One fantastic feat that should translate to the Bengals' success in 2023
The Cincinnati Bengals’ 2022 campaign finished just two wins shy of football’s ultimate prize. While the sting of the loss still lingers, one foundational aspect of the team’s success should reappear in 2023. Discipline is critical in the NFL. Oftentimes, the team who makes the fewest mistakes finishes the game with a win. Over the […]
The Cincinnati Bengals’ 2022 campaign finished just two wins shy of football’s ultimate prize. While the sting of the loss still lingers, one foundational aspect of the team’s success should reappear in 2023.
Discipline is critical in the NFL. Oftentimes, the team who makes the fewest mistakes finishes the game with a win. Over the course of the season, it is often the most disciplined teams that occupy the top of the standings.
The Bengals are no exception to this rule. Led by head coach Zac Taylor in his fourth season at the helm, Cincinnati was one of the least penalized teams in the league.
In 2022, the Bengals finished the season having been flagged for 81 accepted penalties, per The Football Database. That total tied the Los Angeles Chargers for the third fewest penalties in the NFL.
Of those 81 penalties, only six came from defensive pass interference calls, translating to just 0.35 DPIs per game. Not too shabby.
With a banged up secondary for more than half of the season, it’s quite the testament to the coaching jobs of defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and secondary coach Robert Livingston.
This might be the silver lining Bengals fans need to hear in order to fully numb the pain of last week’s AFC Championship loss on the road to the Kansas City Chiefs. However, this metric should carry over to the 2023 season, setting the Bengals up to contend for yet another deep run in the postseason.
Featured image via Kareem Elgazzar / THE ENQUIRER / USA TODAY NETWORK
