The preseason Week 1 showdown against the Green Bay Packers had a little bit of everything for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Before the 36-19 loss, there was Joe Burrow going out and looking good during warmups without a sleeve on his injured leg.
During the game itself, rising standouts like Dax Hill and Tycen Anderson made huge plays. Positional battles became a little clearer during the first dose of live action, too.
Exiting the game — and with starters expected to play much more in the coming weeks — here’s a quick look at some notes and details to know from the preseason opener.
Dax Hill picks up where he left off
.@daxhill5 said NOPE.
📺: #GBvsCIN on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/bBFpXewtKp pic.twitter.com/qe6EOYcr29— NFL (@NFL) August 11, 2023
It didn’t take long for former first-rounder Dax Hill to get right back to near-elite preseason form, breaking up a critical pass early and displaying some of that sideline-to-sideline speed. Hill was a preseason superstar as a rookie but never got a chance to prove himself during the regular season.
That changes now — and he looks great.
Line talk
The offensive line starters for the night were, from left tackle to right tackle: D’Ante Smith, Max Scharping, Trey Hill, Cody Ford, Jackson Carman.
Of note, Ford’s been getting interior reps, which helps his 53 chances. Carman could end up being the primary right tackle backup, depending on what happens with La’el Collins.
Tycen Anderson's pick-six
Picked and going the other way! 🔥 @MrToledo01
📺: #GBvsCIN on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/bBFpXewtKp pic.twitter.com/5CDIIYtof2— NFL (@NFL) August 12, 2023
Lost in all the chatter about Dax Hill, Nick Scott and even rookie Jordan Battle replacing the tandem of Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell was Tycen Anderson.
A super-athletic late-round draft pick that fans loved not all that long ago, Anderson didn’t get to do much last year. But he did on Friday night, hence the stunning play above.
Stock watch
Stock Up:
Myles Murphy
Chris Evans
Tycen Anderson
Stock Down:
Sidney Jones
Allan George
The Andrei Iosivas show
Bengals rookie WR Andrei Iosivas having a great camp and now an outstanding touchdown catch.
Bengals building the deepest WR corps in the league? pic.twitter.com/j50a3bfME2
— Steve Palazzolo (@PFF_Steve) August 12, 2023
Deep into fourth quarter, rookie wideout Andrei Iosivas had 10 targets. He didn’t have a colossal stat line, but some of that stunning upside was on full display. There’s little doubt he’ll slip onto the 53 and keep developing.
