As has been the theme all year, the Bengals can really beat themselves sometimes, whether it’s a bad gameplan or digging themselves a hole and not having the proper equipment necessary to get back out. This all sounds very optimistic, of course. etc., but if Hilton could hold up in that one-on-one even half as good, it’s hard to see how the Rams put up a ton of points. But it’s worth pointing out that back in 2019 when Mike Hilton was still in Pittsburgh, the Steelers put him one-on-one with Kupp often and Kupp had zero catches on four targets. Cooper Kupp, the Rams’ MVP-level wideout, is perhaps the biggest threat on the field. If the Bengals aren’t blitzing a lot and the coverage is solid enough, we could easily see Stafford struggle with risky throws - or end up in the arms of Trey Hendrickson. It doesn’t hurt to mention that, good as Stafford is, he led the NFL in interceptions and pick-sixes. Hence, holding Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to three points in the second half - in Week 17 and AFC title game wins.Ī similar performance would swing things dramatically for the Bengals. What has drove opposing offenses to madness about the Bengals defense this year is the fact they 1.) don’t blitz a ton, or pretty much ever 2.) start games extremely vanilla, then morph their complex defense based on what the opponent’s doing. None of this means anything if Lou Anarumo’s defense doesn’t have another Bill Belichickian-sort of adaption in the second half again. might not feature as heavily in this as folks think. If he’s peppering the middle of the field all day and sprinkling in a few deep shots on the boundary when the matchup is right, Donald and Co. But it just needs to hold up so Burrow can execute a quick-hitting attack. That’s not to suggest the line will silence the Rams’ pass-rush. A few years ago, but don’t discount it entirely, either. ![]() And the last time he faced Donald? Zero sacks, one pressure. One reason for optimism that the touted Rams defensive line might not make the impact the national coverage thinks? As we detailed in our underrated players who could swing the Super Bowl piece, center Trey Hopkins, after coming back early from an injury to start the year, has dramatically improved as the season has continued. You can bet he’ll be calm, confident and navigating messy pockets well, but it sure wouldn’t hurt to see his jersey clean by night’s end. Or at least conventional wisdom says that - he took nine sacks in Tennessee and they still won. Of course, none of that happens without the offensive line keeping Joe Burrow clean. He might not put up huge numbers, but somebody probably will. Or written a much shorter way - this is exactly why they drafted Chase, exactly the type of matchup. And they can throw other guys over the middle - per those FO numbers, Higgins’ 22 catches on 27 targets in the middle of the field gained a first down or scored a touchdown. ![]() Uzomah territory, all while the Rams funnel resources at the boundary guys. The Rams ranked 29th in DVOA when defending the middle of the field and that’s not going to change now. We’ve seen Chase get the best of both double-teams and top-flight corners like Marlon Humphrey. If they throw Ramsey on Higgins because of size and try to double Chase, the fifth-overall pick could pop off anyway. Look at the Ja’Marr Chase problem - if the Rams throw Jalen Ramsey on Chase, that leaves Darious Williams (5’9″) on Tee Higgins (6’4″), which is a massive mismatch. Matthew Stafford is a big-game quarterback surrounded by a fantasy football-styled roster of weapons directed by one of the game’s brightest minds, Sean McVay.īut the Bengals present plenty of problems for the Rams no matter what metrics suggest, too. Aaron Donald, Von Miller and others could end up feasting against a struggling Bengals offensive line. Football Outsiders’ DVOA says the Rams finished second, the Bengals finished 11th. Many metrics will tell onlookers this one is a mismatch.
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