Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt was benched on Sunday night, the second time this season he has taken a seat.
In Week 4, defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo cited sloppy technique and unnecessary risk taking by Taylor-Britt. On Sunday, Taylor-Britt’s inexplicable mistakes were responsible for the Chargers’ first two touchdowns.
“Things that he shouldn’t make a mistake on,” Anarumo said, via Jay Morrison of SI.com.
Justin Herbert’s 29-yard touchdown pass to tight end Will Dissly shouldn’t have happened, Anarumo said, because the Bengals went over the play multiple times during the week.
NBC cameras caught linebacker Germaine Pratt yelling at Taylor-Britt on the sideline afterward.
“That’s kind of what got everybody fired up a little bit,” Anarumo said. “We had shown that play a number of times. Germaine’s job is to hold the seam there, which he did a really good job of. And Cam should’ve been a little bit deeper and higher on that.
“He almost made the play. If he’s 3 or 4 yards deeper, he probably makes the play. And that’s the difference there.”
Taylor-Britt also was responsible for the 29-yard pass from Herbert to Quentin Johnston on the Chargers’ next possession.
“Just a simple pickup in coverage that’s he done right a million times, and it led to a touchdown,” Anarumo said. “They ran that – ‘Oh, shit’ is what we call it, because it kind of what it is, and he should be sitting right there.
“It’s just a simple pickup, but he got locked in on his guy that drained out of the way. But he should just let that guy go to the front side.”
The Bengals haven’t given up on Taylor-Britt, but they need him to play better.
“We’re going to need him now. Again,” Anarumo said. “He’s got to get back to being Cam.”
