Let’s first take a look at some of the All-22 on the defensive side of the ball from the Cincinnati Bengals’ 37-24 defeat to the Detroit Lions.
The defense feels like it is showing more signs of life than the offense, by a wide margin. Some young guys are flashing, and there hasn’t been any quit in those guys, no matter how many times Jake Browning turns the ball over.
Early in the game, the Bengals were dropping defensive ends into coverage at a high rate. The results were about as one should expect. Sam LaPorta was having a field day making our defensive ends look silly out in space. It wasn’t just the defensive ends that were struggling to make plays against Laporta.
Logan Wilson had a few plays where he blatantly missed a tackle in the open field. On the next play below, we see a few guys just coming in lackadaisically, like they are expecting someone else to get the ball-carrier on the ground. The arm tackles need to be cleaned up going forward, or players need to see a decrease in their playing time.
Wilson, for example, played 100% of the snaps against Detroit on Sunday.
Stone also gave a poor effort on that play. He played 90% of the snaps. As a whole, he has played better this year, at least in my opinion. It does still seem he struggles with pursuit angles.
How about seeing some Cam Sample dropping into coverage… What could go wrong there?
To be fair to Sample, that is putting him in a tough spot. Most linebackers struggle to cover Sam LaPorta. Maybe if they go back to Joseph Ossai doing it, he can handle the responsibility. After all, he did play linebacker for Texas.
Okay, enough being negative about the defense for today. I truly believe Al Golden is building something solid on that side of the ball. They put a lot of good stuff on tape Sunday. Let’s stick with Ossai for a moment. He is a high-effort player. For example, in the play below, he comes all the way from the opposite side of the field (playing in coverage again) to help make the tackle on Jahmyr Gibbs.
Toward the end of the game, he was also able to come up with a sack. It certainly felt like the cleanest win he has had as a pass rusher since becoming a Bengal. Hopefully, we are able to see more of that going forward.
I thought TJ Slaton played solid as a run defender this week. He eats up space and allows other guys to make plays. He also makes some plays of his own.
Kris Jenkins had one of my favorite reps from the game yesterday. First, he tosses the left tackle out of his way. Next, he pushes the fullback out of his way. Finally, he finishes the play by tackling Gibbs for a loss.
Demetrius Knight Jr. continues making plays as a rookie. He gets LaPorta out of bounds short of the first down marker on a 2nd down. The very next play, he bats the pass down, forcing Detroit to punt.
Knight also combined with Trey Hendrickson for a nice run stop behind the line of scrimmage during the game.
Speaking of Hendrickson, he is still really good at what he does. That is, rushing the passer and creating havoc. It almost doesn’t seem fair when a backup offensive tackle is tasked with keeping him in check. His first sack of the day created a turnover for the Bengals.
It also felt like the presence of Trey helped lead to the Myles Murphy sack.
For good measure, he went ahead and added a second sack of his own for the game. It probably isn’t a good idea to task a tight end with trying to contain him, either.
The best defensive performance might not have even been by a guy who plays defense. Ja’Marr Chase didn’t take a single defensive snap. He still finished the game with three tackles and a pass defensed.
This team has been tough to watch this year. I would be lying to myself and all of you to say otherwise. I am trying to take some solace in the fact that there have been some solid defensive performances. Just maybe, some of those can be built upon for the future. What are your thoughts on the defense so far this season? Who needs to play better on that side of the ball? Who should be given more opportunities?
Sound off in the comments.
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