Bengals Week 3 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. Cincinnati's defense answered the bell when they absolutely needed to against the Los Angeles Rams. From the pass rush to the back seven, there were very few subpar […]
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.
Cincinnati's defense answered the bell when they absolutely needed to against the Los Angeles Rams. From the pass rush to the back seven, there were very few subpar performances.
Let's see what the advanced stats had to say about the Bengals' Week 3 performance.
Bengals edge defenders: 25.5% pass rush win rate
Yep, it wasn't just Trey Hendrickson eating out there. The Bengals' two-time Pro Bowl edge did win over 35% of his pass rushes, the second-highest clip in the NFL from Week 3, and his teammates followed suit behind them with impressive figures of their own.
Cam Sample quietly had one of his best games as a pro. He won 27% of the time during his 13 pass-rushing snaps and recorded three pressures. Sam Hubbard kicked in with a solid 17% win rate of his own that resulted in four pressures and a sack off a nice twist, and even rookie Myles Murphy got a win on one of his five rushes.
CB Chidobe Awuzie: 1 target on 34 coverage snaps
It's great to see Awuzie find his stride again on the field. The Bengals' top cornerback is still not being held back from 100% participation in terms of snaps, but he did a great job blanketing his assignments in coverage as evidence by the one time he was truly targeted. He gave up just five yards on the play. No other cornerback had a smaller rate of targets/coverage snap.
There was one play that nearly ruined the evening. Awuzie was the cornerback initially lined up against Puka Nacua on the play that got the Rams inside the five-yard line with two minutes remaining. He was playing underneath zone coverage and should've carried the route a little bit more, but safety Dax Hill was ultimately responsible for picking it up.
QB Joe Burrow: 16.7% of pressures turned to sacks
For the second time in three weeks, the Bengals' franchise quarterback was able to keep his sacks to a minimum. Just two of the 12 pressures he incurred became sacks, a rate that can be sustained for winning football. This has been arguably Burrow's biggest issue as a pro, and establishing progress here is important.
The context is obvious. Burrow is purposely getting the ball out of his hands quicker with his calf not yet 100%, opting to take check downs instead of extending plays that can turn into sacks. Once he starts feeling himself, he'll need to combine the two practices in a practical manner.
Status quo remains the same for Bengals’ latest injury report
Cincinnati is still taking it day by day with its most important player.
