In his first start ever, rookie guard Jackson Carman held up just fine against the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive front. While he did have a couple of bumps, he ended being the Bengals’ best o-lineman on a day in which Cincinnati did not allow a sack, breaking the Steelers’ streak of 75 straight games with a sack.
Carman finished with a very respectable PFF pass blocking grade of 68.8, barely besting old reliable Riley Reiff (68.0).
Pass-blocking grades for the #Bengals starting OL vs Pitt:
Williams – 52.7
Spain – 5.6
Hopkins – 26.5
Carman – 68.8
Reiff – 68.0Both QB pressures were charged to Spain, and with only 22 pass-block snaps, a single error really hurts the grade.
— Andrew Russell (@PFF_AndrewR) September 27, 2021
The second round pick out of Clemson did have one mistake early, a false start in the first quarter. But the Bengals would rebound to score a touchdown on that drive, a gritty Tyler Boyd touchdown reception on a pass from Joe Burrow. Carman also had a missed assignment on a running play.
Still, his performance was impressive. He did not allow a single pressure on 19 pass attempts. More importantly, he was part of a cohesive line, meaning, the chemistry between Carman and the other linemen seemed to be great. It would be wise to keep the rookie in the lineup long term to allow the unit to gel even further.
We talked about Carman’s impressive debut and the Bengals’ dominant Week 3 victory in the video below: