In the last minute of the Cincinnati Bengals game in Week 17 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow left the game with an injury.
Backup quarterback Brandon Allen went onto the field, kneeled the ball to get the clock running and then spiked it on the next play to set up the last-second game-winning field goal. It was a complicated situation that the Bengals executed to clinch the AFC North title.
The sequence sparked the question: When do the Bengals practice this?
Monday was that day at Bengals training camp.
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“Those situations come up when the game’s on the line, so you want to be dialed in,” Bengals third-string quarterback Jake Browning said. “It’s an easy thing to overlook. Like they told us today, too many games are decided by 3 or 7 points.”
On Monday, head coach Zac Taylor and special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons worked on just about every kind of late-game situation. They practiced setting up field goals following a successful replay review. They practiced setting up field goals coming out of an unsuccessful replay review.
They practiced setting up a field goal after a timeout following second down and a timeout following third down.
“We ended up winning three games (last year) because we executed down the stretch,” Simmons said. “In the Tennessee game, we moved the ball to the right hash. The same thing happened in the Kansas City (playoff) game. Just by executing tiny things, you win the game. It’s good that we all understand it.”
The Bengals also had their longest punting session of the summer on Monday. The one true position battle in training camp for a starting spot is between 14-year veteran Kevin Huber and Drue Chrisman, the Ohio State/La Salle graduate from Lawrenceburg who hasn’t yet made his NFL debut.
Chrisman clearly has the stronger leg, booming kicks in Monday’s practice. But there’s a lot more that goes into Simmons’ evaluation.
“They’ve been inconsistent to a degree, both of them in various fashions,” Simmons said. “Kevin is working his way back into the timing of the live snap and everything live happening. There’s a certain degree of timing that goes into that and feel.”
“Drue has been hitting the ball strongly, but we got to refine placement, refine hang time. In terms of strength, that shows up.”
Since the punter is also the holder for kicker Evan McPherson, Huber and Chrisman have rotated working with McPherson. When Evan takes a kick, he has trained his eyes to focus on exactly where the ball is supposed to be on the ground, so there’s a lot of responsibility on the holder.
McPherson is 35-for-36 on kicks during training camp, and his only miss went off the right upright. So Simmons is happy with what he’s seeing in that area from both Huber and Chrisman.
“They’ve both done well,” Simmons said. “Obviously I trust Kevin doing that. He’s very experienced at it. Drue is somebody who has had to come on, and it’s an area he needed to improve on. He has shown great improvement there.”
Simmons said the punt return battle will mostly be determined by what happens on the field in the preseason. Trent Taylor is a known commodity as a returner, so young players like Kwamie Lassiter II and Pooka Williams Jr. will take the bulk of the preseason reps.
Lassiter has been one of the surprise players in camp as a receiving threat, taking reps with the first-team offense. His ability as a punt returner could determine whether or not he makes the team.
“We can see him catch (punts), we can see him move around a bit out here,” Simmons said. “The true test is when live bullets are coming.”
More observations from Bengals training camp
– Throughout training camp, Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo has mixed and matched the ways he uses rookies the team is developing on defense.
Safety Dax Hill has played free safety, guarded tight ends and gone through drills with the cornerbacks. Cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt has played just about every role at his position and has moved up-and-down the depth chart.
“(Taylor-Britt) is a young guy,” Anarumo said. “We’re just worrying about (him) being the same guy every day, learning what you’re supposed to do. The rest will take care of itself. It takes time for young players.”
– Defensive tackle Zach Carter has played across the defensive line with both the first team and the second team. He showed impressive strength in one-on-one drills on Monday, adjusting his pass rush style to the offensive lineman in front of him.
– Defensive end Jeff Gunter has been one of the most consistent playmakers on the second team. The Bengals drafted him because of his ability to rush the passer, and Gunter immediately looks like one of the best athletes on the Bengals’ defensive line.
“He’s a relentless guy who’s big, strong, athletic and can run,” Anarumo said. “Now, it’s a matter of playing football. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets a sack on Friday night. He has that kind of motor. I’m happy with him at this point.”
– Anarumo said all of the first-year players will have a lot of meaningful playing time in the preseason.
“These next three games will be the telltale for all of them to see where they’re at,” Anarumo said. “They’re all going to play a ton. That’ll be the best evaluation.”
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