Unique mismatch could win Bills the game vs. Bengals
The most anticipated game of the 2022 NFL season is quickly approaching as the Buffalo Bills get ready to square off against the Cincinnati Bengals in the biggest stage of the week: Monday Night Football. A lot has been said about this game. Clichés a non-clichés. We've had countless conversations about Josh Allen vs. Joe […]
The most anticipated game of the 2022 NFL season is quickly approaching as the Buffalo Bills get ready to square off against the Cincinnati Bengals in the biggest stage of the week: Monday Night Football.
A lot has been said about this game. Clichés a non-clichés. We've had countless conversations about Josh Allen vs. Joe Burrow. About who's got the best roster. About which team will bully its rival in the trenches. And about who's entering the game as the hotter team.
The truth -and the beauty- behind this game is that we don't know. The Bills and Bengals are two of the best teams in the league and will battle it out on the gridiron for 60 minutes. When the clock hits zero and a winner is determined, we might not even feel confident about which team is best.
But we do know there will be mismatches in this game, as NFL's Next Gen Stats remind us every week. In their latest video, the league's analytics team brought some great insight to the table by pointing out the most significant mismatches in the game and one shouldn't surprise Bills Mafia at all.
#1 on the list is Josh Allen. Well, duh. The kid is a mismatch against whichever defense lines up against him. But to be more specific, the video talks about Allen's scrambling versus the Bengals' defensive line.
Per Next Gen Stats, 87% of the Bills quarterback's scrambles go for more yards than expected. That's the best mark in the NFL.
Despite being a prolific gunslinger, Allen has positioned himself as one of the best mobile quarterbacks in the league. His rush yards per attempt marks have been right up there with the best dual-threat QBs in the league.
But it's not a mismatch just because the Bills quarterback can run. But he'll be facing the Bengals' defensive line. While it's a solid unit featuring star nose tackle D.J. Reader and edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, they've struggled against scrambling quarterbacks.
The Bengals catch opponents' scrambling quarterbacks behind the line of scrimmage in 10.5% of scrambles, 25th in the league.
Bills Mafia, get ready for Josh Allen to exceed his average 50 rushing yards per game on Monday Night. He might even hurdle a Bengal.
You can check out the full Next Gen Stats clip here.
Featured image via Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports
