Bears game recap/analysis

[Bengals1181]

Dre penalty doesn't happen if we run out the clock so I disagree

 

 

I'm shocked.  

 

 

And it may have.  There would have been more than 15 seconds on the clock at the time of the punt.

[scharm]

The end of first half seems to suggest the coaching staff was at odds with itself.    I got no problem going for points with a minute + to go.

 

However,  the first play indicates they are running out the clock.   Ok, fine.

 

The second play was pure stupidity.    OK,  let's say it gets completed.   That at most is a 6-10 yard gain if they get yac.     Then you have the risk of tipped ball turning into a TO.   You have what transpired as the reality of an incomplete pass saving the TO for Chicago.

 

Reminds me of Marvin's wisdom during the Phins game last year. 

[Bengals1181]

The end of first half seems to suggest the coaching staff was at odds with itself.    I got no problem going for points with a minute + to go.

 

However,  the first play indicates they are running out the clock.   Ok, fine.

 

The second play was pure stupidity.    OK,  let's say it gets completed.   That at most is a 6-10 yard gain if they get yac.     Then you have the risk of tipped ball turning into a TO.   You have what transpired as the reality of an incomplete pass saving the TO for Chicago.

 

Reminds me of Marvin's wisdom during the Phins game last year. 

 

 

x2.  I have no problem if they chose either way.  Run out the clock with a 7pt lead, fine.  Take a shot deep with Tillman out of the game, go for it.  

 

They seemed indecisive though.  Usually Marvin's MO is to run on first, and if its a good run, then go for it, but with the run being a loss, it just made the pass next being perplexing, even though it was a safe pass.

[Bengals1181]

An examination of four hot issues from the Cincinnati Bengals' 24-21 loss to the Chicago Bears:

1. Where were the sacks? After signing two defensive linemen to extensions and franchising another in the offseason, the Bengals front office entered the season hopeful the line would take another step toward asserting itself as one of the league's more dominant units. On paper, the group didn't appear to do its job Sunday. Anchored by the newly re-signed $55 million tackle Geno Atkins, the defensive line didn't record a single sack on Bears quarterback Jay Cutler. With a Bears offensive line that featured a pair of rookies and two other newcomers, the matchup seemed to bode well for the Bengals. Despite the fact they didn't record a sack, the Bengals line still pressured Cutler, who somehow avoided getting touched. Cutler was one of the NFL's worst quarterbacks last season when teams would rush more than five players at him. Against the Bengals, he completed 80 percent of his passes for 94 yards and a touchdown in similar situations. 

 

2. Offense will be fine. Speaking of sacks, where were the ones on Bengals QB Andy Dalton? Aside from one fourth-quarter sack on a delayed stunt past left guard Clint Boling, Cincinnati's offensive line turned in a rather admirable effort protecting its starting signal-caller. With an upright Dalton, the Bengals amassed more than 300 yards of total offense, they had a pair of touchdown passes and got into a rhythm that at one point made the overall offense appear unstoppable. On one third-quarter drive, the Bengals converted three straight third downs. It ended withBenJarvus Green-Ellis' 5-yard touchdown run. Yes, the Bengals had three turnovers, but those particular miscues are fixable. 

3. Security lessons. Of the Bengals' three turnovers, two resulted from receivers not immediately securing the ball. Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Green, who had nine catches for 162 yards and two touchdowns, bobbled away a pass that was perfectly thrown through multiple defenders. When the ball squirted free, Chicago cornerback Charles Tillman caught it for his second interception. His first came on the Bengals' second play of the afternoon, when he jumped a route that Green didn't completely sit down on. The final turnover was the product of a Mohamed Sanu fumble. Just after catching a 10-yard pass for a would-be first down, Sanu lost the handle on the ball when the Bears' Tim Jennings dislodged it with a hard hit to Sanu's hands. Immediately after that play, Cincinnati's momentum stalled. The Bears responded with their go-ahead touchdown. 

4. Manage the clock. Cincinnati's late-game clock management left much to be desired. On one fourth-quarter Chicago drive alone, the Bengals used their last two timeouts because of defensive personnel issues. Coming with 8:06 left in the game, those timeouts proved critical. Cincinnati couldn't stop the clock in the final minute when it still had a chance to rally. Like the turnovers, this issue is a fixable one. It primarily was the product of having less than two weeks to tweak linebacker packages after Emmanuel Lamur went down with a season-ending injury in the final preseason game.

 

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/74572/upon-further-review-bengals-week-1

[coup000]

An examination of four hot issues from the Cincinnati Bengals' 24-21 loss to the Chicago Bears:

1. Where were the sacks? After signing two defensive linemen to extensions and franchising another in the offseason, the Bengals front office entered the season hopeful the line would take another step toward asserting itself as one of the league's more dominant units. On paper, the group didn't appear to do its job Sunday. Anchored by the newly re-signed $55 million tackle Geno Atkins, the defensive line didn't record a single sack on Bears quarterback Jay Cutler. With a Bears offensive line that featured a pair of rookies and two other newcomers, the matchup seemed to bode well for the Bengals. Despite the fact they didn't record a sack, the Bengals line still pressured Cutler, who somehow avoided getting touched. Cutler was one of the NFL's worst quarterbacks last season when teams would rush more than five players at him. Against the Bengals, he completed 80 percent of his passes for 94 yards and a touchdown in similar situations. 

 

2. Offense will be fine. Speaking of sacks, where were the ones on Bengals QB Andy Dalton? Aside from one fourth-quarter sack on a delayed stunt past left guard Clint Boling, Cincinnati's offensive line turned in a rather admirable effort protecting its starting signal-caller. With an upright Dalton, the Bengals amassed more than 300 yards of total offense, they had a pair of touchdown passes and got into a rhythm that at one point made the overall offense appear unstoppable. On one third-quarter drive, the Bengals converted three straight third downs. It ended withBenJarvus Green-Ellis' 5-yard touchdown run. Yes, the Bengals had three turnovers, but those particular miscues are fixable. 

3. Security lessons. Of the Bengals' three turnovers, two resulted from receivers not immediately securing the ball. Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Green, who had nine catches for 162 yards and two touchdowns, bobbled away a pass that was perfectly thrown through multiple defenders. When the ball squirted free, Chicago cornerback Charles Tillman caught it for his second interception. His first came on the Bengals' second play of the afternoon, when he jumped a route that Green didn't completely sit down on. The final turnover was the product of a Mohamed Sanu fumble. Just after catching a 10-yard pass for a would-be first down, Sanu lost the handle on the ball when the Bears' Tim Jennings dislodged it with a hard hit to Sanu's hands. Immediately after that play, Cincinnati's momentum stalled. The Bears responded with their go-ahead touchdown. 

4. Manage the clock. Cincinnati's late-game clock management left much to be desired. On one fourth-quarter Chicago drive alone, the Bengals used their last two timeouts because of defensive personnel issues. Coming with 8:06 left in the game, those timeouts proved critical. Cincinnati couldn't stop the clock in the final minute when it still had a chance to rally. Like the turnovers, this issue is a fixable one. It primarily was the product of having less than two weeks to tweak linebacker packages after Emmanuel Lamur went down with a season-ending injury in the final preseason game.

 

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/74572/upon-further-review-bengals-week-1

That about covers it...

[Bengals1181]

That about covers it...

 

 

yea, I'm liking the new guy.  Seems to be a journalist who actually has football knowledge.

[Bengals1181]

 

 

 Dalton took his only sack on first down when Eifert appeared to slip on his route. 

 

 

damn.

[Bengals1181]

 

 

-  Andy Dalton was on target on all six passes thrown over 10 yards down the field.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/09/09/refo-cin-chi-week-1-2/

[alleycat]

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/09/09/refo-cin-chi-week-1-2/

 

 

-  While Rey Maualuga made the game-ending mistake, it was Taylor Mays who cheated inside and lost contain on the Bears’ fourth-down conversion that led to the game-winning score.

 

Surprise, surprise...

 

I don't know why we don't just put Williams in in somewhat clear run-first situation.

[|SF2|]

The end of first half seems to suggest the coaching staff was at odds with itself.    I got no problem going for points with a minute + to go.

 

However,  the first play indicates they are running out the clock.   Ok, fine.

 

The second play was pure stupidity.    OK,  let's say it gets completed.   That at most is a 6-10 yard gain if they get yac.     Then you have the risk of tipped ball turning into a TO.   You have what transpired as the reality of an incomplete pass saving the TO for Chicago.

 

Reminds me of Marvin's wisdom during the Phins game last year. 

We were receiving the 2nd half kickoff.  No reason to risk anything at that point with the lead after the first down play went nowhere. 

[Bengals1181]

We were receiving the 2nd half kickoff.  No reason to risk anything at that point with the lead after the first down play went nowhere. 

 

 

with Tillman on the sidelines a deep shot to AJ wouldn't have been a bad idea.  Even if the put Jennings on AJ, AJ has a 6" height advantage.

[scharm]

We were receiving the 2nd half kickoff.  No reason to risk anything at that point with the lead after the first down play went nowhere. 

 

I agree.   The 2nd play call makes no sense at all.     Maybe Lap will have some insight on Bengals line.  

[Zins30]

A by-the-numbers look at the Bengals' loss

September, 9, 2013 8:30 AM ET

By Coley Harvey | ESPN.com

 

There was much that went the Bengals' way in the first 30 minutes of Sunday's opener at Chicago. They got a fortunate bounce here and there. They responded when adversity arrived. They had a lead.

But for as fortunate as the Bengals may have been in the first half, they saw even greater misfortunes in the second half as they were unable to hold off a furious Bears comeback that eventually resulted in a 24-21 Chicago win.

A day later, we're here to take a look at some of the key numbers that contributed to the opening-week defeat:

226: Yards Chicago amassed in the second half after being held to just 97 in the first.

91.8: Bengals QB Andy Dalton's QBR (the QBR is the Quarterback Rating. It's an ESPN metric that takes into account everything a quarterback does on the field from running, passing, allowing turnovers, getting sacked, etc.)

85.7: Bears QB Jay Cutler's QBR

24: Years since the Bears last beat the Bengals in Chicago. That year, the game also was in Week 1. The 1989 Bengals went 8-8. That loss was the only other one for the Bengals in now six trips to Soldier Field.

162: Yards receiving for the Bengals' A.J. Green. It's the second-best single-game effort of his career. It also is the most yards a Bengals receiver has ever had in a season opener.

13: Times Green was targeted by Dalton. That was three times more than Chicago's Brandon Marshall, who was the NFL's most-targeted receiver last year.

10: Times the Bengals sent at least five rushers toward Cutler on his 33 drop backs. A year ago, Cutler ranked 33rd among qualified QBs with a total QBR of 23.5 against such pressure.

80: Cutler's completion percentage when the Bengals rushed at least five players. Last year, Cutler's completion percentage was 50 percent in similar scenarios.

9.4: Yards per passing attempt for Cutler against rushes of at least five Bengals defenders. Last year, he had a 6.9 average in those situations.

40: Cutler's first-down percentage when at least five Bengals were rushing him. A year ago, he averaged 29 percent on first converting first downs when at least five player rushed him.

0: Sacks Cincinnati's defense had on Cutler.

3: Bengals turnovers (two Dalton interceptions -- one off a bobbled pass by Green; one Mohamed Sanu fumble after catch).

32: Total yards for Chicago's Devin Hester. The explosive punt/kick return specialist was held in check. He touched the ball three times (twice on punts, once on a kickoff) and barely gained 30 yards. The Bengals also had three touchbacks on kickoffs and a pair of punts that went out of bounds as they played keep-away.

2:39: Amount of time the Bengals had the ball in the fourth quarter.

12:21: Amount of time the Bears had the ball in the fourth quarter.

21: Cincinnati's drives, on average, began at its own 21-yard line.

35: Chicago's drives, on average, began at its own 35-yard line.

Information from ESPN's Stats & Information was used in this report. Follow on Twitter @ESPNStatsInfo.

 

 

Sidenote: this guy's articles are pretty good so far.  Lots of stats and insight we haven't gotten before.  Let's just hope there is more positive content going forward...

[Bengals1181]

OFFENSE

* The Bengals were in multiple tight end sets on 39 of their 55 snaps, including six where they had three tight ends. The breakdown by downs: First down — 22 of 26 (19 two TEs, 3 three TEs), Second down — 12 of 18 (10 two TEs, 2 three TEs), Third down — 5 of 11 (4 two TEs, 1 three TEs).

The most used personnel package of the day? The one with Andy Dalton, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Jermaine Gresham, Tyler Eifert, A.J. Green, Mohamed Sanu, and the line of Anthony Collins, Clint Boling, Kyle Cook, Kevin Zeitler and Andre Smith. That was used on 18 plays (12 passing, 6 rushing).

* Orson Charles was in for six plays (excluding one penalty). They ran it five times and averaged 3.6 yards. Three of the carries went to Giovani Bernard for 19 yards and the other two were to Green-Ellis for minus-3 yards. Green-Ellis had a minus-4 yard run on a package that had all three tight ends and Charles in the game near the goal line.

* There were 14 plays using three wide receivers.There was one play where Brandon Tate, Jones and Sanu were the receivers on a 7-yard run by Bernard.

* The biggest stat of concern — An average of just 1.86 rushing yards on first down. Of the 18 second-down plays, 12 had a to-go distance of 6 yards or more, including 6 of 11-plus yards.

* Seven players were in for every snap — The offensive line, Dalton and Gresham. It is only the sixth time that Gresham has been in for every snap in xx games, including the playoffs.

DEFENSE

* Bengals were in nickel on 25 of 61 plays. The most used combination at linebacker was Vontaze Burfict and Rey Maualuga with 13. The other combinations — Taylor Mays/Burfict 9, James Harrison/Burfict 2, Vinny Rey/Burfict 1.

* The NFL playtime stats had Mays in for 13 plays on defense and 16 on special teams (including penalties).

* Only one defensive player was in for every snap — CB Leon Hall. As for the linebacker snaps, Burfict 63 of 64, Maualuga 50 of 64, Harrison 40 of 64, Rey 5 of 64. Snaps also include plays that were nullified by penalties.

* The third-and-17 completion by Jay Cutler to Brandon Marshall for 18 yards, marked the first time in two years the Bengals have allowed a first down when the third-down distance has been 16-plus yards. Coming into the season, teams were 2 of 50 on passing plays.

SPECIAL TEAMS

* Six position players saw special teams snaps and none on offense or defense — S Shawn Williams (20), LB Jayson DiManche (16), RB Cedric Peerman (16), CB Dre Kirkpatrick (11), S Jeromy Miles (7), OT Dennis Roland (3).

PENALTY REPORT

It was the first time since Week 3 at Washington last year that the Bengals had three penalties of 15 yards or more.

Offense: 3 with 2 on the offensive line resulting in 22 nullified yards (Charles 14, A. Smith 8).

Defense: 1, which was the Maualuga call that put the game away for Chicago

Special teams: 4 resulting in 37 nullified yards (the Peerman illegal block). One of the penalties was 12 men.

 

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/2013/09/09/numbers-game-trends-from-the-bears-game/

[Oldcat]

Bigger Issue and IMO the most unacceptable and it appears to be least talked about.    Defensive collaspe on 3rd down.   What the fuck, Zimmer?

 

 

I think they also converted a 3rd and 17.     Cutler broke down the rush again for a huge scramble in which we were lucky that didn't draw a flag on Burfict.  (I believe that was 3rd down).

 

 

I believe that was a second and long that he slid about a yard and a half short.  They then converted the third down.

[Oldcat]

Not to nitpick Dalton but sometimes I think he tries to force the ball to AJ. For example on the second INT, while clearly it was on Green and not Dalton, Sanu gets behind the LB and is wide open (seen in photo below) and AJ was being doubled with a safety over the top. If he goes to Sanu at worst it is an incomplete pass and 2nd down. Like I said the INT was on Green but I would like to see Dalton scan the field a little better before throwing into double coverage to Green.

 

 

Well, since Green got his hands on the ball clean, he was open enough to make the catch,

[Bengals1181]

Joe Goodberry ‏@JoeGoodberry6h

Played 13 snaps. No major mistakes. Could find more snaps there next week. RT @coach_strine: @JoeGoodberry how'd mays look at lb

[Bengals1181]

Bengals at Bears – Plays of Interest: The First Interception

9SEP

This was Cincinnati’s second snap of the game. The first play was a play-action rollout and 3-yard completion to Tyler Eifert.
The next play started similarly, but had a much harsher result.

* Bengals come out in 12-personnel (1-RB, 2-TE) with a WR on each side.
* AJ Green is going to run a quick slant after 3-steps.

* Charles is only about 5-yards off in coverage, but his eyes are firmly locked on Andy Dalton.

* The Bengals start the play looking like a stretch run to the left.
* Important to note that Dalton’s eyes are not looking at the defense. He’s trusting that Green will get inside and beat Tillman for a quick catch.

* Dalton plants the right foot and snaps his head around. He isn’t wasting time and once he’s set, he’s throwing to AJ Green in the open area (light blue).

* With Tillman looking into the backfield, he sees Dalton planting and setting to throw before Green even starts to cut inside. He’s got the jump on the inside.

* Obviously Tillman gets inside position and hauls in the interception.
* A.J. Green CANNOT, under ANY circumstances, let the defender inside.

Andy Dalton is trusting his WR to be at a spot and able to catch the ball. This is a bang-bang play and unfortunately the needed intensity wasn’t there from A.J. Green. On a tremendous receiving day for Green, he was at fault for both of his Quarterback’s interceptions.

 

http://joegoodberry.wordpress.com/2013/09/09/bengals-at-bears-plays-of-interest-the-first-interception/

[BigDawgBengal]

 

Well, since Green got his hands on the ball clean, he was open enough to make the catch,

 

Correct but like I said if he goes to Sanu, who is wide open, the worst that happens is an incomplete pass. There is not three defenders around Sanu that can break up the pass or pick off a tipped pass. I am knocking the throw to Green but there was just a better option on the play that Dalton missed. Dalton played a great game and this was just a little nitpick. 

[Bengals1181]

Bengals at Bears Plays of Interest: 3rd and 17

9SEP

This was the Bengals first opportunity to experiment with their 3-Safety Nickel package with Taylor Mays in at Linebacker. Chicago has great field position after an interception, but they face 3rd & 17 and survive an exotic Mike Zimmer blitz package.

* Cincinnati shows a single-high safety (Iloka) and Man-Coverage underneath.
* Chicago has 3-WRs and 1-TE split out.

* Just before the snap, George Iloka starts sprinting and aligns over Reggie Nelson in the slot.
* This alignment almost always means the DB closest to the LOS (Nelson) is blitzing.

* At the same time, Leon Hall is dropping out of his slot coverage and rotating back as a Safety. He and Iloka are now creating a Cover-2 look.
* Both LBs are showing blitz in the A-Gap in an effort to get the Chicago offensive line to block inwards-out. So the LBs be accounted for first in blitz pickup.
* Nelson (red) would then get a free rush from the outside.

* At the snap, both Bengals LBs (Mays & Burfict) drop back into coverage with attention placed on Chicago’s two slot targets (Bennet & Marshall).
* With Chicago blocking the inside first, this leaves Dunlap unblocked.

* Matt Forte comes across the formation and cut-blocks Dunlap.
* Watch the ANTICIPATION by Jay Cutler. With Burfict’s eyes firmly placed on Brandon Marshall, Cutler can throw the ball right at him without the Bengals LB knowing it.
*With both safeties (Iloka & Hall) playing deep and to the boundary, there’s a big gap down the seam. The open area where Cutler must place the ball is marked in light blue.

*Perfect pass and catch from Cutler to Brandon Marshall. They convert on 3rd and 17.

This is a scenario we saw for too often on Sunday. Marshall was bracketed by a Safety and Linebacker and he kept converting and moving the chains.

 

http://joegoodberry.wordpress.com/2013/09/09/bengals-at-bears-plays-of-interest-3rd-and-17/

[Oldcat]

 

Correct but like I said if he goes to Sanu, who is wide open, the worst that happens is an incomplete pass. There is not three defenders around Sanu that can break up the pass or pick off a tipped pass. I am knocking the throw to Green but there was just a better option on the play that Dalton missed. Dalton played a great game and this was just a little nitpick. 

 

If you plan your play on the basis that your WR can't catch, you should never throw it to him at all.

[AmishBengalFan]

 

They also had a lot of confusion on the sideline, which led to consecutive timeouts with half a quarter to play, and which will fuel the endless skepticism regarding Lewis’ ability to manage time.

 

Wouldn't that be an eighth?

[Bengals1181]

Andy Benoit ‏@Andy_Benoit4m

James Harrison looked very solid in #Bengals debut, particularly as a play-side run defender. He's no longer an edge-rusher, though.

[Bengals1181]

Joe Danneman ‏@FOX19Joe1m

Gruden on end of first half play calling: "If I could do it all over again, I'd go run, run, run."

[Bengals1181]

Local 12/WKRC-TV ‏@Local121m

ICYMI @bradjohansen, @nkyskinner and @DougPelfrey analyzed #Bengals & #Bears http://www.local12.com//sports/features/local-sports/stories/bengalsbears-analysis-1159.shtml …