Bengals' improved run defense is flying under the radar
Stopping the run hasn't been a problem for the Cincinnati Bengals' defense since before the unit received a facelift prior to the 2021 season. When they found themselves near the bottom of the league through 12 weeks this season, it was a shock to the system they diligently instilled over the past three years. It was […]
Stopping the run hasn't been a problem for the Cincinnati Bengals' defense since before the unit received a facelift prior to the 2021 season. When they found themselves near the bottom of the league through 12 weeks this season, it was a shock to the system they diligently instilled over the past three years.
It was a problem that may've been remedied just in time.
During their current two-game win streak, the Bengals rank 13th in Expected Points Added per rush allowed and 18th in rush success rate allowed. They ranked 27th in both categories two weeks ago.
The wakeup call was as clear as day. Pittsburgh Steelers lead back Najee Harris ran for 99 yards on 15 carries in a 16-10 win over Cincinnati. Jaylen Warren's 49 yards on 13 carries to go with a few yards from Kenny Pickett were enough to surpass 150 yards on the ground, the sixth time the Bengals' defense allowed that figure in 11 games.
Among the myriad of issues plaguing the 5-6 Bengals at this point, getting gashed in the run game was the quickest way their season could be sent to Hell. It's a recipe for playing behind, and with a backup quarterback taking over, that's a recipe for disaster.
Jake Browning's breakout over the past seven days has coincided with his defense continuing to give him a neutral or positive game script, and their improvement in limiting running games has been the biggest factor in that change.
Last week on Monday Night Football, after allowing a Travis Etienne touchdown on the opening drive, the Jags' leading rusher was limited to 45 yards on 11 carries, with second-string back D'Ernest Johnson adding a mere four yards on five carries.
The brick wall was even stronger the next week. Cincinnati had the good fortune of facing a Colts ground attack sans Johnathan Taylor, but Zack Moss entered the week 11th in rushing yardage with a respectable 4.5 yards per carry.
Moss ended up with 28 yards on 13 carries, his lowest output with at least 10 carries this season. The Colts as a team finished with 46 yards with an average of 2.6 yards per carry, and an EPA/rush of -0.29.
Two of Cincinnati's best three games stopping the run have happened within seven days, just in time for the offense finding a groove with Browning. It's yet another reason why the Bengals may have a conversation for a third straight trip to the postseason.
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