CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis did not offer further information on Tyler Eifert’s elbow injury, but the second-year tight end had his right arm in a sling and wrapped in what appeared to be a cast Monday afternoon.
The fear is that the elbow is dislocated, which could keep Eifert out six-to-eight weeks. If that’s the case, it would be a big blow to offense.
Not only was Eifert a favorite target of quarterback Andy Dalton on Sunday, catching three of the team’s first 10 passes for 37 yards, but Jackson built his game plan around a two-tight end offense.
“It hurt because we had a lot of things planned,” Jackson said. “Even that throw when he caught the ball, we had several more things in the scoring zone that we thought would give us an advantage that we had to take out. It’s not that the other guys can’t do it, they just hadn’t had the opportunity to practice it.”
Eifert was hurt on a 14-yard reception at the Baltimore 9 in the first quarter. He stuck his right arm out as he was going down to try to propel himself forward for a few extra yards, and the elbow gave way.
The Bengals ran the ball seven times for 27 yards (3.9 per carry) before Eifert went out but only managed 52 yards on 19 rushes (2.7) afterward.
“Obviously, when Eifert went down, we changed a little bit offensively from the original plan,” Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said. “You have to credit the offensive coaches to keeping on rolling like that. But Alex (Smith) knows his spots, so we’ve got some depth there.”
Smith, the third-string tight end, played 11 snaps after the Eifert injury, while undrafted rookie tight end/h-back Ryan Hewitt played 10. Neither are the receiving threat that Eifert is, so it will be interesting to see how Jackson adjusts while Eifert is out.
“We just have to keep going,” Lewis said. “Hopefully we’ll get Tyler back soon.”
One of the biggest questions heading into Sunday’s opener was how rookie center Russell Bodine would hold up in his NFL debut against five-time Pro Bowler Haloti Ngata. Bodine held Ngata to two tackles, and Lewis said he was encouraged by the performance. But Bodine was much harder on himself.
“I’m not going to be satisfied until I’m perfect, and it’s not ever going to be perfect, so maybe I’ll just walk about grumpy until the end of my career,” he said. “I think you have to have that expectation. You have to strive to be perfect. Is that attainable? Maybe not. But that’s what I’m going to do.”
In addition to being flagged for one holding penalty, Bodine got tossed aside on a third-and-goal play by the Ravens’ Chris Canty, who stopped Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton on a draw play, forcing the Bengals to settle for their second of five first-half field goals.
“I just got beat,” Bodine said. “That’s all there is to it.”
Kicker Mike Nugent tied his career high with five goals Sunday, all in the first two quarters, tying the NFL record for most field goals in a half.
The only other time Nugent kicked five field goals in a game was in 2010, his first season in Cincinnati, when he accounted for all of the team’s points in a 15-10 victory against the Ravens.
Linebacker Emmanuel Lamur made his starting debut and finished with a game-high 11 tackles and his first career interception. Lamur, who signed as an undrafted free agent in 2012, played nine games as a rookie, mostly on special teams, and missed all of 2013 with a shoulder injury suffered in the preseason finale. Lamur excels as a cover linebacker, and the Bengals had big plans for him last year before he went down with the injury. He showed why Sunday with decent coverage and better tackling against Baltimore tight end Dennis Pitta.
“It’s a blessing being on that field, looking up in the sky, praying to God. I was getting a little emotional out there. I’ve been given a second life. I’m just enjoying the game, having fun with my boys, just going out there and trying to win games.”
BENGALS REPORT CARD VS. RAVENS
PASSING OFFENSE: A-minus — No interceptions, no sacks, 301 yards and a game-winning 77-yard bomb from Andy Dalton to A.J. Green just seconds after Baltimore had taken the lead in the fourth quarter. Not even Dalton’s biggest detractors could find much fault with Sunday’s performance.
RUSHING OFFENSE: C-minus — All the hype about new coordinator Hue Jackson wanting to run the ball seemed like nine months of misdirection as the Bengals came out and threw passes on seven of the first 10 snaps on the opening drive and never seemed truly committed to running the ball.
PASS DEFENSE: B-minus – Yes, the Ravens had 329 passing yards, but Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco needed to tie his career high of 62 attempts to get there.
RUSH DEFENSE: B-minus — The Ravens only had 91 yards on the ground, but that was more a result of them going away from the run rather than the Bengals taking it away.
SPECIAL TEAMS: B-plus — Adam Jones was one wiggle away from turning an already-spectacular 45-yard punt return into a score, and Mike Nugent hit his first five field-goal attempts to tie his career high before halftime.
COACHING: B-plus — After blowing a 15-point lead to fall behind in the fourth quarter at a place where they hadn’t won since 2009, the Bengals could have slipped into a defeatist mindset, but Marvin Lewis and the rest of the staff deserve credit for keeping the team composed and confident.