Arkansas Bengal Posted December 22, 2014 Report Share Posted December 22, 2014 Breaking down the Bengals defense Posted 17 hours ago Andrew Mason Columnist / Analyst Cincinnati's D has struggled at times this season, but it roars into Week 16 off its best performance of the season. CINCINNATI -- Defense is a Bengals strength in recent years, and although they give up plenty of yards -- ranking 20th -- their indicators are much better in yardage per play (10th) and points allowed per game (10th). Their push toward the top of the AFC North standings after 14 games has not been fueled by their front four, as had been expected before the season. But led by Geno Atkins, who has played his best football of the season since the start of November, Cincinnati's defense -- particularly its line -- has momentum, which crested with a shutout at Cleveland last week. "They played really well," said Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning. "'Dominated' is a good word. From the start, defensively, they didn't give Cleveland any type of momentum, barely let them move the ball, created three interceptions and really played well." "Their guys are playing well," Broncos Offensive Coordinator Adam Gase said. "We're looking at the tape and you're seeing a team that causes a lot of problems." That starts with their pass rush, which sacked Cleveland rookie Johnny Manziel three times in 21 pass plays last week. Cincinnati's sack rate remains among the league's lowest -- one every 30.17 pass plays, 31st in the league. But in the last three games, the Bengals have averaged one quarterback hurry (as tabulated by ProFootballFocus.com) every 3.0 pass plays. They averaged one hurry every 3.5 pass plays in Weeks 1-3, but in the eight games that followed, their rate dropped to one every 4.19 pass plays. "They've got a great blitz package, and they're playing well in their base defense when they're not blitzing," Gase said. "This is a challenge for us." Cincinnati is not timid about using linebackers Rey Maualuga and Vincent Rey in the pass rush, and will involve safety Reggie Nelson, who has 1.5 sacks and has been involved in the pass rush 52 times, according to ProFootballFocus.com. Nelson and fellow safety George Iloka are a sod duo; Iloka is a solid all-around safety with decent range in courage and some thump against the run. Together, Nelson and Iloka give the Bengals tactical flexibility to confuse opponents. "It's a different kind of challenge because we haven't really seen a team that's this multiple as far as their nickel package," Gase said. "We have our work cut out for us. It's going to be one of those [games] -- we've got to be really dialed in this week." CINCINNATI BY THE NUMBERS TOTAL DEFENSE Yards per game: 358.4, 20th Points per game: 20.64, 10th Yards per play: 5.31, 10th Takeaways: 19, T-21st First-down rate: One every 3.55 plays, 19th Third-down conversion rate: 36.98 pct., 9th PASSING Yards per game: 233.64, 12th Yards per pass play: 6.02, 9th Sack rate: One per 30.17 pass plays, 31st Interception rate: One per 38.79 pass plays, 13th Touchdown rate: One every 38.79 pass plays, 1st First-down rate: One per 3.23 pass plays, 5th RUSHING Yards per game: 124.79, 24th Yards per rush: 4.35, 23rd First-down rate: One every 4.10 carries, 26th Touchdown rate: One every 26.80 carries, 28th http://www.denverbroncos.com/news-and-blogs/article-1/Breaking-down-the-Bengals-defense/5e1c3ce4-cc95-4b71-b6e3-b6cf6f2c156e Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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