Myles Murphy led the team in pressures with six in the game. He also led the team with five stops in the run game. He combined with BJ Hill for a half sack during the game, as well. This was by far the best game I have seen from Murphy.
The Bengals will have to make the decision on picking up his fifth-year option ahead of next season. Seeing him play well down the stretch could go a long way in making that an easier decision for the front office. Let’s take a look at some of his more impressive plays from Sunday via the All-22 film.
He immediately made his presence known by getting his hand up on the initial read for Rodgers on the first play of the game. He continued working up the field and forced Rodgers into a short check-down pass for a minimal gain.
Next, he didn’t bite too hard on the play fake, staying home and forcing Rodgers into a tough throw. Great awareness and effort early in the game from Murphy.
The first play that landed him in the stat sheet with a tackle was one he worked down the line and helped tackle Jaylen Warren. It is a good thing he did, because it looked like Dax Hill initially whiffed on the tackle attempt.
It wasn’t a completely clean performance from Murphy. On this long Warren run, he could have made more of an effort in backside pursuit. However, he was the least of the problems in this play. It is never good when you end up with five players on the ground near the line of scrimmage.
Murphy also had a couple of penalties on the day. The first one was a play where Aaron Rodgers was able to get him to jump offside on a hard count.
There were multiple plays in which he was able to keep contain, shed a block, and then make a tackle. He was constantly active throughout the game.
One thing this defense lacks at times, which is just flat-out inexcusable, is effort. Geno Stone’s non-tackle attempt on Darnell Washington was a prime example from this game. That is why this next play is one of my favorites on the day for Myles. He redirects, pursues down the field, and makes the tackle. We need more effort from everyone on that defense. It was nice to see him giving that on Sunday, beyond that initial early run from Warren.
Troy Fautanu is a former first round pick for the Steelers at right tackle. He had been garnering praise for his recent play. Murphy likely put an end to that hype on Sunday. Fautanu had a tough game going against Murphy. This next play is one of several examples to come.
The very next play after the one above, Murphy pursues from the back side of the play. His effort leads to another tackle near the line of scrimmage.
Myles also had a couple of good reps combining with McKinley Jackson. It was nice to see Jackson not only active, but also making some impact rushing the passer.
All of that effort Murphy was playing with finally led to a sack for the Bengals defense. Murphy combined with BJ Hill to sack Aaron Rodgers during the play.
There was another play later on where Murphy and Hill created some pressure on Rodgers. However, this time he was able to escape and pick up a first down rushing.
Murphy’s second penalty of the day came on what was deemed a low hit on Aaron Rodgers. The view from the All-22 at least makes it look more like a penalty than the initial viewing from the television broadcast. Either way, I still thought it was kind of a weak call. The pass rush was very impressive, but the flag was not.
Murphy didn’t just get pressure against Fautanu. He switched sides and went up against the left tackle of the Steelers, Broderick Jones. Jones is also a former first-round draft pick for Pittsburgh. Murphy almost had another sack on this play.
Murphy added a couple of more pressures along with another run stop in the game. The Bengals’ defense didn’t have a ton of snaps overall in the second half. That was due to a pick-six and a fumble returned for touchdowns by Pittsburgh.
It is important to note that this is only one game from Myles Murphy. I don’t think anyone is trying to crown him based on this one performance. However, it was refreshing to see him have a game like this. Now the question will be, can he build on that? He will need to stack multiple games in a row to show that he deserves having the Bengals pick up his fifth-year option.
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