Bengals history two weeks ago, he keeps impressing the coaches with his intelligence and experience he's picked up in six seasons and 66 starts in the NFL.
They signed him as a free agent and they had to use him right away two weeks ago. As in right away. As in he walked into Paul Brown Stadium Friday, Oct. 30, and 48 hours after getting his playbook he played 62 snaps in a game rookie quarterback Joe Burrow didn't get sacked or hit while the offense rushed for 118 yards in the 31-20 victory over the Titans.
At 6-4, 330 pounds, Spain knows how to use his massive size. If offensive line coaches Jim Turner and Ben Martin could get him ready for NFL start No. 67 and No. 1 at right tackle, they could keep the interior intact. It worked. Spain and Adeniji held up extremely well. The Steelers did get four sacks and nine hits on Burrow, but that's not what the Steelers can do to you with such a big lead.
"If you have another right tackle, let me know," Taylor said. "We didn't have Jonah today. Jonah wasn't ready to go, and so it was next man up. Quinton was ready for it, felt confident doing it. I thought overall those guys did a nice job. I know some hits come. When you play teams like that and they get a lead on you and you're throwing the ball trying to get back in it, there's going to be some hits to come."
The Steelers pass rush came into the game leading the NFL in sacks, quarterbacks hit and pressures with an attack led by their relentless outside rushers. T.J. Watt, lined up over Spain, came in leading the NFL with 24 quarterback hits to go along with seven sacks and Bud Dupree, with six sacks and 11 hits, lined up over Adeniji. Consider that Watt and Dupree have combined for 36 sacks in the past 24 games, but Dupree didn't get a sack and two hits Sunday until it was out of hand and while Watt had two sacks and four hits, it was hard to blame Spain for those two sacks late in the first half.
"I know early on in the first half we gave up one on a 3rd and 12 (to Watt) where they did great job in coverage and we had to hold the ball for a while," Taylor said. "And then another one came up in that two-minute. I think it was the two we gave up in the first half, but I thought overall those guys did a good job protecting him, and then we got in the once second half, those guys got a couple hits there late."
On the third-and-12, Spain steered Watt past the pocket, but Adeniji got picked off by end Cam Heyward and Dupree was able to apply some pressure to allow Watt to get back into the play. Still, it looked to be more of a coverage sack.
And then Watt's sack at the end of the half came on a stunt inside away from Spain, a big play that took the Bengals out of field goal range.
"I put us in a tough spot, we took a sack. That was me," Taylor said. "I've just got to improve myself to put us in a better positions because when you're in a hole like that on the road in the first half, you've got to do the things that get you back in the game and create some momentum when you know you're going to get the ball back to start the second half, and I failed today in that aspect."
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Bengals Notebook: Another Revamped O-Line Holds Up - Bengals.com
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