Bengals Week 5 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. A week after putting up three points on their opening drive and zero points the next eight possessions, the Bengals put up 27 points on offense and got […]
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.
A week after putting up three points on their opening drive and zero points the next eight possessions, the Bengals put up 27 points on offense and got seven more from their defense in a critical victory over the Arizona Cardinals. It's no coincidence their biggest win of the year thus far happened when their passing game found life again.
Let's see what the advanced stats had to say about the Bengals' Week 5 performance.
QB Joe Burrow: 120.5 passer rating when blitzed
The Tennessee Titans showed in Week 4 that blitzing Burrow on a bad calf was an optimal strategy. The Cardinals found out how outdated that plan would become just seven days later. Burrow was way more decisive and mobile against more than four rushers in Arizona, completing 11 of 13 passes for 88 yards and a touchdown.
Even when the Cardinals brought the blitz out, it rarely got home to impact Burrow. He was only pressured three times on 14 drop backs and was sacked once. The touchdown he threw ended up icing the game in the fourth quarter, his third on the day.
WR Ja'Marr Chase: Eight out of Bengals' 10 targets in man coverage
What this stat means is that Burrow threw 10 passes against man coverage on Sunday, and Chase was the target for eight of them. Trenton Irwin and Kwamie Lassiter II were the only other receivers to see a single pass come their way while they were working against man coverage. You can tell where Burrow's trust lies.
Chase caught seven of eight targets for 65 yards and two touchdowns while going against man coverage, both scores occurring in the red zone. He also ranked fifth in yards per route run (7.22) among all receivers who saw at least two targets against this scheme this week.
LB Germaine Pratt: 2.2 yards average depth of tackle
A shaky day for the Bengals' defense at least had Pratt as a bright spot against the run. Pratt led Cincinnati in defensive stops with four and his solo tackles were almost exclusively happening at the line of scrimmage. Look no further than his fourth-down tackle that stalled the Cardinals' offense for good in the second half.
Pratt's average depth of tackle was the second-lowest among linebackers with at least four stops this week behind Elandon Roberts of the Pittsburgh Steelers (2.0).
Ja’Marr Chase on the verge of joining Hall of Fame company
Chase had himself a historic game against the Arizona Cardinals.
