Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - Film Takes: Flacco turns in vintage performance with Bengals' star WRs | Can defense CATCH UP?

Starting point is 00:00:00 We've made fun of the question. Is Joe Flacco Elite for far too long? Joe Flacco is elite. Let's break down the film takes. 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, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day.

Starting point is 00:00:31 I'm Jake. Let's go joined today by Mike's Antagona, our resident, film expert breaking down the film for us on lockdown Bengals every week watching coaches clinics in his spare time. I've been hosting this show since 2019 and this is your best one-stop shop anywhere on the internet for all things Bengals from the film analysis to the post game shows to the previews and the crossovers. We've got you covered here every day on Lockdown Bengals.

Starting point is 00:00:58 Shout out to the everydayers who heard James Rapine and I make the joke last Wednesday or maybe Tuesday afternoon, depending on when you listen about Joe Flacco keeping it on a read option. Joe Flacco kept it on Thursday on the read option. We're going to break down Joe Flacco's game. What was so good about it? What was working for this Bengals offense? Zach Taylor calling a game that worked against the Pittsburgh Steelers with Joe Flacco executing at a high level of run game working. Chase Brown with the second highest average yards per carry in Bengals history was the

Starting point is 00:01:33 the stat I saw on Friday behind Corey Dillon for minimum 10-carry game. So a nice game for Chase Brown, some explosive plays out there in both phases of the offense. And man, what's going on with this defense? The issues that still need to be fixed on the defense are where we will get at the end of the show. DJ Turner is excused from this criticism. And DJ Turner continuing the heater he's on. But Mike, let's start with Joe Flacco. So it seemed to be a relatively simple game plan from the Cincinnati Bengals.

Starting point is 00:02:05 You get man, throw a slant. You get Zone, throw an out route. There's a lot of that. The Bengals are very successful. I think it was like a 67% success rate targeting slants in this game. It was a 60% success rate on outrouts, I think, for the Bengals in this game, those numbers from True Media. But it looked kind of simple, kind of repetitive.

Starting point is 00:02:26 What did you think the Bengals came into this game expecting to get and expecting to try to do to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Yeah, it feels like they know the Pittsburgh Steelers defense and they're going to try to win with their pass rush. They're going to really play a lot of single high. This is one of the teams that even when Burroughs in there will play single high and it's kind of old school. They've kind of got that Tomlin.

Starting point is 00:02:48 Not a lot of teams are going to end up with your fourth end, Jack Sawyer, covering Noah Fant down the sideline. Well, I guess the Bengals on that one Peel play might have. But this is like by design, they end up having ends and linebackers in these spots and it felt like they played it as it went because i i do think early on there were some struggles too like the game they started out down 10 nothing and they had hit a cute hit a few bumps in the road but it felt like the main the main part of the game plan to me was a little bit's under center stuff and not just

Starting point is 00:03:24 oh go under center like jake browning like when they tried to just send him under center and then we'll just run an offense off that. There's kind of an artistry to it. And you see it with Joe Flacco. Like the footwork on straight dropbacks, quick game, standard five-step drops out of under center to keep the defense in a single high because they know we go under center. They're going to go single high to match this. And then also, a lot of packaged plays in this game as well, which are you have a run call.

Starting point is 00:03:54 But if you have a good look, your rider receiver runs a slant or a now-sense. slant or just something access, bubble, screen, just like sits there and catches the ball. And Rogers ran a few of these two. It's kind of like in lost art of the under center quarterback. That was a lot of the plays that ended up being completed to both Chase and a couple of Higgins as well. But mainly Chase, I think, it's just those going under center. This is a called run. Oh, they're playing off coverage again, outside leverage.

Starting point is 00:04:22 All right, we're just going to throw a slant here. Just every single time you do that, I've got the thing to beat you. And I think that's something that I can't think of too many modern quarterbacks that run package plays under center. We see this is a run block from the offensive line. This is a run play from the running back. But there's one route and the guy just takes the ball, takes a step back and throws that route. And it was very successful to the point that Zach Taylor after the game is talking about how he was excited to see what percentage of their passing guards came on called running plays. because a lot of that stuff, Joe Flacco, recognizing,

Starting point is 00:04:57 hey, I've got a free release for Jemar Chase, I'm just going to throw it to him in space and let him go make a guy miss and gain eight yards. And then that worked on a running play, on a cold running play. So like you said, the offensive line run blocking, running back, expecting to get the ball, and then Joe Flacco is just taking a step,

Starting point is 00:05:15 throwing the ball, mostly to Jumar Chase. And Jammar Chase, racking up 23 targets in this game. And one of the things we talked about when the Bengals acquired Joe Flacco was, Joe Flacco probably knows where the ball should go. The ball should probably go 33 times out of 47 to 10s. You know those guys who are paying all those millions of dollars to. If you're the Cincinnati Bengals,

Starting point is 00:05:37 and it was a successful game plan for the Bengals. Some other on numbers here as I look at the splits on targeted routes. Against Zone, all five of the hitches that Joe Flacco threw. against Steelers came against zone coverage of some way, shape, or form 80% success rate for the Bengals on hit rates, hitch rates, hitchhouts against the Steelers, on screen, 100% success rate for the Bengals on screens. Every single screen the Bengals ran picked up at least five yards, which isn't the definition of success rate, but the first screen of the game was a successful screen alert for the Cincinnati Bengals, was an eight-yard play for Jamar Chase on a first down.

Starting point is 00:06:19 We had a seven-yard play for Jamar Chase on first time. We had a five-year-old play for Jamar Chase on first down and a five-year play for Jamar Chase on second down. You might be noticing a theme here as we're talking about the passing game that there's a lot of Jamar Chase that's coming up in these splits. But what else was it, Mike? Was it a lack of adjustment from the Steelers that that was something that Kirk Curves Street talked about during the broadcast like, hey, maybe play inside leverage on these slants

Starting point is 00:06:48 you're giving up all day? Well, but then maybe they just go. to an outbreaker. What else was working for Flacco here? Was it because he was getting rid of the ball quick, right? And so he's getting through his reads. He's figuring out where the ball should go quickly.

Starting point is 00:07:04 Is that as much of this as anything? Yeah, I think that's going to be part of it. That's why I think it helps the offensive line when you're able to play that quick at quarterback. He had an average time of throw of 2.44 seconds. He still ended up pressured on 24 and a half percent of his dropbacks, which not terrible, but also, might have been a little bit of Flacco working through some throws while being hit,

Starting point is 00:07:27 moving around the pocket a tiny bit. That's what I was seeing to make that not affect him. I can think of the one time I think they did make a good adjustment in Pittsburgh was the double double play. It's just like third down, you are not beating us to Jamar Chase and T. Higgins. We're going to send double teams to both those guys. I actually think there was a window for Higgins on that play, but that wasn't thrown.

Starting point is 00:07:47 He throws the ball deep to Andre Yosivas, who beats Darius Slay down the field. And other than that play, I can't think of too many times that the Steelers were thinking, yeah, let's go inside leverage, press, jam, Jamar, and just have a safety play over the top. They have the guys for it in my mind. They've got Joey Porter Jr. You've got Jalen Ramsey that can try this, not that they'll be successful, but they could try and they're physical guys.

Starting point is 00:08:12 And they just, that's where I think the adjustment thing didn't happen. It felt like they were happy to just give up these access RPO's and try to go make. the tackle, but that's a tough guy to tackle. And so I thought it was a bit of a lack of adjustments, and the Bengals were able to just keep hammering. I mean, you look at what happened in the game. It just felt like they just kept going, I'm not going to stop this until you make me stop. And the Steelers never did.

Starting point is 00:08:37 Yeah. Very effective game plan in general. It seemed like anything the Bengals really wanted after those first couple drives, which included a couple drops on the second drive between Chase Brown and Andre Yosovash. could have kept that drive, potentially going, scoring. And the Steelers tackling in this game. Credit the Bengals for making some guys missed.

Starting point is 00:08:57 The Bengals running backs in this game combined to force 10 missed tackles. And that's seven for Chase Ryan, according to PFF. Three for Samajapurine, according to PFF. Pittsburgh on the whole missed 16 tackles in this game. And we're going to spend some time later in this show talking about the Bengals tackling issues. The Bengals missed fewer.

Starting point is 00:09:19 11 missed tackles. 25 total miss tackles in this game. Jamar Chase, of course, contributing to the mistackles forced as well with three broken tackles, according to PFF charting, two for T. Higgins, and one for Chase Brown in the receiving game as well.

Starting point is 00:09:37 So a nice day for the Bengals weapons, showing off a nice day for Zach Taylor, figuring out what works, the game plan working pretty quick in this game. Yeah, they didn't score in the first quarter, but there were some opportunities there. And so it was nice to see the offense coming together a little bit in the run game coming together. We'll talk about that run game and what we saw from this offensive line coming up next.

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Starting point is 00:12:03 That's code locked on NFL for $50 in lineups after your first $5 lineup prize picks. It's good to be right. Mike, let's talk about this offensive line, this run game. Joe Flacko was getting rid of the ball quickly, like you said. Hayward had his share of wins. The guards had their share of struggles, I think, in this game. And Joe Flacco, despite all of that, despite what we talked about with the Steelers' pass rush challenge and the challenge they would present in the run game as well, the Bengals found a tremendous amount of success in the run game this week. And Joe Flacco only took two sacks, managing the pocket

Starting point is 00:12:45 at a high level. How much of this is Joe Flacco in the pocket? How much of this is Chase Brown and Samajai P. Ryan is out there juke and dudes. It's that kind of day in the run game versus what did we see from the offensive line to compliment the way those guys played? Yeah, I want to give credit to the offensive line a little bit. I think this was one of their better run blocking performances. I mean, especially if you go back to like what this looked like when it was the game against the Minnesota Vikings where you're looking at it's like, I don't this doesn't even

Starting point is 00:13:17 look like an NFL run game. to this game and they're pretty solid unit but i think as as maligned as and rightfully as he's been i think for his performance so far as here got also give drew sample some credit when it goes right and he's making some good blocks and the receivers are making good blocks and you got to give credit to zach taylor in this scenario who to me coached like his job was on the line with the way he was working some tendency breakers i've talked a lot about how they run this one motion with a tight end that comes across and then stops right near the tackle on the opposite of the way he was side and they just always run power or just something to that side of the formation.

Starting point is 00:13:54 They ran wide zone opposite of that twice in this game and both them went for 10 plus yards. One went for the longest round of the season up to that point, then beaten later on by a duo rep where the blocky wasn't good. There was missed assignments and Jace Brown's just awesome sometimes. So I think you give the offensive line the credit where it's due. Like this was a solid performance from them, which to be honest, that's one of the best performances as they've given is to be solid in both the run and pass game. But then also credit where it's due where Drew Sample played a good game blocking.

Starting point is 00:14:26 And Zach Taylor dressed up his run game really well. I think Joe Flacco can even get a little bit of credit too because some of those package plays where he's throwing the ball, probably not good run looks if you're having that good of a pass look. So that's part of the reason that you have that in there. I think credit is due all around, really. But yeah, the offensive line played pretty well. I think the offensive tackles and pass protection too.

Starting point is 00:14:48 It was a good game from them. I know T.J. Watt ended up with one sack, but I mean, I take that. I think her. According to next-gen stats, it was two pressures on 25 one-on-one reps for Marius Mims and T.J. Watt. I think he got a lot of like early hands, but nothing like major chips where he's just sitting there while the tight ends beating up T.J. Watt. it's just kind of like, well, let's just limit his get off a little bit. So there is a game plan in there. It wasn't, the gameplay wasn't.

Starting point is 00:15:21 Amarius, it's all you. It's all you. You're one-on-one completely. Wide 9 T.J. Watt. So I think the game plan helped a tiny bit, but great performance from him. Great performance from Orlando Brown on the opposite side. I know Nick Herbig did some damage, but to me, a lot of that came when he got to go play spinner roll and go rush against Dalton Risder, Ted Karris, and Jalen Rivers, too.

Starting point is 00:15:42 And that's where Cam Hayward did his damage as a pass rusher. I thought they were the two best pass rushers and where they did their damage was up the middle. There's a little bit on the outsides, but to me, the tackles played pretty well past protection-wise. And I thought, I saw some pretty good Orlando Brown run blocking reps too for a guy that doesn't move super well. Joe Flacco did a lot to mitigate the potential pressure issues,

Starting point is 00:16:05 the throw to Andre Yosevash, which we should probably highlight and discuss what happened on that play. he's getting hit as he's throwing that ball. PFF graded the pass protection harshly, especially in true pass set situations. Nobody higher than a 56 in true pass set situations according to PFF. They got Amarius giving up four pressures.

Starting point is 00:16:27 On the day, they've got Orlando Brown with two, Jalen Rivers with three, Donald Reiser with two, and Ted Karris with two, or with one. All of these in true pass set situations, most of the guys in the 40s. Drew Sample on his few pass blocking reps was blocking well.

Starting point is 00:16:44 The running backs picked up pressures well in this game. But Joe Flacco deserves, I think, a lot of credit for getting rid of the ball quickly for a lot of this game. And the average time to throw on slant routes below two seconds and they threw six slants in this game. So that's pretty quick. The average time to throw on go routes in this game. Sorry, there were nine slants.

Starting point is 00:17:09 On the average time to throw on the six go. routes that Joe Flacco throw in this game, two seconds, 2.05 second time to throw in this game for Joe Flacco. The overall average time to throw, according to what I've got in front of me here, 2.1 second time to throw for Joe Flacco in this game. So ball coming out real quick. I think that helped.

Starting point is 00:17:28 But that's that synergy, right? The veteran approach to the game from Joe Flacco, the pocket awareness, pocket management, feel for timing, feel for when the ball should be out, which is why I end up going back to Joe Flacco again here and giving the guy a ton of credit, he played an excellent football game. We've talked a lot about the scheme that went in around it,

Starting point is 00:17:48 the way that guys were performed around him, and Jumar Chase was obviously awesome in this game, got open consistently against what the Steelers have to feel as their best group of corners that they've had in the Jumar Chase era. The plays that T. Higgins made against Jalen Ramsey and against Zone and putting on the Jets for his own touchdown. Noah Fant coming alive in this game a little bit, catching a touchdown, taking a ball for a big run-after-fetched play.

Starting point is 00:18:14 But a lot of this just keeps going back to Joe Flacco, understanding what the Steelers are trying to do, understanding when the ball should be out, and throwing the ball, for the most part, really accurately, to the Bengals' talented playmakers. And part of getting the ball out so quick is also, you talk about Steelers' defense making changes. Another change they should have made, probably,

Starting point is 00:18:34 is disguising their coverage a little bit. Because when you didn't hear Patrick Queen talking about, how excited they were about their disguises before the game maybe do a little better disguises if Joe Flacco is able to just read read ball throw ball repeatedly first for under two seconds of throw on some of those yeah yeah he's you're playing what he's seeing whether whatever disguise you're using maybe you're playing though we looked like we were in cover three but we were actually in cover one who cares I'm throwing a slant route either way how much of this do you think is is

Starting point is 00:19:04 sustainable versus how much of this is maybe the Steelers defense is actually just really bad especially at the second level yeah I think some of this I do go back to like I think I think the Steelers defense is a certain breed and it works against some people where they they kind of play 2010's type of defense they Terrell Austin Terrell Austin himself yep oh my gosh and Mike Tomlin they're kind of a little bit behind the times I think with their defense sometimes and I think there are offenses this works against clearly just worked against Dylan Gabriel but

Starting point is 00:19:40 But you're talking about a vet from the 2010s against that defense? You'll be all right. Yeah. So I do have a little bit of trepidation about like, will this work when they play modern good defenses? Because as still have some good defensive players. I think the second level and third level have some issues and they were getting beat. But I wonder next week you get the Jets.

Starting point is 00:20:02 I don't know about that one. But when you play against, well, what I'm also thinking is like, man, if they have to play against good defenses that are more modern, like this is a pretty good offense, right? So I think there's a little bit of trepination from me about like this was the matchup. Zach Taylor's very comfortable calling games against the Pittsburgh Steelers defense. He's done so many of them. And just last year had a great one in the normal part of the season, not the freezing cold game and put up a bunch of points. So I also think that you should have some caution, but you should be optimistic too because a lot of this stuff that worked, it worked because of

Starting point is 00:20:40 the quarterback and that quarterback just had a good year for Cleveland when he has these weapons. He's got this opportunity. I think you just have a guy. What's not going to fail is just throwing the ball to Jamar, Jason T. Higgins and finding ways to get them to ball. I think that's what's sustainable. What might not be sustainable is this run game, maybe like how they do it with the package plays and having so many access throws and the steel is missing 16 tackles. But I think there should be something in there that is workable for. for future games.

Starting point is 00:21:11 I noticed that you didn't say Joe Flacco keeping it on a read option isn't sustainable, so I'm just going to assume that is. I think that one is. Yeah, a couple more notes here on the offense before we dive into the defense to finish up this show. Coming up next. This episode of Lockdown Bengals is sponsored by Mazda who crafts cars for those who do more than simply move, like Joe Flacco, who does more than simply move and doesn't even need

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Starting point is 00:23:41 I got a couple more Joe Flacko notes before we. transition to the defense, Mike, because I'd like to start every segment after a win with a positive. Joe Flacco, according to PFF charting, when he was kept clean against the Pittsburgh Steelers, 24 of 32 for a 75% completion percentage, 7.7 yards per attempt, all three of his touchdowns when he was kept clean. That was good for a 92.5 overall grade. And any time you see a big grade in the 90s from PFF, that's fun. I mean, Joe Flacco played a really good game. overall. I don't think there were many missed opportunities for Flacco in this game. And the ability to execute downfield in this game is part of what was fun about this.

Starting point is 00:24:27 Two for three on deep balls, the T. Higgins play, the Andre Yosevash play. And I wanted to go back to the Andre Yosevash play because that one reminded me of a throw that we've asked Joe Burrow to make a lot. And part of what Joe Burrow does really well is that he, understands like Joe Flacco did last night against the Steelers, what defenses are trying to do to him and gets a ball out quickly. Sometimes that leads to him, like you said, identifying maybe that window to T. Higgins and getting the ball out in that window for the primary concept and not taking the alert. And Joe Flacco in the Thursday night football post game show on Amazon was talking to, you know, the crew on the set down there and was talking about how like, yeah, if they got this double double look because he knows and Zach Taylor told him and the Bengals know sometimes the Steelers are going to throw double double on their elite weapons at him. He has this he has this middle field go post whatever for Andreosovac

Starting point is 00:25:25 he can throw. You just absolutely dropped that in the bucket. Does that qualify Mike in your mind as a maybe alert isn't the word but that that's the kind of throw that we talked about for Joe Burrow in the past. Yeah I think I think somewhat my my only thought on this is I would like to know if it was an alert because the routes that Chase and Higgins run, they're both in breakers at about 10 yards. And that is typically on a bracket where the safety comes down. So part of me thinks like, was this a genius play call of just like, well, if they run brackets? Flacco did say that, yeah, when they got that double bracket call, that's when we're throwing to Yoshi here.

Starting point is 00:26:04 That's what he said on the Thursday night post game show. Yeah, which is like kind of is an alert in noticing the double bracket. So that to me is not for love for the love of the game type of route where you'll never get this ball type of situation like the sea like the go on dagger which bro did throw one time I think but that's almost never thrown. This this felt like it was kind of in there as like a more part of the read where you wouldn't read this if they just played cover three you just okay that's dead so it is somewhat of an alert but I think it's more if you're going to rank like the alert throws like the skinny post on sale that that's a similar to me where it's like if we get

Starting point is 00:26:46 quarters i got this sit i got the skinny post and that is when borough hasn't thrown a ton and he's completed passes in this in that situation he's thrown it before but i think you are correct in saying sometimes he doesn't throw that because he has the window to t or chase in that scenario here it's hard to say it's hard to say because i don't remember seeing this concept with burrow where you have those inbreakers that are kind of tight coming at about 10 yards both towards each other. Like if that ball doesn't go to Yosovostar and he tries to throw it, you could immediately see the, oh, what a terrible concept. You've got receivers in the same place.

Starting point is 00:27:20 That's they end up with four Steelers' defenders in a huddle around the two Bengals receivers. So part of me thinks that is part of, like, they kind of put that play call in there knowing the Steelers are going to do something like this. And this is your answer for it. And if you, but like if they don't run that coverage, you have the answer because inbreakers are good versus a lot of coverages. So you can just throw it to one of these great receivers on that. So I'm playing both sides a little bit.

Starting point is 00:27:42 I'm like, yes, Joe Barrow doesn't always make that throw, but two, it is kind of a different concept, and I think it's in there specifically for this coverage. Just looks like the alert post that we have at times, alert go at times we've asked. Yeah, see that, throw that. You're good enough to do that. Let's get to this defense, Mike.

Starting point is 00:28:00 DJ Turner, excuse for most of what we're going to talk about here and credit to Jordan Battle for the great range from post safety on a terrible throw and decision from Aaron Rogers that leads to one of his interceptions. CJ Turner was one of the better interceptions you'll see, ripping the ball away from D.K. Meckhaff, sensational play. Outside of that,

Starting point is 00:28:21 he had maybe a couple pressures from Joseph Osai, one of which leads to Aaron Rogers evading the pressure, throwing the touchdown on a terribly positioned Gino Stone, and that was a couple times in this game. Dax Hill, not having his best performance in this game Demetrius Knight for miss tackles was either benched or had muscle cramping or both in this game. Not a lot of terribly positive things to say about this defense giving up 31 points, was it, to Aaron Rogers, and a third and 18 touchdown, and a second and 20 touchdown, which were both forvert to the tight end,

Starting point is 00:29:03 the inside seam, where Gino Stone was just covering. the sideline instead of playing where the half field safety probably should be on forvers. And you know, you get it. You're trying to cap D.K. MacCaf on the outside there. But it's twice, at least twice in this game, they got you with Pat Friermuth on the sceneball. As the half field safety, you have to be in position to make a play on both of those passes. Which is hard, to be fair. It is hard.

Starting point is 00:29:32 And it is also, you mentioned Daxil having a bag. I did think he should have sank more and made that throw more difficult on the first touchdown yeah second one though like the guy had to come off for the checkdown because it's second and 20 you don't want to give up a first down on a checkdown like that and the and the pull runner he's facing the opposite direction like there's a lot of receiver side yep you're over the receivers on that side you got you got the tight end and dk on the other side you pick your passing strength i guess but you know because you're you're picking the passing strength here so you open to the passing strength he's correct in doing that he's opening to the

Starting point is 00:30:05 the correct side and like yeah Fred Warner maybe he flips his hips and gets underneath that throw to fire move that's playing above your role like I'm not asking Barrett Carter I think that's who it was to do that like yeah you don't have to be Fred Warren I'm like I'm like I'm ding you for not being Fred Warner but that is where I'm like Gino Stone you already got beat on this and he threw that so you know it's in his capability too what a terrible angle on the throw either recognize with his athleticism he's not super athletic recognize your beat and Seven points to give them the lead. You had to go make the stop.

Starting point is 00:30:38 I understand it ended up being okay. Flacco drives down the field, scores a touchdown. That probably wasn't the game plan because you would have just run cover zero. If it's like, score or don't, we want the ball back. So you've got to be able to make a play there. And one, he puts himself out of position getting too far over DK Metcalfe.

Starting point is 00:30:54 Yes. Two, I think two man fits better in that scenario. Second and 20, no time left. I understand it's inside leverage. You don't want to give up the outbreaker. But at the same time, just I'd rather get guys care. buried up the field versus have a guy getting conflict with a check down one yard from the line of scrimmage and a seam ball 30 yards down the line of scrimmage.

Starting point is 00:31:15 But Gina Stone, yeah, just too far over, didn't gain enough depth, couldn't make the play. I think he took a bad angle on the throw. Like there's a lot wrong that ends up on how that ends up being a touchdown. I thought a more athletic safety actually intercepts that ball. Yep. And Gino Stone is nearly in position to intercept it as I was watching the play live and watching Gino Stone reacting and trying to get back into the window. It's like, oh, he's going to pick it.

Starting point is 00:31:39 Oh, he didn't. Like my live reaction was, oh, Joseph O'Sai nearly had a sack. And Aaron Rogers made a nice way to get out of it. But Gino Stone, oh, oh, no. And that's the kind of play it was for him. And it was just the repeated mistake is what was rough. And Geno Stone has had generally a much better season this year for the Bengals. But going to cover two a couple times in this game is not something the Bengals major in on this defense.

Starting point is 00:32:04 and got burned in it twice against the same play, very similar ideas on both of them, which is obviously frustrating, but I didn't think how Golden had a particularly good game as a play caller either. Bengals managed to get off the field a couple times in this game, but it's tough with the level of pressure they were able to generate, which was next to none.

Starting point is 00:32:28 And the pressure they did generate was typically late and not very effective pressure. But there's a couple plays in the red zone that I didn't like either, not just the cover two against four verts on 3rd and 18, but the three-man rush on the first touchdown where Aaron Rogers has eight and a half seconds to throw and you're dropping Osai again, just asking guys that aren't past rushers to get home.

Starting point is 00:32:56 And if they don't, Aaron Rogers looks like it's 10 years ago, and he's extending plays, making plays outside of structure. with Joseph Osai, again, one of the closest defenders in coverage on that play. Just not really what you want. There's another play where the Bengals go zero pressure in the red zone, and it results in an easy first down for Aaron Rodgers. I mean, it's just like you're not going to fool Aaron Rogers with the zero pressure book, right? Like he knows where the ball's going to go.

Starting point is 00:33:22 He knows where the ball's going to go if you drop out of it. He's seen too much for those kinds of things. So those were a couple things that stood out to me as well. In addition to just like, how is this team still having tackling issues? for the third year and around. Like, how is this still a thing? And it's different guys. And this game, Josh Newton was up and played a little bit instead of Cam Taylor

Starting point is 00:33:44 Britt, who was benched, but he got juke twice in trying to defend the sideline, missed two tackles. And we've talked about Demetrius tonight. The miss tackle issue continues to be a problem. And J-Lawren is tough to tackle and all those things, whatever, but it was a problem for this defense. I just like how do they figure it out like what do they do to get this thing back on track? Yeah.

Starting point is 00:34:10 The miss tackles, it just you've different coaches, different players, and it just keeps happening. Yeah. So you're just scrambling for an answer there where who on this team is a good tackler though if you had to if you had to just pick somebody out that you go into a game. You go into a game. You're like there's no chance this guy misses three tackles in one game. No one. Yeah. Literally like maybe Logan, but Logan's had to.

Starting point is 00:34:34 those games this year yeah yeah my thought was also like i don't know like orr borks when he doesn't play and he misses tackles too so it's like not really so it's tough that you don't have it to his credit has only had one game where he's missed three tackles this year outside of that he's been hang the banner yeah yeah i thought logan actually played pretty well in this game though yeah yeah he had a couple really nice plays i thought it was like whenever he comes off the field and you leave the two rookies and he's like man this just doesn't doesn't really make football sense. Like a slogan to make these good plays, you pull them out.

Starting point is 00:35:09 And the other guys are not really making good plays throughout the game sometimes, sometimes. Think of the Demetrius Knight stop on the tight end screen and there's a couple things in there. But yeah, I think part of it just stems from they don't really get good tackling players. You can think back to the draft class, but Shemar Stewart, one of the worst tacklers

Starting point is 00:35:26 in the draft class. It just doesn't seem like something they really focus on. And we have an entire team of that. I think it kind of adds up. Shamar played only 22 steps in his return to action out of 57. Was relatively invisible out there unless you were noticing him being pretty stiff trying to turn and stop and cut back to try to stop Aaron Rogers. There's a lot of work to do for this defense, both, I think, schematically from a play-calling perspective where I continue to knit picks, pick nits. And from a tackling perspective, I mean, that's such a such an issue.

Starting point is 00:36:02 for this team right now. Without Trey, there's no pass rush either. So it's tough on that defensive side of the ball. But at least they found a playmaker in DJ Turner, who, again, awesome pick, awesome play coming off. His guy is zoned for a pass breakup, continues to lead the league, I believe, as of the time of recording anyway, in past breakups and is stacking some performances here. This is now three really fun performances from DJ Turner.

Starting point is 00:36:27 But a lot of work to do on that defense. at least we've seen some signs of life from this offense, Joe Flacco, turning back the clock, playing a really fun game on Thursday night football and helping the Bengals get back into things. And now we're back to a regular schedule here as Bengals prepare for the Jets. And we'll have a full week of content for you here

Starting point is 00:36:47 on Locked-on Bengals. And until next time, you can find Mike Santagana on Twitter at Bengals underscore Sands. Find his writing at benglestalk.com where he puts his weekly film reviews up. And we appreciate Mike's. insight as always here on our weekly film episodes until next time thanks for listening to this episode of the lockdown bengals podcast hoodei and have a good one

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