This was exactly the kind of preseason sequence teams want when they are trying to leave no doubt. The Bengals did not need style points in Philadelphia; they needed control, composure and one more clean drive to edge closer to a 3-0 finish. They got it, and Jamal Haynes was right at the heart of the push.
In the second half against the Eagles, the Bengals put together an 11-play drive that mixed runs and incomplete passes before Kentrel Bullock finished it off with a 6-yard touchdown run to make it 23-13. The extra point was good, and the score turned a useful lead into something far more comfortable. For a preseason finale, that matters. It was the sort of drive that said the Bengals were not just collecting reps; they were finishing the job.
A drive built the hard way
There was nothing flashy about it, and that was the point. The Bengals worked through 11 plays, kept the chains moving and stayed patient enough to eventually force the issue. Short gains, a 4-yard burst here, a 3-yard run there, then a 5-yard step forward before the finishing touch. It was methodical football, not highlight-reel stuff, but it was enough to extend the lead and keep the Eagles at arm's length.
Jamal Haynes will not get all the headlines for a sequence like this, but he does get to share in the bigger picture. This is how a team puts a preseason together properly: survive the awkward stretches, answer with a scoring drive and leave the field knowing the record is intact. At 3-0, the Bengals have every reason to feel satisfied with the way they handled the business end of the night in Philadelphia.
Preseason is not about solving every problem or revealing every answer. It is about showing enough structure to suggest the work is heading in the right direction. On this evidence, the Bengals did that. They found another touchdown drive, stretched the score to 23-13 and moved one step closer to a perfect 3-0 preseason.
