Bengals Week 16 PFF Recap: 3 stats to know
Every week, win or lose, we'll dive into the premium stats from Pro Football Focus and identify three stats to know from the previous Cincinnati Bengals game.There are little to no positives worth mentioning after Cincinnati's 34-11 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Getting blown out by the third-string quarterback for your most hated rival team […]
Every week, win or lose, we'll dive into the premium stats from Pro Football Focus and identify three stats to know from the previous Cincinnati Bengals game.
There are little to no positives worth mentioning after Cincinnati's 34-11 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Getting blown out by the third-string quarterback for your most hated rival team is beyond what any amount of Christmas spirit can save.
Let's see what the advanced stats had to say about the Bengals' Week 16 performance.
QB Jake Browning: 27.6 passer rating on throws >2.5 seconds after the snap
What a difference a week makes. Browning's peak performance in Week 15 featured him extending plays out of the pocket and finding receivers down the field. Against the Steelers, he may as well have been blindfolded. He completed just 47.4% of his passes for 6.2 yards per attempt when he held the ball longer than 2.5 seconds. 17.4% of his 19 attempts were considered turnover-worthy, and three interceptions were the result.
Nearly half of Browning's throws took longer than the 2.5 second threshold, which is why his 120.7 rating on quicker passes are more of a moot point. The Steelers forced him to hold the ball longer, and they took advantage of his massive regression back to the mean.
OTs Orlando Brown Jr. & Jonah Williams: 11 pressures, 2 sacks allowed
Newsflash: T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith are still really, really, really good. Brown and Williams had a wicked reminder of that. Neither of the Bengals' starting tackles played particularly well Saturday as the pocket around Browning was the shakiest its been throughout his run as the starting quarterback. Williams was also penalized twice, which tanked his pass blocking grade down to 22.2 below Brown's 46.6.
A negative game script forced the Bengals offensive line, and the results were, well, offensive. Even against elite competition, Brown and Williams need to play better as a duo.
Chidobe Awuzie: 3 rec, 109 yds, 1 TD allowed to George Pickens
The mismatch of the evening went to Awuzie trying to keep up with the younger and more explosive Pickens all night. The second-year receiver only needed four targets to put up WR1 numbers against one of the Bengals' most experienced defensive backs.
Technique wasn't the issue, it was simply a size and speed disadvantage for Awuzie. Never before have we seen him so outmatched from a physical and athleticism perspective. The writing is on the wall for his future in Cincinnati, and potentially as an NFL starter altogether.
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