Judgement of Dexter Lawrence II’s Bengals debut becomes undeniable upon looking closer at the details
If you didn’t watch the Cincinnati Bengals take down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1, you probably don’t know how impactful Dexter Lawrence II was in Cincinnati’s victory. Lawrence made his presence felt all game long, and it turned into one of the more underrated performances from the first weekend of NFL action.
If you didn’t watch the Cincinnati Bengals take down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1, you probably don’t know how impactful Dexter Lawrence II was in Cincinnati’s victory.
Lawrence, making his highly-anticipated debut in Cincinnati, registered just one tackle on Sunday. His lone “Sexy Dexy” celebration was performed when he ran out of the tunnel during player introductions. The 28-year-old who was held without a full sack last season with the New York Giants did not get his first as a member of the Bengals.
But make no mistake about it. Lawrence made his presence felt all game long, and it turned into one of the more underrated performances from the first weekend of NFL action.
Dexter Lawrence’s true Week 1 production
Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield managed to evade Lawrence throughout the afternoon, but not without feeling the pressure from No. 97.
Lawrence was responsible for three pressures on the day, hit on Mayfield right after he got the ball out of his hands, and won on 18.2% of his pass rushes. When looking at his rushes against true pass sets, which excludes play action plays and screen passes, Lawrence’s win rate was 36.4%.
Among 45 DTs who had at least 20 pass rushing snaps through Sunday’s games, Lawrence finished tied for 10th in pressures, seventh in overall pass rush win rate, and second in pass rush win rate against true pass sets.
Simply put, Lawrence was one of the best interior pass rushers from the weekend. No sacks, but plenty of wins that showed up on tape.
Lawrence’s impact was felt around him
Cincinnati is counting on Lawrence to win as an individual, but helping others win around him is just as valuable for the Bengals.
Sunday provided a blueprint of what that can look like going forward. Defensive ends Boye Mafe and Myles Murphy combined for six pressures and two sacks. Fellow DT Jonathan Allen came through with a sack of his own and two pressures to boot. Allen’s own sack was a result of a stunt he executed with Lawrence, which freed him up as Lawrence was taking on two blockers.
Cincinnati was the better pass, rushing defense in the matchup. Lawrence’s presence contributed to others next to him, seizing one-on-one chances while the three time Pro Bowler received plenty of attention from the Bucs’ interior offensive line. He wasn’t double teamed all the time, but when they left him isolated against a lone lineman, Tampa utilized plenty of play action, bootlegs, and screens to get Mayfield away from the rush, or to nullify it altogether.
The box score stats will come, or simply grow for others
It won’t be long before Lawrence arrives at the quarterback and secures his first sack of the year. There will be plenty of opportunities for him to make tackles behind the line. He showed throughout training camp that he is at the top of his game, and he’s carrying it over into the regular season.
But even if the box score numbers are reminiscent of last year, when many thought Lawrence was on the downswing of his career, he’s primed to help everyone around him achieve finishing production. Allen, Mafe, and Murphy are just a few pass rushers the Bengals are unleashing next to him.
Cincinnati traded the No. 10 pick in this year’s NFL Draft in exchange for Lawrence. Casual observers may only look at the stats that contain the least amount of context to judge that deal. The real numbers, and more importantly, the film, have only just begun supporting why the Bengals made the blockbuster trade.
