Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - DIVISIONAL EDGE: Bengals Seek AFC North WIN as Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase Face Pittsburgh Test

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Cincinnati Bengals could open a commanding lead in the AFC North if they can get to three and O and overcome a stingy Pittsburgh defense in a game where the Bengals' own defense could feast. You are locked on Bengals, your daily Cincinnati Bengals podcast. Part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. What up, Bengals fans, and welcome to another episode of the Lockdown Bengals podcast. He's Joe Goodberry. I'm Jake.

Starting point is 00:00:32 Let's go. And we are locked on. Bengals. We're previewing the Bengals matchup in week three in Pittsburgh. The first divisional game of the season comes on the road for the Cincinnati Bengals and comes against a historically feudal version of the Pittsburgh Steelers offense. We'll talk about how the defense could continue to keep a down offense down this week. And what might happen if you wanted to paint a Steelers path to success against a Bengals defense, it has had a very strong start for the season. But Joe, let's get started with the Bengals offense this week. We started to see some signs of life

Starting point is 00:01:08 against the Houston Texans before they went into the four-minute offense mode in the fourth quarter to close out that game. You saw Joe Burrow moving better in the pocket. Evan McPherson has extended the Bengals scoring range significantly this year where he's been four of four on field goals from 50 plus yards. And this is another tough defense with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Statistically, so far this season in two weeks and you have to adjust, I think, for the level of competition has been the best defense by some metrics in the NFL. And is another pass rush that can throw bodies at you and beat you up and down the line of scrimmage.

Starting point is 00:01:44 And that's what we're thinking about is we're looking for Joe Burrow to hit his wheat three stride regardless of that level of defense that he's going to face this week. And that's a Steelers defense that hasn't had Joey Porter Jr. For the first two weeks, right? It seems like he's practicing. Now we'll see if we see him on Sunday. But that's a very good man cover corner. And he has been for at least last year and a half.

Starting point is 00:02:04 I think the Steelers defense is a little scarier. Maybe. I mean, Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter can beat you and just beat your tackles and just give your quarterback a rough day. But the Steelers have that plus waves and depth and better defensive tackle play, right? And they've got some secondary guys that can get under your skin a little bit, which affected the Bengals the last time they went to Pittsburgh. And Jamar Chase was kicked out of that game.

Starting point is 00:02:28 And that was the last time we were there. We're an orange pants too. I think Bengals were in orange this Sunday. So we'll see how that goes. But yes, the signs of life are there in Cincinnati as we expect. It's kind of funny we get at this point every year, right? It goes two weeks and oh, Zach Taylor's not running any motion or their play action rates, the second lowest in the league and whatever, the analysts want to say because the Bengals are usually

Starting point is 00:02:53 one and two or 0 and two at this point. And something has to change. This offense has to change. And then the next four weeks typically flips that narrative as everything wakes up. up and the vision starts to become clear of what they're going to be and they're going to be a hyper efficient team at doing what they do. Burroughs going to be a god reading the defense and getting the ball out quickly to the right guy with pinpoint accuracy. And I think we're getting close to that. And it was nice to see those flashes last week to remind me again that it's okay

Starting point is 00:03:22 for the offense to start slow because it's coming. And the differences here is that they've at least hit explosive plays in both games where they haven't necessarily been as efficient week to week, especially in week two against the Texans, who are going to make it very hard to be efficient for every offense in the NFL. There are opportunities for explosive against these kinds of defenses. That it might also be true for the Steelers this week. And that's going to depend a little bit on Joey Porter Jr. And the way the Steelers might change the offense, apparently Patrick Graham has two different

Starting point is 00:03:48 game plans, one for Joey Porter playing, one for Joey Porter Jr. doesn't play. And that probably is going to involve a tilt toward man or a tilt toward zone because the Steelers have been one of the zone heaviest teams in the NFL so far this year. Jamel Dean was also on the Steelers injury report. on Wednesday. He returned to practice on Thursday. He's been a significant addition to that secondary as well. But there's a big upgrade represented by Joey Porter Jr. If he does return, if he actually plays, we'll see what happens with that contract dispute. I know you guys talked about it on the crossover. You and Chris Carter did yesterday, Joe, and there's some skepticism that Joey Porter

Starting point is 00:04:24 Jr. will actually make it back onto the field as that contract dispute really has significantly deepened. I do want to correct one thing, though, Joe, they are not wearing. orange pants this weekend in Pittsburgh. They are wearing white shirts, black pants, orange stripes, according to reporting from Jay Morrison on the Bengals talk website. So no orange pants where- I saw an old TikTok then. Do you ever get that? I like I thought it was new, but whatever. I don't look at TikTok. Most Bengals fans, according to Jay Morrison, will not miss the orange pants in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati's two and seven while wearing the orange pants, including a four game losing streak.

Starting point is 00:05:04 So if you're one of those Jersey stishing kind of people out there, the Bengals not wearing the orange pants. And this one maybe it gives them a slightly better chance. But as we evaluate how the Bengals can get further on track against Pittsburgh, obviously a lot of that is going to involve T. Higgins, Jermar Chase. Andre Yosevash is going to go on Indra Reserve. So we'll maybe see an expanded role for Dante Myers, for Colby Young in this offense. is Andre Yosevash will not be around for the next four to six weeks.

Starting point is 00:05:32 And maybe it'll just be more tight ends. Maybe it'll be more Chase Brown as a receiver as well. And it looks like you have another idea you want to contribute to. Yeah, because Jalen Ramsey is basically an inside defender now. He doesn't play on the boundary at all that anymore this year. He is a slot or kind of safety or middle of the field defender when they go to dime. So yeah, that's slot position and what they do with it because Yoshi was in the slot, about 64% of the time.

Starting point is 00:05:55 So far this year, Jamar, about 30%. Are they going to try. and keep them away from Ramsey or are you just keeping them away from the boundary corners those guys are good too if they're both playing yeah if it's jemelle dean and joy porter junior that's a pretty good corner tandem and the bengals just saw a pretty good quarter to corner tandem in houston as well and they came out of that one pretty okay i would say i'm interested to see the run game this week we've seen the bengals be able to run the ball on this pittsburgh sealers defense in the past but new defensive coordinator maybe it's a little bit different in terms of the way they're

Starting point is 00:06:26 using their front because this is a really good front for Pittsburgh, right? It's not just the three guys on the edge. They also have three guys on the interior with Keanu Benton taking a step. Cameron, Hayward continuing to be an ageless wonder of a defensive tackle who can create problems for you. And Derek Harmon in his second year is showing that he's taking a bit of a step in the right direction too. So that entire Steelers front can be a problem. The Steelers second level of defense, the linebackers, feels like that should be something that the Bengals, are able to pick on. And I think there's an opportunity with some of these other players that aren't

Starting point is 00:07:02 Joy Porter Jr., Jamel Dean, or Jalen Ramsey in the secondary for the Bengals to make some plays if they can target those guys as well. But if Joe Burrow is becoming more of the Joe Burrow that we're used to, we should expect this offense to start to perform at a higher level. If he's navigating the pocket better, finding his escape lanes better, getting through his reads quickly, getting the ball to where it needs to be quickly, this defense should to be challenging, yes, and we're going to be microscope on the left tackle spot, right? And what are they doing to help Orlando Brown this week?

Starting point is 00:07:34 Because there are a bunch of edge rushers that can be a problem over there. But I'm looking at the run game to start here, Joe, because there have been some really strong signs for this run game that it can be a useful piece for this offense and can be a real weapon to try to protect the passing game from being in these straight dropback situations where opposing teams can pin their ears back. The Bengals really haven't been in those spots all year. They've been playing with the lead pretty much the entire season so far. Yeah, and the Patriots ripped off some good runs.

Starting point is 00:08:03 Traviann Henderson had a nice one up the middle, about a 40-yard touchdown, straight up the middle. And I think you're right by alluding to the linebackers there. Patrick Wilson or Peyton Wilson, I'm sorry, and Patrick Queen are athletic linebackers, but you can get them out of position, Queen especially. I think he kind of goes rogue more often than he should for how much weight his name carries. I don't think he's that good at all. But as much as we've talked about the Steelers defense here,

Starting point is 00:08:29 I just want to remind people that when this Bengals offense gets going, it doesn't matter who the defenses. It doesn't matter who the corners are. It doesn't matter who the pass rush is. We've gone against teams that have suffocating pass rushes with worse offensive lines. And Burroughs still gets it out on time, takes multiple sacks.

Starting point is 00:08:47 We don't want that to happen. I'm just saying you can survive those games. I think Steelers are going to give you a tough matchup. And we're starting this first 10 minute, this first segment here saying it's going to be tough. This is going to be tough. But the Bengals' offense is going to be good. That's because the real juicy parts is everything else here. This Steelers offense is so down bad, Jake, that I think it's fun to talk about from our perspective,

Starting point is 00:09:09 because we don't get that too often. Yeah. But it's also very enticing. I want to talk a little bit more about what we can expect the Bengals offense to do in this game from an approach perspective. I want to get your thoughts there, Joe. and then we obviously have to talk about the comic act that the Steelers offense has been so far this year. Statistically, turn on the tape. It is extremely ugly for Aaron Rogers and Mike McCarthy right now.

Starting point is 00:09:35 But I do want to get your thoughts, Joe, a little bit more on like how you think the Bengals should be attacking in this game. And we'll get to that coming up next. We're on week three of a new football season, and we still have questions. like are the Bengals going to ride this hot start all the way to a division crown in the AFC North? Who's going to take home the title in February? And Cal She is America's number one prediction market platform. They'll let you trade those predictions in a live market.

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Starting point is 00:12:17 Will we see more Kobe Young? I think it's worthy of a conversation. Some people believe Yoshi doesn't matter at all. I have made the case that, hey, his blocking and his vertical speed and his ability to run these clear out routes does help get these other guys open. But I think we get a chance to find out if it actually matters. And could the Bengals get better on offense when you have a guy like Dante Myers that can win laterally, can win after the catch and provide some yak opportunities, provide some

Starting point is 00:12:44 creativity? Kobe Young, if you're putting Chase in the slot and putting Colby Young on the outside, he's a better 50-50 guy than Yoshi really has ever been. That's an area he has struggled in contested situations. Or is it just Mike Aseki doing his thing who seems like a serviceable player who understands what Burrough needs? I think there is opportunity here to, number one, see if it matters if Yoshi's out there. And then number two, to potentially get better finding these answers because we don't

Starting point is 00:13:07 expect Yoshi to be here next year, could have that opportunity to do that. I think the big thing is Andre's understanding of his role in the offense, right? And their trust in his ability to execute his role in the offense, whether it's making sure you're releasing inside versus outside on those clear out routes to maintain adequate spacing for Jamar Chase when Jamar's a primary target, right? Because what, Andre has four targets or something this year. He's hardly been a part of the offense as a receiver or as a person handling the football and actually gaining you yards because the Bengals are drawing stuff up for Andre, Yosevash. No matter the matchup,

Starting point is 00:13:41 they're trying to get the ball to their top end playmaker. and Andre is probably fifth in that pecking order behind Jamar Chase, behind T. Higgins, behind Chase Brown, behind Mike Keseki. And so despite all of that, Andre has 71 snaps on offense this year to Mike Keseke's 42, to Dante Myers 21, to Kobe Young's 19. So he's playing a fair amount more than those guys. And I think that speaks to his ability to do those little things that aren't going to show up in the box score that just keep the offense on schedule, keep things moving smoothly

Starting point is 00:14:11 for those guys around him. And so when you talk about replacing Andre in some of those clear out routes, for example, right, that's probably going to be more of a Colby Young role. If they're talking about replacing some of the slot snaps where the Bengals maybe feel like they can put Jamar in the slot a little bit more this week, maybe they just go to more 12 personnel, putting two tight ends on the field. Maybe they do go to more 13 personnel. And Mike Keseki gets some of those snaps.

Starting point is 00:14:36 I would be surprised. Maybe it's just a fake 12 personnel where Mike Keseki is the extra receiver on those plays. But there is a lot of potential responsibility for those guys to fill that previously the Bengals were asking Andre to do. Now we get to find out if someone can do it better if that answer to be future wide receiver three is on the roster. And it seems like the biggest opportunity might be for Kobe Young this week. If he does get a bigger chunk of the game plan here, if they can trust him to do the blocking and vertical work that Andre was previously doing, even though he doesn't have that kind of speed, I'll be interested. see if this is kind of a, all right, Colby, here's an opportunity for you to have a bit of an

Starting point is 00:15:17 expanded role this week. We're going to get you 20 snaps instead of 10. And what does that look like for him? Does he get a couple of targets in there? Does he quit himself well as a blocker where, by the way, T. Higgins has been awesome. I tweeted a T. Higgins run blocking highlight reel this week. So it will be very interesting to see how they go about this, but 12 personnel has been a place where the Bengals have thrived this year, whether it's fake 12 or real 12, meaning Drew Sample and Eric goal or Mike Gaseki kind of being that fake 12 more of a wide receiver than a second tight end. It's been a place where the Bengals have really performed this year. I was asked this question earlier on the Discord for subscribers in the everyday air club.

Starting point is 00:15:53 And they asked, do we consider Gosecchi a 12 personnel guy? We know he's a receiver. And I said, well, it depends on how the defense reacts to him. I think the Bucks played nickel against Gosecchi, that 12 personnel, 25% of the time. So, yeah, that's kind of a tight end. and there were some obvious passing situations. That's why they'd put a nickel out there. But on the neutral situations, they treated them as a tight end.

Starting point is 00:16:17 And I thought that was interesting and what gave him so many advantages down the field as well. But then the Texans were completely in nickels all the time. And they're not going to move. So you really don't get a good gauge of that. So yeah, I think that's something we'll have to figure out as we go. I do think if there's a weakness also, I just want to before we go to the offense on the Steelers, Rishon Jenkins. So when they go to their nickel and Ramsey is in the slot or even,

Starting point is 00:16:39 that linebacker at times. Rayshon Jenkins is the safety that comes in there. And he's the guy I think you can pick on a little bit, but they put him deep more than anything. I think this is going to be a day where the receivers are going to have to beat these corners in these one-on-one situations, much like last week. You're going to get a ton of them. I mentioned that the Steelers play a ton of quarters. I think it's the highest rate in the league. And that which means you're going to get one-on-one on the outside. And these guys got to win like they did against Texans. And we saw that the Bengals, Joe Burroughs, J. Marcee, C. Higgins were not afraid of attacking those matchups. Joe delivered some sensational vertical throws in this game. The T. Higgins catch

Starting point is 00:17:13 kind of goes by the wayside because of Jemar Chase's incredible touchdown catch this weekend. But both the second touchdown pass to Jemar where Joe scrambling, he's on the run, is a pinpoint throw that I think is underrated in general by the masses. The throw to T on the sideline, also ridiculous back shoulder stuff. And that's on Derek Singley, who we know is a very, very good corner in this league. the running game I'm very interested to see for the Bengals this week. The Steelers do look like they've made some strides as a run defending team. They also haven't faced particularly potent running attacks.

Starting point is 00:17:49 You mentioned the Patriots were able to chunk off some yards in the run game last week. So the Bengals can do that again this week. That goes a long way in slowing down the TJ Watts, Kianu, Benton's, Alex Highsmiths of the world who can't create problems. But boy, do we feel good about a Mario Smiths once again, holding down at least one side here and giving you a pretty clear idea of where you might need to provide some help to Orlando Brown, who had a harder time on at least a few reps, although I will point out, Joe, and then we'll go to the defense. Joe Burroughs comments in his presser this week, he specifically mentioned, and he's being a good teammate here, I know. He specifically mentioned, like, those sacks aren't entirely on Orlando.

Starting point is 00:18:29 I thought Orlando playbos, what Joe Burroughs said. And I think what he's referring to there are two wide receiver chips that led to sacks. One of them where Dante Myers, didn't get anything on the eddresser. And one of them where I think it was Andre got a little bit too much. Too much. Yep. And, and knocks them to an inside path straight to the quarterback. So that's the problem with Chip.

Starting point is 00:18:48 Sometimes it does make your tackles look a lot worse than they otherwise. What if they're just taking normal pass sets? Orlando did get beat as well. I'm not saying it was good for Orlando. I'm just saying there's a kernel of truth and some nuance. You said this that Joe Burrow brings up. You brought it up during the film review when we were watching. You said, I wouldn't be shocked if the O line and the O line coach in that room was like,

Starting point is 00:19:07 yeah, that's not a sack on Orlando, maybe a half responsibility for not seeing it and not being able to adjust, but the chip help there was critical. Yeah, that's a tough thing with chips. It's hard to get really consistent path to your- Why sometimes they don't do them. Willie Anderson has said he didn't like it when they would chip because he couldn't, he couldn't predict what they were going to do. Yeah. And there are other things you can do to help that aren't chips, just like having a tight end there to alter the path of the edge rusher using Drew sample to just stay in. And and pass protect for a minute before like kind of a slip block more than a chip in release more of a slip kind of approach yeah there's some other things that the bengals can do and we'll see what the

Starting point is 00:19:45 approach is this week we'll see if they go back to the split back stuff i don't think we've seen any of that yet this year they'd like to do that against the ravens last year quite a bit where they put a running back and drew sample in the back field and i think that's more to help sort out blitzing but let's talk about this bengles defense in this matchup joe because the steelers offense has been dreadful this year this is where i think a lot of the fun is so like if you think strength on strength Bengals' Offense Dealer's defense. You have strength on potential weakness here for Bengals' defense, Steelers' offense through two weeks, and that could be fun if this defense is what we think

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Starting point is 00:21:17 slash lockdown. That's ODO.com slash lockdown. Welcome to your most rewarding NFL season ever only on fan duel. How rewarding are we talking about? More rewarding than a touchdown with time expiring. More rewarding than an 18 point comeback. Maybe even more rewarding than an offensive lineman catching a touchdown this season. Banduel is making the excitement go beyond what happens on the field with the all new Bandual Rewards Club featuring exclusive offers, surprises, and more. Every week, check the Fanduel app to see what's waiting for you. And is it more rewarding than seeing division rival fire a coach after not having a losing season for what 15 plus years and then run a week training camp and now they come out of the gates really weak on offense? That'd be tough

Starting point is 00:22:00 to beat actually. Make this your most rewarding season ever with Fan Duel. Visit Fan Duel. Visit dot com to get started today. Joe, I know you've done a lot of work figuring out the statistical anemia, let's say, of this Pittsburgh Steelers defense. There are some challenges that they could oppose if they choose to lean into certain personnel packages. And there are some players that could be problems. You're still probably looking to attack the Bengals linebackers if you're Mike McCarthy

Starting point is 00:22:29 and Aaron Rogers in this one. But they've been really, really bad. It's not like the Patriots have world beaters on defense. It's certainly not like Atlanta has world beaters on defense. And despite that, it's been a very rough start. So they're having a bit of an identity crisis is what I wrote for my article that usually drops on Friday with some data dumps and stuff like that. But they're having an identity crisis because Mike McCarthy really likes 11 personnel,

Starting point is 00:22:55 spread it out. He and Aaron Rogers really perfected that during the 2015 to 2020 era. And they're really good. And it's not that good anymore. It's hard to just be a stagnant offense or the lowest team in pre-snap motion. Bengals are down there as well, but the Bengals have Joe Burrow, T. Higgins, Jamar Chase, a little bit of a different scenario, right? The Rogers-led offense is trying to do all this 70% of the time, 11 personnel.

Starting point is 00:23:20 Meanwhile, they're 32nd in EPA when they're using 11 personnel. So it's not working. They also like to, when they run the ball, 63% of the time, they are running a zone concept, and they're 29th in the league in EPA. So these are the things they're leaning on. They are very, very bad at it. And they are forcing it. And when you watch it, there are some bad cutups on tape and bad concepts and bad.

Starting point is 00:23:43 I don't know what the answer is. Like there's bootlegs where Rogers is turning and there's no one there. There's play actions and he's lifting his head up. And there's one play in particular, D.K. Metcalf is supposed to be jet motioning across the other side of the formation and he's going to leak out. He hits the pulling guard. And now there's no one for Rogers to throw it to and he kind of just chucks it. And Rogers right now is throwing downfield at an incredibly high rate when he's getting pressured on third downs. This third down rate as a team, they're terrible.

Starting point is 00:24:12 They're converting about 27%, which is worse than the league. But when he's getting pressured, he's just chucking it downfield. And he's chucking it in the contested situations, situations that are very hard to complete. So hard, he is 0 for nine on 20-yard throws right now. And that's their offense. And so much that we want to add EPA to it, they're losing a point in a half. every time he throws it deep right now, and he's done it nine times. He's taken about 14 points off the board so far this year just by chucking it downfield when no one's there. It's a sight

Starting point is 00:24:42 to behold. They have been pretty good attacking the middle of the field, I would say, Aaron Rogers on the intermediate part of the field between the numbers is five of nine for 80 yards. That's nine yards per attempt. When he's throwing short, he's going six yards for attempt, completing 81% of his passes in the short middle part of the field. And that's where he's graded best by PFF. The Steelers have three drops on those throws. The Steelers, I think, lead the league and EPA lost to drops I saw this week. Now, that wouldn't do much to help. Aaron Rogers overall stat line. He would still be one of the bottom quarterbacks in the NFL, even with no drops. But the drops haven't helped. That's something that is specifically something

Starting point is 00:25:21 that you'll have to watch with D.K. Metcalf, who has had significant drop issues through a couple of games this week or this year. So I do wonder if there is the, so the answers from the Steelers this week that we're seeing are potential offensive line changes where they're working in new right tackle potentially, new right guard potentially. Pressure has been an issue. But hope that the Bengals will be able to continue to make pressure an issue, although Jonathan Allen did not appear to be practicing on Thursday, which is something that we're

Starting point is 00:25:52 really going to have to watch, especially BJ Hill doesn't get back this week. Jonathan Allen and Dexter Lawrence have been a great combination this year. And so I do think the Bengals would really miss Jonathan Allen if he can't play this week. But the waves that are still there on the edges and the Bengals have the depth on the interior, I think, to at least hold up, even if they're not making as many plays if Jonathan Allen is out. Because Dexter Lawrence can do it on his own quite frequently. And there is at least good depth on the roster of that position. But if the Steelers do choose to lean into 12 personnel,

Starting point is 00:26:25 out and choose to be honest with themselves about where the strengths of this offense are. Michael Pittman also making his way back this week. Maybe that will push them back toward 11 and keep them in 11. That could be interesting because the part of the field that you want to attack if you're opposing offenses, the linebackers in the middle of the field, at second level, third level between the linebackers and the safeties in front of the linebackers. Make those guys be in the right place at the right time. make those guys tackle.

Starting point is 00:26:56 That's where I think if you're Aaron Rogers, you should be looking this week as a passing offense. What about their running offense, Joe? Is it just as just as bad? Yeah, they have a 68% run block win rate, which is 31st in the league based on ESPN's metrics and however they do it. They also this year, listen to this one.

Starting point is 00:27:18 It's a fun stat that may want to sit on it. So I'm kind of letting it slow play here. they have eight yards rushing before contact through two games this year. Eight yards before contact. Like they are getting at the line a ton. And so the offensive linemen do need some switching up because on paper, there's a lot of guys I like, but Spencer Anderson was killing him.

Starting point is 00:27:39 And even though what is his name, Dylan Cook at right tackle, he's graded really well from PFF. Like there's another, no, this guy I watched him. And he's not, there's times he's not even blocking the blitz or the blitz was the big thing. I think they struggled to pick it up. They are 32nd in the league when defense is blitz right now in EPA per play. The Bengals only blitz 12% of the time, which is pretty low. But right now the Bengals blitz on defense is number one in EPA.

Starting point is 00:28:02 So you've got the chance to send a couple of timely blitzes and make a play here. Yeah. So about when you dial them up to get the, I mean, part of this is I think Aaron Rogers minus 42 yard sack fumble recovery is included in that EPA per play number. And that's going to be a very big. How much could you lose on that play? I actually would like to look that up. What do you think that's minus great?

Starting point is 00:28:21 It probably goes from like maybe three to zero. So probably at most would be would be zero. It's not like a pick six where you can lose 10 expected points. But yeah, looking at their running back stats, Rico Dowdell averaging two and a half yards per carry, two of those yards per carry coming after contact. Jalem Warren, who's had some practice issues this week. He's not practicing Thursday.

Starting point is 00:28:42 Is that right? Do you also two days for Dowdo. One for Warren. Maybe Warren was back on Thursday. I can't remember. I should have that up in front of me. but 4.2 yards per carry for Jalen Warren, who has given the Bengals some issues in the past.

Starting point is 00:28:55 He's the better back. So too did Kenny Gaywell, who's no longer there. 3.5 of those yards out of the 4.2 coming after contact. So some issues there. The Steelers trying to reconfigure some things. I wouldn't be surprised as some of these guys come back from injuries as they're trying to press to figure things out a little bit too.

Starting point is 00:29:13 I do think this is a little bit of a crisis moment for the Steelers. They're going to come out like a, you know, rabid dog back to the corner, whatever it is, but I'm not sure how much it'll matter. Like there's a path to the Steelers winning if they can get them one of their tight ends a ton, if they can, you know, create crazy havoc plays on defense, right? But the talent disparity through two weeks and it's only two weeks, so small sample size caveat supply, looks like it tilts significantly in the Bengals' favorite. I'm going to give you one last data point then just to chew on as we are entering

Starting point is 00:29:40 the last bit here. Aaron Rogers on third downs this year, 11 dropbacks. He has two completions on third downs. It has been like the concepts are really. bad, Jake. They're really elementary. Nobody's open. It's thrown into contested and tight windows at some of the highest rate in the league. It's not good, especially when your number one receiver turns like a boat and really does not catch the ball really well. It's a tough watch. I can't remember if it was Nate Tice or Mina Kines. It was one of those national shows that I actually

Starting point is 00:30:09 watch every week that was describing the Rogers office. It looks like 2015 offense, like the cutting edge of 2015 offense, like a lot of RPO's and the way that I was on that. I was on that then. I didn't see that. And that's what I said. Yeah. It's a lot of what Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rogers did the last time they were good, which is not really what's working in the NFL right now. And we'll see what adjustments they make this week. And we'll be back with you here after the game on lockdown Bengals to cover whatever happens. What we're expecting and hoping is a Bengals strong start to the season continuing in Pittsburgh.

Starting point is 00:30:43 Important early road divisional matchup here this week. Until then, thanks for listening to this. episode of the lockdown bengals podcast ho day and have a good one

Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - DIVISIONAL EDGE: Bengals Seek AFC North WIN as Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase Face Pittsburgh Test

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