Bengals Week 1 PFF Recap: 3 stats to know
Every week, win or lose, we'll dive into the premium stats from Pro Football Focus and identify three stats to know from the previous Cincinnati Bengals game. This week, we put the spotlight on two players who had their contracts reworked during the offseason, as well as troubling new trend following a beloved veteran of […]
Every week, win or lose, we'll dive into the premium stats from Pro Football Focus and identify three stats to know from the previous Cincinnati Bengals game.
This week, we put the spotlight on two players who had their contracts reworked during the offseason, as well as troubling new trend following a beloved veteran of the defense.
Let's see what the advanced stats had to say about the Bengals' Week 1 performance.
ED Trey Hendrickson: 30% pass rush win rate
Only two other edge defenders with at least 10 pass-rushing snaps had a greater pass rush win rate than Hendrickson's clip of 30% this week. He turned his 20 reps into four pressures that included a hit and sack on Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, and gave left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. fits defending both his inside and outside lane.
For reference, Hendrickson posted a win rate of just 7.7% in two games against the Browns in 2022 despite finishing the season at 17.9%. These kinds of games are why Hendrickson received a pay raise this offseason.
RB Joe Mixon: Three missed tackles forced
Mixon only carried the ball 13 times for 56 yards, but 57 yards came after contact for an average of 4.38. This was attributed to forcing one missed tackle on every four attempts on average. He only had three games all last year with three missed tackles, and each and every one featured more total carries than just 13.
Coincidentally, in his second game against Cleveland on 2022, Mixon forced three missed tackles on 14 attempts on his way to 96 yards (80 after contact). He typically plays well against Cincinnati's in-state rival.
Mike Hilton: 45 yards receiving allowed
The Browns didn't pass the ball very successfully in this game, but their biggest completion of the day happened on Hilton's watch. The Bengals' nickel cornerback got turned around on a deep corner route from Elijah Moore, losing outside leverage while the Bengals had just a post safety behind him.
Hilton's 45 receiving yards allowed were the most by any Bengals player in this game. He also held that title in the Bengals' previous game last season against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game when he was charged for 133 yards and a touchdown.
The Bengals need to find creative solutions to avoid playing Hilton in man coverage down the field so often before this issue becomes worse.
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Featured image via © Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
