Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - BENGALS SQUAD SHOW: Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase POISED for first PROLIFIC PERFORMANCE in 2026

Episode Date: September 25, 2026

Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase are oozing confidence going into Sunday's game at the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Bengals' first division game of the season.Alex Frank. Coach Art Valero, and Jake Liscow break down how Burrow and Chase can have success against the Steelers Sunday and post their first prolific performance of the season..On defense, Dexter Lawrence has given the Bengals the return on investment they fully expected when they traded for him. Lawrence has also impacted the Bengals' defense and locker room off the field, and that's where his leadership comes into play.Running the ball is a big key to Sunday's game, but so too is red zone execution. Alex, Coach, and Jake give their keys to the game Sunday.Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn ImagesMandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn ImagesJoin the Locked On Bengals Insider Community! Where you'll get updates directly to your phone and be able to text the hosts, check it out at: https://joinsubtext.com/lockedonbengalsEverydayer ClubIf you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everyday...Find and follow Locked On Bengals on your favorite podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7AObc0l...Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0...Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-...Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!OdooGreat organizations win because operations matter. And that’s why you should get Odoo. Try for free today at https://Odoo.com/lockedon.Butcher BoxIf you're looking for an easier way to get great meals on the table, give ButcherBox a try.Go to https://ButcherBox.com/LOCKEDONNFL to get $20 off your first box, plus your choice of free ribeye, new york strip, or filet mignon in every box for a year — with free shipping always.IndeedListeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast.PrizePicksVisit https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LO... and use code LOCKEDONNFL and get $150 if you win your first $5 lineup!KALSHIToday's episode is brought to you by Kalshi. For a limited time, Download Kalshi and use code Locked On to get $25 when you trade $25. Kalshi. Trade what’s next.GametimeToday's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase.FanDuelGet three hundred fifty dollars in Bonus Bets — GUARANTEED — when you bet five dollars every day for seven days. Join all the action at https://FANDUEL.COMFANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I'm Alex Frank. Joe Burrow and Jamar Chase hooked up twice for touchdowns last week. That performance should be their floor. And coach, if that's the case, Burrow and Chase could be in for a big day Sunday in Pittsburgh. Hey, I'm telling you what, now it's all for real. And I'm sure the mindset of both of those gentlemen and Dexter Lawrence is going to come to the forefront. Dexter has made a huge impact through two games and the stats sheet doesn't come close to showing it. This guy was worth the price of admission so far. plus one area that's a key to the game on Sunday that's kind of hard to get a read on with the Bengals through two games. Today, it's the Bengals Squad, everything Cincinnati Bengals every week. Breaking down all the big hits and game changing plays from the Queen City, the way only the Locked-on Podcast Network can.

From the jungle to the playoffs, the Bengals Squad Show starts now. It is Friday, September 25th. Welcome to the Bengals Squad Show. We're live on lockdown Bengals and the lockdown podcast network celebrating 10 years of your team. Every day we are the number one sports podcast. Then we're in America and the world. Today's episode brought to you by Fanduel. And right now with Fandu'll make this your most rewarding season ever with the Fandual Rewards Club every week.

Check the Fandual app to see what's waiting for you. With Jake Liscoe and Kochar Vilaro, who will be back in just a minute. I'm Alex Frank. We got so much to get to today. We're just over 48 hours away from kickoff, Bengals, Steelers, Sunday in Pittsburgh, and Jamar Chase is coming off a fantastic game against the Texas, which is good, considering the last time Jamar Chase played the Steelers. Let's just say things didn't go overly well. He's in a good headspace, though. Joe Burrow has a high sense of urgency,

but let's go back to Chase. Coach, what are you telling Jamar Chase going into this game, considering what happened the last time the bank was played in Pittsburgh? Well, I think circumstances are totally different. Last year, The room, the building was not in a very happy place. And so the frustration showed on Jamar's case with, I mean, you got to remember, he's the only really captain out there that is going to lead this team. And he just had an out-of-body experience. So I think that this team is so much different than last year's team.

I think he is going in with the mindset for personal goals. he has set himself way up there. And not the second game, not necessarily the first game, had started him on that trajectory that he wanted to be on. And I think that he's in for big day. Sorry, my mic was muted. You think about the game Jamar Chayside coming off against Houston, seven catches, 75 yards, and two touchdowns.

Let's not forget last year, coaches you mentioned, Bengals were on a two-game, losing streak. They'd score 38 and 42 points and lost both games. Jamar Chase had that famous comment where he just said he was going to stay in his lane. And we talked about that extensively. That was our first ever post game show on the Bengals squad show that we did. And clearly, as you mentioned, the building was just, I mean, it was about to combust. I mean, whether it did or didn't, which he really didn't completely do that,

it was just not a great situation for the Bengals going into that game. This year, Jamar Chase is effusively praising the Bengals defense, whether it be on his podcast, whether it be on the field with Melanie Collins of CBS after the game last week. He's in as good a headspace as I can remember in his career, in particular going into a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jake. I think when the vibes are this high, they've been this high all offseason going into the season, from the Dexter Lawrence trade all the way to present. The Bengals have just not really run into adversity quite yet.

Zach Taylor talked about that this week, and I think that also will apply to Jamar Chase. he had a down week one, but the team won. So how upset is he going to be? He has that down week one and the Bengals lose by 14 points, probably singing a different tune. And Jamar Chase, the last time the Bengals went to Pittsburgh, the Bengals were coming off a by week after they lost a ridiculous comeback

and then a comeback by the Bears the week prior and that terrible loss to the Jets the week before that. So things were in a really bad place, as coach pointed out, back in 2025. And this year, so far, no adversity yet. That's something that this team is going to have to answer at some point. You don't get through an NFL season with no adversity. I think has happened, what, once ever? And even then, there's game to game adversity.

There's moment-to-moment adversity. There's drive-to-drive adversity. So far, the team has trailed for, what, about a minute of game action, two, three minutes of game action all season long. They're playing with a lead all year. So things haven't really gotten to be all that difficult. quite yet in terms of psychological strain and dealing with having to come back in a football game or a game script that doesn't go your way. Sure, there have been some individual moments,

some games, some calls, some plays that haven't necessarily gone the Bengals way, but we haven't seen that yet. And so that's still a question this team has to answer. And there's no reason to think they won't answer it. We just haven't seen it yet. Zach Taylor talked about that. Like I said, in this press conference, I think on Wednesday this week, and that applies to Jamar, just like everyone else on the two. You know what? The great thing, just like Jake was talking about, they haven't gone through adversity like they did a year ago. Although I think the leadership on this current football team, at least over the summer and the first two games will be substantial when they do meet, and they will meet, that adversity level. I think they've got, especially on defense, they've got some

quality leaders that they didn't have a year ago that will help them. I mean, remember, you had two rookie linebackers. You had a whole bunch of guys. They were mixing and matching up front that really weren't making plays. And now that I think they've got some guys that are quality leaders. And last year at this time, they didn't have their ultimate leader in Joe Burrow on the football team. I mean, it was healthy and ready to go. The leadership situation is definitely a stark contrast to previous years.

You watch Dexter Lawrence Mike. He's mostly trash-jocking, but there's also leadership that comes along with that. You watch Josh, sorry, not Josh Allen, Jonathan Allen's speech before that football game, but the Bengals have then cut into multiple social media posts since that game. There's that leadership on the sideline on the defensive line. And in the secondary, you've got Brian Cook making every game personal because he's wearing that Cincinnati, Daddy, City on his chest, DJ Turner, growing into that leadership role as well and backing it up on the field. Having guys that can both be leaders in name and in practice by backing it up on the field is a big difference as well.

And so far those leaders, I think you're right, coach, should keep the team in a better place. I think you're also seeing just a much higher level of team social cohesion, right? You're seeing these guys spending time together off the field on Orlando Brown's new podcast venture or the discussions around Joe Burrow going out of his way to have more gatherings and to get to know more guys more frequently off the field. Burroughs never been one that has been criticized for a lack of leadership, but you've heard that discuss among players as well. So the leadership. And when we say vibes, it's kind of tongue in cheek, right?

But there is a significant level of team cohesion in that locker room that we've seen in the past when the Bengals have been successful. You've seen these kinds of quote unquote vibes in the locker room. room where the last couple of seasons before 2026 was very different, not present in the way that it seems to be this year. And winning helps. And so hopefully they continue that. I think that's a great point. Jake, you bring up about Jonathan Allen and the pregame speech that he gave to the Bengals

defensive line before the Texas game because the premise of that was all offseason, we had heard how great Hughes's defensive line was. And while the Bengals made their defensive line, they announced their presence on Sunday. And so you go into this game and look, we know. the Steelers are still the Steelers. I mean, yes, some things have changed. Go ahead. That reminds me. What was that? Was it the Tennessee game where they were like, everyone was called the Bengals finesse? And then DJ Reader took exception to that. You remember what I'm talking about? Titans playoff game.

There was like some discussion. The Bengals are too finesse and all this stuff. And then the defense went out there and helped the Bengals beat the Titans. I think that was the game. That's what it reminds me. Wow. I, for some reason, don't remember that because I remember before that game, Joe Burrell famously proclaimed enough of the white. on us it is. I don't remember that when it comes to DJ Reeder, but it goes to the point that the Bengals now have dudes, coach, you mentioned, Jake, you alluded to it on the defense. And defense does win championships. And defense can set the tone because when you think of defense, you're thinking

about guys going out and hitting people, which, I mean, that's what you have to do in the game of football. You got to go out there and make your presence note, set the tone. And the Bengals have those leaders on defense. Yes, the Texas defensive line is good. We know that. But the Bengals said, hey, we can play too. We can send waves at the opposing quarterback for sacks in the fourth quarter. We're going back to Jamar Chase. And I teased it in the open. Seven catches, 75 yards, two touchdowns last week.

If that's his floor, and it's still early, and we know Chase and Burrow have struggled early. We know they haven't put up big numbers early on in seasons past. But it feels like if this is the floor, who knows what the ceiling can be. And I feel like this game could be where we see Chase put up in Burrow, put up their first big performances of the season. Well, you know what? I think it's totally possible.

I mean, as you hear, I mean, the struggles with Joey Porter Jr., all of it, you know that the secondary in Pittsburgh is kind of in shambles. And they don't know which direction they're going. And they really haven't gone out in their first two games and showed, you know, anything more than what we all think. So this is an opportunity, especially without Yoshi Bosh, you know, there's going to be more attention on those guys. But when you move them around, I think that both Jammar and with T. Higgins, they're going to make a big impact on this game. And we'll see what they do about the Yosevash absence. I think that'll be interesting

schematically to see how the Bengals answered that. And I think watching the state, Steelers injury report is a big one this week. They've got a bunch of corners, including Joy Porter Jr. that are either dealing with injuries or contract disputes. And whether those guys play or not, it sounds like the Steelers have different game plans in place for if Joey Porter plays or Joey Porter Jr. doesn't play. One of those will involve probably a lot more man coverage because Jamel Dean and

Joey Porter Jr. is a pretty good corner tandem that they could throw out there. But Jamel Dean's been limited this week with an ankle. I won't be surprised if he plays, but he's battling through something. And Joey Porter Jr. said he's going to play this year. that might be on a snap count initially. So there are these external factors, right? It's not just, well, the Bengals get going. It's who's across the field for them too, right?

Those guys get paid as well. And I went and looked it up because it was the Tennessee game where the Bengals were called a finesse team. And they went out there and held Derek Henry to 62 yards on 20 carries in that game, 3.1 yards per carry for Derek Henry on the day. They end up with a game-winning interception that leads to the Evan McPherson field goal. So the defense played physical in that game, made some plays for the Bengals to help them win that game.

And that's what the Allen stuff reminds me of, Alex. That's what I was referring to earlier. Alan, who's been on the injury report for the Bengals this week, but did suit up on Friday, which is a good sign. He was moved to a not injury related designation on the practice report on Thursday, which was the first good sign and that he suited up for practice on Friday, suggested he is trending toward playing. Zach Taylor called his absence early in the week on Wednesday's practice, more of a load

management issue, though he was listed with a knee. So we'll see if there's any limitations. there or not, but Jonathan Allen has certainly been a perhaps even underrated edition because there have been so many additions to this Bengals defense that have been big. And Dexter Lawrence is obviously the biggest among them. But his running mate, Jonathan Allen has been pretty darn good too. Saxon back to back games. I mean, Jonathan Allen coaches goes back to the point of Dexter Lawrence, Jake Teesden in the open.

You may not see it on the stat sheet a whole lot just yet, but you're seeing him allow other players. You know how set up men, set up closers and baseball to come in and throw gas in the ninth inning? Well, Dexter Lawrence is setting up Jonathan Allen, boy, and Mafei, and other guys to get those sacks. And it's paying off a massive dividends. We'll talk about that in segment three. But coach, it's interesting to Jake's point about Tennessee, calling the Bengals finesse, and then, well, the bangles took exception to that. Jamar Chase said last year, the Steelers are going to try to raw dog you.

And then they've been doing that since the dawn of time. But considering the injuries that the Steelers have in their secondary, considering we don't know if Joey Porter Jr. is going to play. And he was a little delusional, ignorant, whatever he want to call it this week with some things he said about, M and T. I think you have to acknowledge that there's a very good chance given what Chase has done in the past against the Steelers. Last year, he had 16 catches in the first game against the Steelers. 16 catches. So you know he's going to be extremely motivated to go out there and put up a big performance. And the same goes for T. Higgins, who very under the radar has had two really good games to start the season. Well, you know what? I think there are a lot of guys on the football team,

both offensively and defensively, that are very quietly not only doing their job, they're doing the extra little part of what they're doing. And it's creating a great, I mean, on offense, the yards that both T. Higgins and that Jamar had a week ago, you know what, they're doing enough to win. And it's no longer about individuals, statistics. It is now that like Jake had alluded to, there's a little bit more team camaraderie,

and I think that now they're winning as a football team, and at present, they've been winning on defense, and everybody's going, well, hey, where's this vaunted Bengals offense? They're doing enough to win. At some point in time, the roles were reversed, and you're going to see this offense takeoff and it could very well be this weekend. So you know what? When you have Jamar Chase after last years, there have been a lot of talk mentioned to him about, you know, what transpired last year, different team, different Jamar Chase. I think he's primed to get ready to go off. Last time these teams played that Jamar had that big performance in Cincinnati in Unkpool, and Joe Flacco throwing the ball 47 times in that game.

Chase Brown had 11 carries for 108 yards himself. Jamar had, what, 20 targets in that game, something crazy like that, 23 targets for those 16 catches, T. Higgins with 10 targets in that game. That was that Joe Flacko was going to throw the ball to Jamar Chase game. I think there are some differences in that defense versus the defense of Steelers are rolling out there this year. So far, the Steelers defense has been really good this year. We'll see what's happening in their secondary. That is a huge question.

defensive front. No joke. It does not get easier this week with the Steelers defensive front after what the Bengals dealt with in Houston last week. In fact, there's an argument that it gets harder because the Steelers have depth that the Houston, Texas do not have. They have three dudes on the interior. They have three dudes on the edge that can all beat just about anyone in the NFL. So that task remains tall for the Bengals offensive line. But I think when Joe Burroughs said this, After he went back and reviewed the game, he went from, I played as averages as you can to, I think I played pretty well in the second half, actually. When you go watch the tape for Joe Burrow, you can start to see him coming to life a little bit in that second half before the Bengals going to four minute offense mode. The pocket movement really stepping up, very evident on that second touchdown pass to Jemar Chase, I think his feel for where the ball needed to go.

When the Bengals needed to keep the ball on schedule, he was doing that at a higher level in that second half, too. So we've seen these signs that the Bengals are hitting more explosive plays this year. Joe Burrow is moving toward midseason Joe Burroughs. This is just going to be a thing for him. He's going to need that ramp up time. Meanwhile, they have a defense that if there's a strength on weakness matchup in this game, as a unit, this Bengals defense on paper has a big advantage over a very, very bad through two games. Steelers' offense is going to be searching for answers on Sunday.

So we'll see how that all plays out in terms of Jamal. Chase, like game script wise, right? Like, you've got a defense that's going to be better for Pittsburgh than the time Jamar Chase went off against them last year. It's going to look a little bit different. But I think that we're hitting the part of the season where you're expecting the Joe Burrough spike game to come along. That's happened a lot for him in week three.

You know, yeah, you know, just like Jake was talking about, the thing a week ago is they chose, I mean, by game plan, they got Jamar involved early. Yep. And I think that's the case. You got to get your studs rolling early and then let them settle into the game. And now there's a positive aspect going through the rest of the offensive season. And Jake, I mean, excuse me, Alex, you brought it up. You got to feed the studs, man.

You got to feed the studs. Absolutely. And Chase has had some big games against Pittsburgh. He's had touchdowns in five games against the Steelers. He's had double-digit receptions in three of them, including that game, Jake, in Cincinnati, and the Unk Bowl, which you mentioned last year. So we know that Jamar Chase and Joe Burrow can both light up the Pittsburgh Steelers defense. But unfortunately, for as many great performances as Joe Burrow has had against AFC North opponents,

he's also had some clunkers. So what we can expect from Joey franchise on Sunday in the Steel City coming up next. Pengals watch out today is brought to you by Calci. A new football season brings some big questions. And one of the questions I have, though, certainly is are the green. May Packers good because if you watched last night, that's debatable, say the least. Who makes the playoffs? Who else wins their division? Who takes home the title? Well, Cal She, which is America's number one prediction market platform, it lets you trade those predictions in a live

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This is a job for indeed sponsored jobs. Week 3, 2021, Joe Burrow throws for three touchdowns against the Steelers. It was his first three touchdown game of the season, got the Bengals offense rolling. Jamar Chase's first multi-touchdown game of his career. Next week against Jacksonville, four days later, Burroughs for 3.48 and two touchdowns comeback win. I feel like something similar can happen with Joe Burrow in this game.

And we'll get to his AFC North struggles here in just a minute, but there have been a lot of good games he's played in the AFC North. He has three wins in Pittsburgh already. Three wins, his last three starts in Pittsburgh. He's won all three of them. So there's a high level of country. confidence with Joe Borough that he's exhumony right now. And that guys can carry over into Sunday on the road in the Steel City.

Look at 2024. The last time Joe Burrow had a fully healthy season playing against the AFC North. The Bengals split their divisional games. There were three and three in their divisional games. But Joe Burrow completed 71% of his passes in those games for 7.8 yards per attempt. He threw 18 touchdowns and three picks in six games. That's three touchdowns and half an interception per game. he had 1,800 yards in those games.

Roughly, that's 300 plus yards per game is what it works out to in the AFC North. His highest quarterback rating against any division that he played that year came against the AFC North. The quarterback rating in the AFC North in 2024 or 2024 of 114. That's pretty good. You take that. And we'll see if this version of the Bengals with a healthy Joe Burrow with an offensive line that looks to be improved with game scripts and a defense that can help.

play some complimentary football if he can run back the way he played against the AFC North in 2024 with a defense that can help him back it up and win a couple more of those games. I'll tell you, you know what, with Joe Burrow, I think that he, his mindset this year seems to be different than it has in the past. Not to say that, you know, what he's talking about, it's Super Bowl or bus or whatever it is. But I think that he's, he is more glued in. In the first two games, he has done enough to win games. And I think that he's about, he is ready and he's primed to come out and have one of those big games.

And it just happens to be against a AFC North opponent. And I think that I think he's looking at it one game at a time and going out and he's going to wing it. And as the plays come in, he's going to go ahead and run. on the offense as it's done, he's going to create plays with his feet like he did last week in terms of extending the play or just sitting back there and throwing it to T from in the pocket. And I think that he's going to have, he is ready for a huge game. And if it happens to be this week, it does. But I think that he's going to go as the flow as the game presents itself, knowing that A,

He's got a great kicker behind him, and B, that he's got a solid defense right now that is giving him the ball in opportune situations. And I think that he's going to take advantage of it one of these weeks when he really feels totally, totally that it's his. And I think that he's allowed the game to come to him, and I think he's going to have a good game. Showborough has played extremely well against AFC North opponents throughout his career. Jake, he mentioned 24. Let's go to 2021. We're against the Ravens in two games. He threw for 941 combined yards, seven touchdowns,

just one interception. And that one interception, the Bengals were up by 10, and they ended up putting the kvash on the Ravens in that game. So he's had some really good performances against the Steelers. Think 2021 and 2022. He threw for over 300 yards both games that season. So, yes, Joe Burroughs had some clunky performances against the AFC North opponents. You think Cleveland in 23.

You think about performance last year in Cleveland. Now, is it all his fault? Absolutely not. I mean, in 2024, just look no further. None of those losses are on him. But we have seen those games where Burrow has struggled against AFC North opponents. Is that where are you going into this game? Or are you ratty with what he's saying and what he's done so far this season?

You're like, yeah, I know he's had some bad AFC North games, but that's not going to happen this week because of the urgency he's conveyed and it's rubbing up on the entire team. I don't think there's any way to say whether urgency and the way they're talking, the way they're arriving into the game is going to have an impact on the game. Once you're on the football field on Sunday, it's how you execute between the white lines, right? And so we can talk about all the narratives all we want, and maybe it'll matter, maybe it won't.

But Burrow has had some weird games in the AFC North. Divisional games get weird, and you see that in every single division in football, where the base, the seller-dweller of the division will beat the Super Bowl contender in the division every couple of years. and just happens sometimes because these teams are so familiar with one another. They see each other so much. And you get things like, you know, T.J. Watt jumping at the line of scrimmage and intercepting a ball. And T.J. Watt's done that in his career, but he's done it against Joe Burrow, too. And Joe Burrow has thrown probably his highest rate of interceptions against Pittsburgh as any team in his career.

He's played seven career games against the Steelers and has thrown 10 interceptions in those games. And so it's not like it's always been good for Joe. and I think it, if I recall correctly, like early in his career, he had some clunkers against the Steelers in particular. But I do think that this version of Joe Burrow and this version of the offense, I'm much less worried about how Joe Burrow plays in week three on average, such when you look at his career of week three games where you'll see the week one struggles, week two struggles, week three really starting to wake up.

And like the career pass or rating jump from weeks one and two to week three for Joe Burrow significant, like for whatever reason in his career he's played much better. in week three. Maybe that matters. Maybe it doesn't. In one season that did happen against the Pittsburgh Steelers in week three in 2021, like you mentioned. Steelers were in week three. The Jaguars were in week four that year. And that Thursday night football game when the Bengals

kicked off their ring of honor, the Bengals went on to the Super Bowl that year. Same week three, week four scheduled this year. But I'm more worried about like, how's everything around Joe in this game? How is the left tackle in the game planet left tackle in this game? Joe Burrow did defend Orlando Brown in his press

conference this week, and I talked about that on lockdown Bengals. Some of that's being a good teammate, right? You're not going to throw your left tackle under the bus. Some of that is also a kernel of truth. The Bengals had a couple of chips that went really awry from wide receivers that directly led to Orlando Brown getting beat for sacks. But the Bengals will need a good plan to help Orlando Brown in this game. Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig, and T.J. Watt have all had T.J. Watt in a much more limited

sample size because he hasn't switched sides as much. All have the skill set or the track record of success. against Orlando Brown Jr. So like if I'm worried about anything for Joe, it's once again this week. How well do they protect? And they were able to do enough against the Texans that Joe was able to extend some plays,

find the explosives. Might need to do that again this week against the Steelers. You know what the other thing is, unlike you guys, I don't have a lot of familiarity in terms of his past performances. But I see what he is doing this year as opposed to a year ago. and he's playing within himself.

And I think that he is going to be very, very capable. I think he's coming into his year. He's got those, he got a little bit of WD40, knocked it off against these things. And I think he's going to be ready to go. It's a great point you to bring up there, coach, because the Bengals defense is playing so well right now. And when you as a quarterback go out there knowing you don't have to be perfect,

all I have to do is play within myself, move the ball. And hey, if we stall out, let's say, at around the 30, 25 yard line or in the Red So we got a weapon in Evan McPherson. That allows you to go out there and make plays. And then it allows you to build up the fundamentals and then make those plays that you don't have to in a come hell or high water situation. That's really important for a franchise quarterback. Now we got about a minute or two left in the segment. I did want to ask you, coach, what you think about Orlando Brown Jr. Because he did not have a great game last week.

let's just call it for what it is. But are you willing to, you know, have him watch the game again, hear what Joe Burroughs said, are you somewhat concerned, major league concern? Are you like, you know what, Houston's got two great edge rushers? Or are you like, Orlando Brown Jr. is still, you know, he's what, a four-time pro bowler, I believe? I have confidence he can bounce back. Great players are going to have bad games. But it's what you do in the next game that counts.

Absolutely. You know what? And I think that we have been, at least on our show, we've been concerned about Orlando Brown Jr. since camp. I think we've seen the Bengals defensive line in one-on-one drills really kind of get after him a little bit. And then he had against Detroit, he had a bad day. And so that concern has always popped up. Now, from Joe Burroughs standpoint, I mean, he's got to protect his buddy.

He's got to protect his guy. And he's going to say the things he is to try to build confidence back in his left tackle. And I think that one, there's nobody else. We've seen the other guys that the backups go into games and, you know, what's the lesser two evils? You know, so I think game plan-wise, and we talked about it a week ago, that a lot of it depends on with that rush that Houston had, the scheme to get the ball out of Joe's hands faster for him to get the O'Line some help when they needed to do that.

I think the offense in general and the play callers, you know, with Dan Pitcher and Zach, they need to give him more help. Not necessarily, I mean, don't count on a good chip from a whiteout. Those guys are paid to chip. They're paid to run routes. And if you want to chip, chip them with a with a, tight in, chipping with the back, give him some help, let him know that, and now his confidence will grow. And I think that not only will his confidence grow, he'll get himself back.

But he was a little laxidaisical going through camp, in my opinion, and it kind of showed up Because he has faced two really good teams with quality edge rushers. And if you're going to only try to help him with whiteouts, boy, that's a mistake. And the great thing is you don't have it on both sides. You only have it on one. And you can do a lot of things in terms of protection to give him some help. Excuse me. And I think that Joe's right.

He's trying to pump up and give his guy confidence. The confidence that he might be going because people are now talking about him. And it's best as you're in O. Lyman to go through Life Anonymous. You don't want to hear your name. You just want to do your job like Dylan Fairchild, like Mims. You want to go through where nobody talks about you. And that's what you want to do because winning, as an O line is winning a game.

That's where it comes to. Giving up five sacks in the game, that room has really had some pressure on them this week, self-induced pressure, that that doesn't happen. Not to your franchise. That does not happen at all. And that's what makes you come out of the game saying,

yeah, we did some good things, but the measurables don't. match. So our game, even though you thought as an individual you played well, as a group, and that's what you are, you're a fist. And you can't knock anybody else out with only four parts of your fist. And that's what they need to know. And that's what they're probably working on all week. And I think their mentality going into this game, a rival, ASC rival, that they have to get this thing done and give their man protection. When you're, I'm I mean, he got hit 15 times at a 31 throws.

Not acceptable. Nope. In that room, it's not acceptable. And I'm sure that they've been dwelling on that the whole week long. They played great in week one, not so great the last week. Well, said, Coach. Well, one guy who has been great the first two weeks, Dexter Lawrence, and he is already fulfilling the Bengals' vision that they had

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manage, grow, and scale your business. Try for free today at Odu.com. That's O-D-O-O-O-com slash locked-on. You just listen to any interview with Dexter Lawrence. This guy just gets it. Like, coach, you've been around players your whole life. Some of them will give you the only those players speak answers, ton and cheek answers, tried and true answers. Every time I hear Dexter Lawrence speak, I learn something. He has tremendous insight, not just to the game of football, but to the cohesion that we've been talking about on this show when it comes to this bank's team.

not just on the field what we're seeing from Dexter Lawrence is where his impact is being felt. It's in the locker room and it's in the building. I don't think any of us, like we're expecting the vision to be realized just two games into the season. I tell you what, you know what, his presence is incredible. And I'm sure that in that locker room, his just his size alone. And then the things that come out of his mouth, because he is a veteran. He is a true pro. And now you couple him with somebody like Jonathan Allen, who is a true pro. And it rubs off on everybody. You look at Boy Maffei. It's rubbing off on everyone that's in the building. There's not that woe as me anymore that he's bringing confidence. I'll tell you what, the investment in Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen and Boy Maffa and Cassius Howell and Brian Cook.

I mean, it is infectious on that defense. And I think that the investment that the Steelers front office made. Now, again, we talk about it. Hey, show me the money. They paid, they went out and they purchased some quality, quality people that that organization really needed at the money. this point in time because last year it was so negative with all the Trey Hendrickson stuff that it kind of that rubbed off on the rest of the defense and I think that you bring in these

these powerhouse personalities who are knowledgeable of the game and you look at you know the work that Jordan Bowles done in the secondary you look at Brian Cook the seconder no team thus far has trying to throw the ball. deep. And it's because of the evaluation. And believe me, I was extremely critical of the front office before, and I have been. But what they have done and how it is showing up is incredible. I think that my hats off to the front office. They put together a defense that really, really can carry this team. There's a long season ahead of us, of course, but it's been such a promising start that it's easy to sit here and say right now that the last two times of Bengals have made major forays into free agency to rebuild their defense because the way they've rebuilt their defense in the 2021 Super Bowl run, the 2022 AFC championship run that they tried to hold on to that core for a while. Largely they built it through free agency, right?

The key additions in free agency and they appear to have done it again, the Trey Hendrickson edition versus Aboe-Mafé edition, the trade for Dexter. Lawrence being the difference this time around to go get a significant centerpiece kind of player to put in there as well as the investments they made elsewhere. We're also seeing some development wins on the defensive side of the ball, right? And that specifically is the unsung hero, Cedric Johnson, who has as a role player been incredible as a role playing piece. Had two sacks last week. And Cassius Howell, obviously, is a rookie doing everything on this defense, whether it's

dropping in coverage, playing the run-in-in-base packages, rushing the passer in nickel, allowing Boy A Mafei to kick inside in NASCAR packages where I think there were like four straight plays on Sunday that Boy A Mafet had clean wins in the NASCAR package, getting the one-on-one matchup with guards when he kicked inside, and Dexter Lawrence is still drawing the slide and drawing the attention on the other side in the trenches. And so you're getting those one-on-ones for Boye-Mafi, and he's just too explosive for Keelan Rutledge in that game.

So they can do some fun things with this defensive front. And it's a testament to, like you said, coach, the way this front office attacked free agency, the way they got aggressive with the trade acquisition for Dexter Lawrence. And so far they have to be feeling very vindicated about through a couple of games and the way he's reshaped this defense and the way that he's affected everyone around him. And you're seeing development with guys like said Johnson. You're seeing the draft pick hit with Cassius Howl. Even Bobo Davis getting on the field more.

Bengals have a couple of different nickel packages that they will use. They have a big nickel. They have a small nickel. They're having some dime stuff that we're seeing with DJ Ivy and Bobo Davis on the field against heavy receiver looks. So the impact from Dexter Lawrence to all the guys that Bengals have added and have asked to play football this year, you're seeing through two weeks. Joe Barrow this week. Go ahead, Coach. Yeah, you know what?

It is a long season. The great thing about it is. that these younger players, these role players are only going to get better, much like Miles Murphy last year. The more he played, the better he got. And I think that all these young players, as long as they have that example in Jonathan Allen and Dexter Lawrence, I think they are only going to continue to get better as the stakes start to get better. And they're going to realize how to perform, how to perform as a pro. And I think that the sky is going to be very, very high for this.

You know, I wouldn't think that game 13, this defense plays any different than what they're playing right now. I think this. Joe Burroughs said earlier this week, I was listening to the Gronkin Jewell show that they do for the NFL on Fox. And Julian Edelman asked Joe Burrow to describe Dexter Lawrence in one word. Then he paused for a second and said, huge. Yeah, no kidding. I mean, we know he's a big guy on the field, but his presence is huge. Coach, to your point, it's changed everything.

There's now a pro who's done it before in the room, not just changing the culture of the defense. It's galvanizing the entire team. I mean, you guys saw the miced-up social media clips this week. I mean, he was getting after Houston in every way possible last week. Look at the reception he got when he took the field in week one when he ran out of the locker room and did his sexy, dexy dance. He's a leader in so many ways to this team.

Oh, by the way, now he's just starting to populate the stat sheet a little bit. Yeah, I mean, he's coming into his own. I think that he has such a pro. He's been in an organization in the past. that he has seen a lot of dysfunction going on. So he understands what it takes to win, and he came to Cincinnati to win. And now that they're all performing only two games in,

but they're performing at a level that is actually on paper, and people are talking about the defense, I mean, that's got to make, you know, that's who he is. And it's got to be, they just got to keep building off of him, off of Joe Burrow, those leaders in the room. And I think that, you know, they're just going to continue to have success. This defense hasn't really had a leader like Dexter Lawrence. To your points earlier, Trey Hendrickson was a great player. He wasn't the leader that Dexter Lawrence is, right?

You know, I was reading something yesterday about how Shamar Stewart, in this rookie season, you know, Trey Hendrickson, the trickle-down effect because of what Hendrickson was going through. It trickled down in Joseph Osai. And then it goes down to Stewart and Murphy. They didn't have the proper guidance. So you didn't necessarily have to bring in an edge rusher of Hendrickson's caliber to get them going.

You needed someone at the center of your defense. Look, there's two cliches here. Defense wins championships. It starts up front. And when you have the best nose tackle in the game, who's sending the tone on defense, that set the tone last week with that fourth down stop, it rallies the entire team. Like the Bengals defense is the reason why they're playing well early. Just wait until the offense gets going.

Oh, absolutely. You know what? The great thing about it is he made that particular play. The secondary had no idea what he did until they saw it on film. and they're going, hey, check out your guy. I mean, they're back to the line of scrimmage. So, you know what, when you can be very unsung in a very loud way, that creates and really builds confidence in your total package.

Jake, how excited are you to watch Dexter Lawrence play against a 42-year-old quarterback in Aaron Rogers? And Aaron Rodgers is Aaron Rogers. We don't need to go into that. But, like, how excited are you to watch it potentially recap? havoc once again on Sunday. Yeah, I'm excited for the matchup with Pittsburgh center, Zach Frazier, who's among the best in the game. But there have been other issues for this Pittsburgh offensive line this year to the point

that they're totally, potentially reworking two positions. You could see new starters for the Steelers that right tackle, right guard in this game. And so the interesting thing to me with Dexter is how much attention he attracts, right? The Bengals should be able to get after Aaron Rogers in this game. The Steelers have had protection, significant protection issues. and the way that the Bengals looked against the Texans last week, C.J. Stroud at least has some mobility to his game, right? And Aaron Rodgers, they moving like that at this point in his career.

So if the finger on the pulse for Al Golden is as strong this week in terms of leveraging Dexter Lawrence's gravity, the fact that he's going to get the slide for some of these replacement pressures for some of the fire zones that we saw from him in week two against the Texas, they're on tape. So the Steelers will be probably a little bit more prepared. for that, but generating free runners on those four-man rushes, keeping Aaron Rogers compressed in the pocket, making him uncomfortable. And when Aaron Rogers has been uncomfortable this year, we talked about it on lockdown Bengals this week, he's just chucking it as far as he can. And he's completed zero passes when doing that. He's 0 for nine when he's trying to throw the football more than 20 yards down the field. So, yeah, Dexter Lawrence and this defensive line in this game against the Pittsburgh offensive line, that's one of the reasons that you can be reasonably confident in the Bengals in this game.

where like when Joe Burrow and the Bengals offense had the ball against the Steelers defense, it might be tough. That's going to be a difficult strength on strength matchup. You cannot say the same for Aaron Rogers and the Steelers offense. Maybe it's a get right game and I end up being wrong here. Who knows? We never know what's going to happen when these guys get on the field any given Sunday, right?

But the way the Steelers' offenses look so far, one of the worst in the NFL in the last five seasons, the way this Bengals defense has looked to start the year, making like difficult for their opponents, especially the Texans offense that was down some guys, and was a bad offense themselves. It gives you some confidence, especially in the trenches this week, that they can disrupt the game in a significant way to tilt things in Cincinnati's favor.

You know what? And I had mentioned it to Alex earlier in the week. The one thing traditionally what Mike McCarthy does not do, and it was his case with Aaron Rogers in Green Bay. And when he went to Dallas, it was the same thing. He does not give his tackles. any help. So as a young quarterback, you can move, you can do some other things to keep your eyes down the field and throw the ball. When you're a 40-year-old quarterback, you don't have the

quick twitch. And I noticed that from last week's game, boy, Aaron Rogers took some hits. And I'll tell you what, as a 40-year-old man, those aren't as good as when they were when you you were 25. No question about that. It just feels good to say that the Bengals defense has an advantage over the Steelers offense, particularly up front, because it felt like for years, we were like, well, how is the Bengals defense going to generate pressure on Bent and Rafflesburg? We don't have to worry about that necessarily going into this game. Coming up our other keys to the game on Sunday in one area that's maybe perplexing to get a read on through two games. All right, welcome to your most rewarding NFL season ever only on FanDil. How rewarding

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That feeling is what makes football so much fun. And Van Duel is adding another layer of excitement with rewards and surprises throughout the season. Make this your most rewarding season ever with Fandul. Is it Fandul.com to get started. I don't think we understand just how good Chase Brown was last week against Houston. 20 carries, 80 yards, four yards carry. If that phantom holding call on Dylan Fairchild, and I watched the replay at the game, where was the hold?

I didn't see a hold. I mean, if there's a hand in the collar, I've watched it a couple times. I can see why it was called. I could also see why maybe shouldn't have been called. It's hard to see because Dylan Fairchild does a smart thing and he wears gloves that matches Steelers jerseys, right? He's got the, or not the Texas jersey. He had the dark gloves on, he got the dark Texans jersey.

So the hand is here, I think, in the collar. If you're looking on YouTube, you can see kind of pulling on my collar. I think that's where the hand is. You can see a little bit of restrictive movement. But it's hard to tell because Eric all comes and cleans that guy out, like fractions of a second after the cold is called. But anytime you see this, if you're an official and you see the guy kind of tugging away and he's not, you know, reaching his arm out, he's not able to disengage. That's probably where the call comes from.

Yeah, it was tough. It was a pretty quick little hold and it didn't really have a material impact on the play because Eric Call is right there and he's about to put a hit on that guy that Dylan's holding. Hey, as a former O-line guy, I call BS on the call. Yeah, there you go. There you go, coach. You tell them. But the point is, look. They always say that you could call holding on every play. They don't even look at the secondary. That's where all the holdings coming. Well, the Bengals secondary certainly had at least one holding call last week, but the point is here. The Bengals guy, I feel like they can run the ball on Sunday, and I think they can have success doing it. And that's one of my keys to the game.

Run the football. You Chase Brown looks good in the early part of the season, much better than he did in the early part of last year because the bankals actually have their running game at least competent through the first two weeks coach. And that's important. Hey, you know what? there were some chunks last week, including the presumed holding call, that, you know what, there was great vision out of Chase Brown and at a P-Rine. They had very good vision in the game, and they were having chunks. And when they were doing that, a lot of it was under center, but when they were doing that,

all of a sudden it created different down-and-distance situations that I think, Joe and the play callers really had an advantage in doing that. So they know the value of running the ball. And they're doing a good job with it. They, you know, they started out in the gun last week. They started flinging it. Then all of a sudden they went under the gun. Things sent, or excuse me, they went under center.

Things started to settle down a little bit. And I think that Chate's is a big part of it. He is, I mean, very quietly, he had 80 yards. and one taken away. So you continue to do that, and it really sets up down-and-distance situations that are favorable, and you really like. And I think that, like you said,

we noticed him later in the year last year because we didn't come on until about halfway through the season. But really, this young man, the one thing we haven't seen out of him is his dynamic ability to catch the ball coming out of the backfield. Why? because Joe hasn't had to hit it. And I think the first game, he hit the tight ends, a little bit of the running backs. I think last week he really didn't need them.

This week they're going to come in big, and I think Chase Brown is only going to get better. He is motivated as well for that extension that he yearns, but he's not talking about. And I think that he's going to continue to have big days. Last week, I thought the running back room really had a very good day. That Pryan catch on third down two was also big. So Jake, one thing that stood out to me when I watched the replay of the game was Trent Green calling the game for CBS, and he's a really good color analyst, works with Kevin Harlan.

He said the Bengals have struggled in the red zone through two games. And I was thinking to myself, okay, they did kick some field goals in week one. Here's the thing. They only had one red zone possession. against Houston, they scored a touchdown on it. Jamar Chase's second to the game. Against Tampa Bay, their first two times in the red zone, they scored touchdowns. And then, yes, they kicked field goals on two possessions after that.

But their other red zone possession in that game was when they ran out the clock. So I feel like, yeah, they've had to kick some field goals. But I also feel like the red zone execution has been good. Where do you stand on it through two games? Yeah, I'm not worried about the Bengals in the Red Zone. They're a pretty good team in the red zone generally as they figure things out over the years. And talking small sample sizes for red zone execution through two games, that's really tough to draw too many conclusions from, right?

Yeah, the Bengals against the Texans were not a good down-to-down offense. They weren't consistently efficient. They weren't consistently effective. They weren't consistently moving the chains in that game. And you might need to see that from the Bengals in this game against the Steelers. That's what I was alluding to earlier. The way the Bengals won on offense against the Texans was that they found explosive plays. right? And that's what we talked about for this team all offseason. Can they rediscover the explosive play?

And while they're not leading the league in explosive play rate or anything like that, they're a heck of a lot better at this point than they were last year. There's a big uptick for the Bengals and explosive play rate, especially in the passing game. Joe Burrow found those plays to T. Higgins numerous times. So Jamar Chase for both of his touchdowns, these explosive chunk plays. And Chase Brown in week one found a handful as well. And like we've talked about, holding penalty, have one taken away in week two. And so the thing that I like about the offense right now is that they have a whole bunch of different ways to beat you. They can get hyper-efficient if that's what the game script calls for and go five to seven yards per play all the way down

the field and score a touchdown. I think we saw that a little bit against Tampa at times with some of their longer drives. And if they need to, because it's really hard to be down-to-down efficient against the top defenses in the league, and that's the Texans. And that could be the Steelers this week. Well, can you find the explosive plays when you need them? Because then you don't need the down-to-down efficiency, but you need to be able to do at least one of those things. And right now, after two weeks, the Bengals have shown the ability to do both. And not only that, we're talking about the run game and Chase Brown's ability and that he hasn't contributed as a receiver yet. And you're 100% right about that. Chase Brown has not had a first down reception as a receiver

yet. He's barely had any first down rushes yet this season, which is a surprising stat as well. Samajai P. Ryan has been the recipient of a few very important third down conversions, of course. And so some of those have gone to Samajé. But what I love about the Bengals running game early is not only its efficiency, but it's diversity. They're running out of pony personnel with two running backs on the field. They're running a bunch of different stuff from under center. They're using Eric Hall, moving him all over the place. T. Higgins has been the Bengals' best receiving blocker to the point that I posted at T. Higgins.

Highlight reel of run blocking cutups yesterday. I like what T. Higgins has done so much in the running game as a blocker, even using them as an insert blocker against the Texans last week. So the Bengals can throw the kitchen sink at you right now in offense. And that's pretty cool because it means that they can beat you in different ways, right? It doesn't necessarily have to be the hyper-efficient game or the explosive game. They can find different ways to attack to find the tool they need for the job. And that's exciting for this offense this year.

I mean, hit it right on the head right there, Jake. they have come out and they're not static. You know, where I think even though that Chase Brown had a great year last year, formationally, they were fair and personnel-wise, they were pretty static. You know, what you saw was what you were going to get. Now they've got motions. They've got bringing guys back in the backfield. They're doing things out of 12 personnel that all of a sudden now you've got a full back in

the backfield, that creates something totally different for the linebackers. And I think that they have really adapted themselves and broadened their run game instead of just wide zone and inside zone. They've created a much more conducive offense to where it takes a little bit off of the old line from just you either win and get to the second level or nothing at all. And I think that now what Jake was talking about, hey, they can beat you and they can perform with so many different personnel groupings, so many different formations and formation adjustments that I think it constantly keeps the defense, you know, a little bit on their heels and they're not quite certain. before they haven't even had that big play action game from underneath that really that's where you're going to get your really explosive plays.

And I think that that is all coming. And I think if they can just stay on course, they're going to be in very good shape. No question about that. And that goes for between the 20s and in the red zone. Of course, though, FTS, as you alluded to really, coach, feed the studs. Like this is a game where you just pepper Jamar Chase, N. Tiggins, with Target, to Pierre Joe Burrow. And then special teams.

I know Danny Smith, Steelers' special teams coordinated the last, I think, 13 years. He's now in Tampa Bay. Pittsburgh still has a really good special teams. Chris Boswell is still one of the NFL's best kickers. But the Bengals now have Evan McPherson back and maybe better than ever. Ryan Rico had some good puns last week. And then Dante Myers, coach, you talk about hidden yards.

The opening kick return, set the field position battle in the fangles favor. And then his first punt return of the second half, returned at about 15 yards, got a 15-yard penalty, move the Bengals into Houston territory. All they had to do is gain eight yards, boom, three points from McPherson, those hidden yards. It can win the battle in field position. It can win the special team's battle.

Jake, I know you don't make score predictions. Coach, I don't know if you want to make a score prediction today for Sunday? No. Okay. Jake, he crushed me. Okay. Okay. I'm right here, but I will say this.

I look at the Bengals on top by whatever means necessary. Yep. I'm going 2720 Bengals. I think Joe Burrow throws for at least 250. I think he throws for at least two touchdowns. I think the defense forces multiple turnovers in this game. They haven't gotten interception yet. Perhaps they're due on Sunday.

Maybe Brian Cook will get one. He is ready for this game. Let's just put it that way. Jake, I know you and Joe went live on your reaction show after the game last week, is that going to be the case for you two again on Sunday, following Bengals and Steelers? That'll be the plan. All right. Coach, you, me, Mike, and Evan will follow with the Bengals Squad Show.

Bengals Steelers Sunday at one, Ian Eagle, Ross Tucker and Evan Washburn with the call from actress stadium in Pittsburgh. Of course, Dan Horace, Dave Lapham, Tony Pike on the Bengals radio network. We're back on Sunday with a double dose of lockdown Bengals and Bengals' Squad show post-game additions, recapping the Bengals and the Steelers and hopefully a three. And I'll start for Jake Lisco with Jake Lisco for Coach R. Valero. I'm Alex Reggie underscore Natty for the Bengals Squad Show, part of Lockdown Mangels and the Lockdown Podcast.

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