Mike Hilton is now 2-0 when calling a meeting for defensive players sans coaches.
The first one came three years ago when Hilton, the feisty slot cornerback who came from Pittsburgh to become a team leader, prepared to play his old Steelers teammates during his first Bengals season.
"That one was a little more personal," Hilton recalled Monday.
He shut the door again last Wednesday after the Bengals allowed 41 points in overtime to the Ravens, and they gave up their fewest points since he's been here in a 17-7 win over the Giants Sunday night.
"I know I have respect from the team as a player and leader. I can motivate guys and get them going," Hilton said. "I try to do what I can to get guys locked in. And it worked."
The best leaders go out and do it, and Hilton did as Pro Football Focus' highest graded Bengal in the victory. He was tops in coverage and second against the run in racking up five tackles. But the big stat was he had no missed tackles, and the Bengals only had six as a team, according to PFF, during a season they came in averaging about 10 per game.
"It was better. We limited their explosives," said Hilton of a night the Bengals didn't allow a play longer than 15 yards. "It was a good start for us. Now we have to keep it going."
Hilton also made one of the biggest plays of the game when he set the tone for the second half. The Giants stunned the MetLife Stadium crowd and went for it on fourth-and-two from their own 38 on the first series of the half, where Hilton used brains instead ballet.
"A very busted play," Hilton said.
It seems man coverage had been called, but they were a man short on the side he manned with cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt facing three receivers clustered in tight splits to the left. Hilton saw that formation and waved Taylor-Britt wider while he sat waiting for the outside receiver, Wan'Dale Robinson, to stop at the sticks. Hilton closed from the middle, dove, and knocked the pass away.
"A snag route," Hilton said. "I just happened to know the route concept and I know Daniel Jones wanted to get the ball to the sticks and I was able to break on it and make a play."
Next Sunday in Cleveland (1 p.m.-Cincinnati's Local 12), Hilton plays his Bengals-leading 40th AFC North game. But it looks like he won't need to shut the door again.
SPREAD THE WEALTH
The healthier he gets, the more Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo interchanges his guys in a variety of nickel and dime packages, as well as heavy packages up front.
With his top four tackles healthy for the first time this season, they played at least 27% with rookie McKinnley Jackson getting that share with 21 snaps, more than double his NFL debut the week before. Backup slot cornerback Jalen Davis played on 20% of the snaps for the sixth time in his 57 Bengals games. Third safety Jordan Battle played a season-high 18%. Joseph Ossai had a season-high 40 snaps, and fellow backup edge Myles Murphy played 32 snaps for the third time in his career.
"It keeps them involved throughout the whole game because they know at any moment, even if they're playing three to 10 snaps, my moment could be coming on this third down or this first down," said Bengals head coach Zac Taylor Monday. "And then you get the taste and they get some confidence going and due to injury or opportunity they get a bigger role, and it doesn't blindside them."
CHASING A LESSON
Yes, Taylor says Bengals running back Chase Brown should have taken a knee before scoring his 30-yard touchdown run with 1:52 left. That way the Giants never would have gotten the ball back as the Bengals kneeled their way to a 10-7 victory.
But after showing his team Monday clips of teams that failed to do that and got beat, Taylor took the blame.
"That's on me. One hundred percent on me," Taylor said. "I'm very focused on finding the plays to get us that first down there and didn't do a great job – I didn't do any job – communicating that, to be quite frank with you.
"There's (1:58) on the clock. They have a timeout. I don't expect our guys to do math in the huddle."
SLANTS AND SCREENS
Taylor had nothing new Monday on quarterback Joe Burrow after he came back into the game following his medical tent visit …
Of course, his third-and-12 scrambling throw for 29 yards to toe-tapping wide receiver Andrei Iosivas with 2:05 left to keep the ball away from the Giants was proof enough he appears just fine.
It's the third straight game Iosivas has had at least one catch of 29 yards, all in touchdown drives. But it's his first long one via the scrambling drill. Before this three-game stretch, his career-long catch was 16 yards with all seven touchdowns coming in the red zone and some of the scramble variety.
"On those plays where he has essentially a low percentage chance of getting the ball in the normal part of the progression, it's a clear out route," Taylor said. "To realize now I'm in the play and get back in phase and have the awareness to toe-tap and keep it in, that's high-level awareness, which he has shown us over the last year-and-a-half.
"There have been one- and two-catch performances, but those one-to-two catches have been instrumental in us scoring and winning games. A guy that just continues to get better and better with every week that passes." …
Defensive captain Sam Hubbard made his first appearance in a Zac Taylor offensive lineup Sunday night and did it as an extra left tackle next to Orlando Brown Jr. when the Bengals had third down on the Giants 1 late in the third quarter of a 7-7 game.
As a rookie in head coach Marvin Lewis' last season in 2018, Hubbard inherited the role of the previous No. 94, nose tackle Domata Peko and usually lined up as a lead back on a dozen short-yardage or goal-line snaps. He even had an incomplete pass thrown his way.
On this play, he was on the back side when left guard Cordell Volson pulled and was called for a holding penalty that wiped out Chase Brown's touchdown run.
"There's tape. I remember watching Chargers tape of him playing fullback. Bringing that physicality there," Taylor said. "We're open to using our guys however we think will benefit us. He got out there for a snap. He did his job. Get the first play under his belt was his mindset. He was on the back side of the run. Just hold down the fort. No false starts. He did a good job. We'll see if we build on it from there." …
