Arkansas Bengal Posted October 30, 2023 Report Share Posted October 30, 2023 Kelsey Conway Cincinnati Enquirer Analysis: Why Bengals' win over 49ers proves they are once again AFC title contenders Kelsey Conway Cincinnati Enquirer The Cincinnati Bengals needed a win like that. For a season that didn’t get off to the start anyone expected, the Bengals had yet to prove they could beat a contender and look like one doing it. Cincinnati’s convincing 31-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers proved they are once again contenders in the AFC. It was the most complete performance thus far and they resembled the team you watched win 10 straight games to advance to the AFC title game in Kansas City last season. The win over the Cardinals was a crucial win, this was a season-defining win. In a lot of ways, it feels like the season is just getting started for Joe Burrow and Co. “That was our first real complete game by our team,” head coach Zac Taylor said. “That's how we're meant to play.” Joe Burrow’s offseason work to become a dual-threat QB paying off Burrow put the NFL on notice with his performance against the 49ers. He was spectacular in every facet of his game. He finished the game completing 28 of 32 passes and threw three touchdown passes good for a quarterback rating of 134.8. It was a performance that explains why he is the second-highest paid player in the NFL. In addition to his pinpoint accuracy, Burrow showed his calf is no longer something people should spend time talking about. He made several eye-catching plays as he scrambled out of the pocket and rushed for 43 yards – the second most on the team. Burrow said following the game he spent a lot of time in the offseason working on his athleticism and acceleration to be able to become more of a threat with his feet. His training camp and Week 2 calf strain hindered his ability to show the world what he spent months working on. “Really that was athleticism, acceleration, explosiveness (and) it was really a big focus of mine in the offseason. I just haven't really been able to show that too much,” Burrow said of his mobility against the 49ers. “So, it was nice to have that hard work pay off.” Burrow went into the bye week on a mission to get the Bengals’ offense playing at a higher level. He stayed in town and spent his time off watching football and resting his body for a second-half push. According to wide receiver Tee Higgins, Cincinnati’s quarterback had a certain look in his eye during pre-game warmups that signaled to the team he was due for a big-time performance. Heading into halftime, Burrow was on the verge of setting another franchise record. Burrow broke his own record for consecutive completions with 19, only one shy of breaking Ken Anderson’s record of 20 consecutive completions in 1983. But in typical fashion, when asked about his completions, Burrow downplayed his performance. Why?Because that’s what he expects of himself.“I was able to put the ball in for the most part all day in the right spot,” he said. “That’s what I expect out of myself. My footwork, I think a lot about my mechanics. And so when I’m not that, it’s disappointing. And so this is my standard.” Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo getting most out of Bengals’ defense There’s a reason why criticism was so high of the Bengals’ defense through the first month of the season. It’s because of the standard the unit has set for itself under defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. Anarumo is in his fifth season as Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator and is primed to become a head coach in the NFL soon. He’s earned interviews in each of the last two cycles and is likely to again after this season. The Bengals are playing better on defense at every level because of the marriage between Anarumo and his players. “He puts these guys in position, that’s half the battle,” Taylor said of his defensive coordinator. “The other half is the guys having confidence and believing that he’s going to put them in the right position and they do. You get that extra little bit out of your guys when they believe in what you’re telling them to do. He pushes the right buttons at the right times. He’s gotten them to play to their potential.” Anarumo’s unit held one of the NFL’s best offensive units to under 20 points at their home stadium. The 49ers had won 11 straight games at Levi’s Stadium and the Bengals’ defense punished them on their own turf. All of the talk heading into the game surrounded the vaunted 49ers’ offense and the Bengals put them in check. Linebackers Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt both made game-changing interceptions. Defensive end Trey Hendrickson sacked Brock Purdy and forced a fumble to end the game. The 49ers were held to 113 rushing yards. They play team defense and when they click on all three levels, they are one of the most complete units in football. Bengals run more of their offense from under center and it took offense to new level Burrow’s calf injuries hindered the Bengals’ offense in many ways. One of them being the inability to run some of their offense from under center. Cincinnati’s offensive coordinator Brian Callahan hinted the unit would be running more of the offense from under center now that Burrow is healthy. They backed up their words and it paid off in a big way for the offense. Thirty of the Bengals' 134 rushing yards came from when they ran the offense from under center. The Bengals run most of their offense from the shotgun formation. It’s where Burrow is most comfortable. But adding the under-center element back into the game plan is critical to avoid becoming a one-dimensional offense. Burrow admitted following the game he thought running some of the offense from under center helped the unit. “Yeah, we were able to get some big play-action shots off of that,” he said. “We got some great production out of that, so that’s going to continue to be part of what we do.” It’s no coincidence that Cincinnati had its best rushing performance of the season in the first game the Bengals ran several plays from under center. San Francisco wasn’t able to predict what the Bengals were going to do as often and it significantly helped the run game. Running back Joe Mixon had his best performance of the season with 87 rushing yards on 16 attempts and a touchdown. “We were efficient in the run game. That’s going to be a big part of what we are doing moving forward. That was a complete game on offense, we have to stack more of those together.” https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/nfl/bengals/2023/10/29/analysis-why-bengals-win-over-49ers-proves-they-are-contenders/71377332007/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claptonrocks Posted October 30, 2023 Report Share Posted October 30, 2023 The added element of the offense is JB able to play action under center. The offense will only get better now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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