W2L4: Reserves Get One Last Chance To Make Best Impression In Preseason Finale vs. Colts

Colts (1-1, preseason) at Bengals (0-2, preseason) Thurs., Aug. 22 at Paycor Stadium (Field Turf CORE), 8 p.m. ET, TV: Prime Video (National), Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit, Kaylee Hartung. Radio: Dan Hoard, Dave Lapham. WEBN-FM (102.7 FM), ESPN1530

CINCINNATI – The Bengals get their final chance to face another team before the season opener on Sept. 8 when they host the Indianapolis Colts in the preseason finale at Paycor Stadium.

After suffering just one winless preseason in their first 57 seasons, the Bengals haven’t won a preseason game since 2022 when they defeated the LA Rams, 16-7, on Aug. 27 of that year in the preseason finale.

They went 0-2-1 last season and are 0-2 so far this year. They are 2-8-1 in their last 11 preseason tilts.

Not that any of that matters that much but the Bengals would like a taste of victory in their mouth over the next two weeks.

This is a game for the Bengals to see who they might like to keep either on the very end of the 53-man roster but more likely, who on their roster now could help fill up their 16-man practice squad.

Logan Woodside will again get the call in the finale as Joe Burrow got his work in on Tuesday in joint practice.

Woodside had some success last Saturday in the first half before an aggressive Bears pass rush and an interception derailed Cincinnati’s best drive. The first half ended with a 54-yard field goal.

The biggest aspect of the preseason finale is providing a platform to the second and third-year players trying to make one final, lasting impression on coaches, if not to make the 53-man roster by next Tuesday’s cutdown deadline then to be considered for a spot on the 16-man practice squad.

Here’s what to look for:

When the Bengals have the ball:

Logan Woodside, Rocky Lombardi:
Woodside fell to 3-1 in his preseason career last Saturday. He completed 17-of-25 passes for 132 yards and two interceptions. He has gotten the bulk of the work this preseason, completing 25-of-37 passes in two games for 281 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. His passer rating stands at 76.5. In the event that Jake Browning (ribs) isn’t ready to go in Week 1 as Joe Burrow’s backup, Woodside would step in. Rocky Lombardi made his Bengals debut last week, going 4-for-8 for 33 yards.

Receiving corps:
The top five again figure to sit this one out, with Jermaine Burton likely getting more reps to get accustomed to the offense. Shed Jackson, Kwamie Lassiter II, Cole Burgess, Hakeem Butler and Kendric Pryor all look to make plays that will stand out on tape.

Running backs: Zack Moss and Chase Brown again did their thing on Tuesday. They are good to go for the regular season. Trayveon Williams will get the bulk of the work with the twos while Elijah Collins and Noah Cain will get the bulk of the work. Chris Evans is out with a left knee injury and is expected to miss the entire season.

Cody Ford: Amarius Mims is rehabbing a strained pec, Trent Brown left practice with lower back stiffness midway through Monday and was limited on Tuesday, so veteran Cody Ford is the next man up here. He looked good in practice on Thursday in the rain in the run game and again on Saturday against the Bears and on Tuesday against the Colts. This is likely the last call for Jackson Carman and the same could be said for Trey Hill after a rough outing against the Bears. Both are certainly candidates for the practice squad.

When the Colts have the ball:

Dax Hill, DJ Turner and secondary: Cam Taylor-Britt and the starting secondary will again sit this one out. Don’t expect Dax Hill to see the field while DJ Turner will also likely be held out. This is a chance for back-end defense backs to shine and show Lou Anarumo that they could come off the practice squad and fit into the defense well. Names like Allan George, Michael George, PJ Jules and veteran Jalen Davis are the ones to watch.

Maema Njongmeta: The rookie undrafted linebacker out of Wisconsin is pushing Devin Harper for a final linebacker/special teams spot. Njongmeta leads the Bengals through two preseason games with 17 tackles, including 13 solos and two passes defended. He’s been all over the field, both in the games and in camp.

Punter: Ryan Rehkow This serves as one final chance for the undrafted rookie out of BYU to show some consistency, both with his strong leg and his hang time. He’s handled the holding responsibilities capably. But if Rehkow wants to beat out the incumbent and injured Brad Robbins, he needs to put some good punts on tape. If he does, then either a 53-man spot or a practice squad spot could be in his future. Last week in Chicago, he had a bit of an up-and-down day, punting six times for an average of 46.2 but just a net of 40.2 yards, with a long of 56. He was the holder on Evan McPherson’s 54-yard field goal prior to the half.

Bottom Line:

This game presents one final opportunity for the Bengals to avoid a second straight winless preseason and just the third in their history (1998 0-4, 2023 0-2-1). If Woodside gets time against the Indy backups, he should be able to make some plays downfield. Look for one or two of the young Bengals defensive players to stand out and this is the kind of game that can help someone like Ryan Rehkow steal a spot on the roster.

Bengals 22, Colts 11