The Youth is Starting to Show Up
Monday night was ugly.
There is no other way to put it, but there was some good in the rookie class. While the night was dark, the future is bright. Let’s talk about this rookie class.
Demetrius Knight has had some rough moments this year, but his arrow is trending upwards, and he played an excellent game this week. Knight had a clutch tackle and an end zone interception to prevent delay the Broncos from scoring just before the half. This was a big play at a big moment. It wasn’t enough to make a difference this week, but this is how things get better. One player plants a flag and says, “No more.”
Before you know it, another one joins in, then another one. Knight is that guy. He is the Germaine Pratt, not to put too fine a point on it. Pratt always stepped up when the defense needed a big play. Knight is well on his way to being the same kind of player.
Knight led the team with 6 solo tackles and 10 total tackles, adding a pass defended and an interception for good measure. He is getting more consistent with his run fits and showing the ability to get off blocks, plus the speed to play sideline to sideline. He has also stepped up and made plays in coverage, which was widely seen as his game’s weakness.
The Bengals started a rookie at each of their guard positions as Jalen Rivers made his first start at right guard this week. Believe it or not, both played pretty well.
Rivers has an excellent anchor and some good feet in pass protection. The one sack that he gave up was Jake Browning’s fault as the quarterback walked right into it. In the run game, Rivers got some movement, but he tends to slip off blocks early. Consistency is key, and Rivers’s ability to develop it will determine his long-term success.
On the left side, Dylan Fairchild is developing more consistency. He has been excellent in pass protection, and that continued this week. Fairchild also showed improvement as a run blocker, getting some movement on drive blocks and having one very nice pull. Fairchild needs to continue to develop and could be a centerpiece for this offensive line in the future.
Category: General Sports
