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LOS ANGELES — The low point of the season for Bengals safety Jessie Bates came against the 49ers on Dec. 12 in Cincinnati.
Bates had a chance to end the game in the fourth quarter when he jumped in front of a Jimmy Garoppolo pass for what looked as if it would be an easy pick-six in a tie game. But Bates dropped the ball and the 49ers won the game in overtime.
Bates beat himself up after the loss, but since then, the ball has started to come his way. He intercepted Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill on the first play of the Bengals’ AFC divisional playoff win. Then, he tipped a pass by the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes in overtime of the AFC Championship game. Fellow safety Vonn Bell intercepted the ball, setting up the game-winning field goal.
“I would say the 49ers game was kind of like that breaking point as to when I was kind of getting out of that funk, starting to stack some really good plays and play well for our defense,” Bates said. “I think there were more opportunities for me to make plays in these last couple of games. I took that one hard on myself, dropping that interception.”
Bates is one of the best players in the NFL who many fans don’t know about. Well, that might have been the case before these playoffs. Bates has been hard to miss during Cincinnati’s postseason run.
That could lead to Bates cashing in this March when he’s scheduled to be a free agent. The Bengals could use the franchise tag on Bates if the two sides do not agree on a long-term contract first. If he does hit the market, there will be a long line of suitors for him, the Jets included.
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When Bates made that interception of Tannehill, it showed how instinctual a player he is. He jumped the pass and set the tone for the rest of the game for the Bengals.
Bates is hoping to finish off this big postseason with a splash in the Super Bowl.
“I keep telling myself I’m due for a multi-interception type of game and it couldn’t be better than to do it on this stage,” Bates said. “I’m super excited.”
Bates admitted he was “in a funk” for a long stretch of the 2021 season. Bates had hoped the Bengals would sign him to a long-term deal before the season. He was coming off a strong 2020 campaign and thought the Bengals would lock him up long-term. He said he was “pissed off” when he did not get the deal. Bates admitted in November that his focus on the contract had affected his play.
“I think it kind of goes into everything. I feel like I’m at a better headspace now than I was at the beginning of the season,” Bates said. “So caught on to proving the wrong people right, and the main thing I should be focusing on is proving the right people right as far as my coaches, my teammates, my family and not worry about all of the other stuff. I know that’s going to work out, I know what type of player I am, that stuff’s going to work out regardless. But like I said, I’ve got to be better for this team, so I’m excited for it.”
Things have changed for Bates. He has been the Bengals’ best defensive player in the postseason. He has 14 tackles, five pass break ups and an interception.
Bates was a second-round pick by the Bengals in 2018. He endured 35 losses in his first three seasons. But now he is on the verge of a Super Bowl title and has been a big part of the reason why the Bengals are here.
“The first couple of years weren’t the greatest here,” Bates said. “We’ve done a really good job of bringing in the right guys in the locker room, not just really good football players, but really good people as well.”
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