Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 14, 2016 51 IRISH IN THE PROS BY MATT JONES T he Cincinnati Bengals finally have some help for star wide receiver A.J. Green. After missing the season's first six games due to injury, former Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert broke out for the Oct. 30 matchup against Washington in London. He caught just one pass for nine yards in his re‑ turn Oct. 23, but tallied nine catches for 102 yards and a touchdown in a 27‑27 tie versus the Skins. It was Eifert's second career 100‑ yard receiving game and the most re‑ ceiving yards he has had since week one of the 2015 season in Oakland (104 yards). "Tyler, it's great to have him back out there. He's such a good player. It showed with the way he played today," Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton said after the game. "He's so big, runs such good routes. "His ability, that he can do every‑ thing from the tight end position, is a big matchup for us." Pro Football Focus, which grades every snap of every NFL game each week, gave Eifert a grade of 93.3 against Washington. He was particularly strong in the running game and received an 89.8 grade when run blocking. "It was great to have Tyler out there," Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis told The Cincinnati Enquirer. "More importantly, Tyler's blocking on the line of scrimmage was excel‑ lent. He didn't get in too many of those situations the first week back, but he had a lot more this week and I thought he did a good job." Here's what Pro Football Focus had to say about Eifert's overall performance: "Tyler Eifert makes the Bengals' of‑ fense a completely different proposition to cover," Pro Football Focus wrote. "In London, he caught nine passes for 102 yards on 11 targets, notching a touch‑ down and 52 yards after the catch. Most of the yardage came against Donte Whitner, who just couldn't contend with the level of athlete Eifert is. "He also added some positive run blocking to his receiving day, widen‑ ing his impact with that dual‑threat aspect of his game." Pro Football Focus also graded Eif‑ ert as the No. 2 player in the NFL in week eight, trailing only Philadel‑ phia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham. Eifert's presence takes the pressure off Green, one of the top receivers in the NFL. "Tyler opens up everything," Green told the team's website. "The safeties have to play honest. He's sneaky; he's smooth [in the red zone]. He just closes it out." After limited work in his season debut, Eifert was far more produc‑ tive while he inches toward 100 per‑ cent health. "It felt good. It was a long, hard‑ fought game," Eifert said. "Coming into the game there were some health concerns, but all the things I was re‑ habbing [ankle and back] feel fine." The 2013 first‑round draft pick missed almost the entire 2014 season with a dislocated elbow. Last year, he finished with 52 catches for 615 yards and 13 touchdowns to earn an invita‑ tion to the Pro Bowl. He suffered an ankle injury in that January game, however, which required surgery in May and forced him to miss games this season. Still, Cincinnati exercised the fifth‑ year option on Eifert's rookie con‑ tract, keeping the 6‑6, 250‑pound Fort Wayne, Ind., native under contract through the 2017 season. Against the Skins, Eifert gave the Bengals a boost in the red zone. It was the team's best showing of the season in that area. Eifert caught a 15‑yard touchdown from Dalton as the Ben‑ gals went 4 of 4 on trips inside the 20. Prior to his return from injury, Eif‑ ert made it clear that he wanted to help those red‑zone woes. "I just want to get out there and help where I can," Eifert told The Enquirer. "Obviously people out‑ side the building have pointed out that I haven't been in and they've struggled, but it's tough when you get down there. I'd like to come in and help us score touchdowns. But I don't know if just one guy can fix it. "We've been working hard at it and they're actually getting better, but I just want to help where I can." ✦ Tyler Eifert Makes His Presence Felt In his second game back after recovering from an ankle injury, Eifert caught nine passes for 102 yards and a touchdown in a 27‑27 tie against Washington Oct. 30. PHOTO COURTESY CINCINNATI BENGALS