Simple stat shows why Bengals are officially the scariest team in the NFL
During the offseason, we couldn't stop talking about the Cincinnati Bengals and their ability to beat Cover 2, Cover 4, and other two-high defenses. After taking the NFL by storm with Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase, it was clear teams would prioritize taking that away from the Bengals offense. After all, that's why coaches are […]
During the offseason, we couldn't stop talking about the Cincinnati Bengals and their ability to beat Cover 2, Cover 4, and other two-high defenses. After taking the NFL by storm with Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase, it was clear teams would prioritize taking that away from the Bengals offense.
After all, that's why coaches are paid in this league. The question for Cincinnati was, how will they respond?
Would the Bengals find a way to attack underneath – passing and rushing – to be sustainable without go routes being the be-all-end-all of the offense?
Early in the season, the results were not promising. The Bengals started 0-2 and failed to win against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys while failing to score over 20 points in each game.
When they finally "broke out" on offense, they did so against the New York Jets. The only problem was that HC Robert Saleh refused to play Cover 2 against the Bengals for some odd reason.
Six weeks into the season, the Bengals were 28th in EPA/play in the NFL against Cover 2 and Cover 4. At that point, legit doubts about whether or not Zac Taylor would find answers for his team were real and justifiable.
But hey. The Bengals did find the answers. So much so that since Week 7, when the offense exploded against the Atlanta Falcons in a 35-17 win, no team in the NFL has been better against Cover 2 and Cover 4.
That's right, they're the #1 team in the league, per ESPN's living legend Mina Kimes.
The Bengals have found ways to make Joe Burrow's success more sustainable. Consider the quarterback's deep pass attempts this season compared to last year's. Here is the percentage of attempts in which Burrow targeted receivers at 20+ yards downfield (per PFF):
- 2021: 12.1%, 16th among qualifying QBs
- 2022: 8.2%, 35th
That doesn't mean that Joe Burrow isn't one of the best passers in the NFL when going deep anymore, because he is. But it means that by being more patient and selective, the Bengals offense has become way more sustainable.
Why? Now, they're a team with answers for everything.
If you play them with two-high safeties, you're getting picked apart underneath. If you get desperate and leave Ja'Marr Chase (or Tee Higgins!) one-on-one, get ready to be challenged deep. They can still channel their inner 2021 Bengals and live off the go routes.
And if you want to blitz them? Well, Burrow trusts his protection like never before now. I honestly don't know how you go about stopping this team that also happens to have a great defense.
The Bengals have also figured out a way to tie their running and passing game together and are better tendency-breakers than they were earlier in the season.
This is the good stuff. The ability to attack everything is what has pushed Cincinnati into that upper echelon of the AFC. It's not "Chiefs and Bills" anymore. Now, you've got to make room for the Bengals when you're talking favorites within the conference.
Featured image via Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
