Cincinnati Bengals Sleepwalk Into the Playoffs

In a regular season that they began by earning the moniker of the “Cardiac Cats,” the Cincinnati Bengals ended the year without a pulse.

The Bengals sleepwalked through a 37-0 thrashing at the hands of the New York Jets in the final game of the regular season, setting up a rematch with New York next Sunday in the first round of the AFC playoffs.

Playing without running back Cedric Benson on offense and safety Chris Crocker, defensive tackle Domata Peko and linebacker Rey Maualuga on defense, the Bengals that did show up looked disinterested and distracted from the outset.

The drop off to the second team reared its ugly head on the first drive of the game, when the Jets lined up in the Wildcat formation and Bengals rookie safety Tom Nelson over-pursued the play, allowing Jets quarterback Brad Smith to run 67 yards to set up a touchdown.

The quick punch did not refocus the Bengals, as they continued to subject themselves to mouthpiece-jarring blocks, blown assignments, and missed tackles.

The most egregious error came on a six yard touchdown throw by Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez to Jericho Cotchery with 37 seconds left in the first half, in which the Bengals simply did not recognize Cotchery out of their goal line defense and left him uncovered in the man-to-man scheme.

A Bengals rush defense that had been giving up 89 yards per game ended up surrendering a season-high 257 yards on the ground, as the Jets offensive line routinely got a two or three yard push off the line of scrimmage. The problem only became worse after Cincinnati defensive tackle Pat Sims ended his season with a broken right forearm.

Meanwhile, the Cincinnati offense was faring no better, picking up only five first downs on the night, getting poor production from their usually reliable offensive line.

Two of Cincinnati’s first 10 plays went for negative yardage after tackle Dennis Roland whiffed on a pair of head-up blocks leading to instant penetration.

As the Bengals turn the page to another match-up with the Jets in the playoffs, they face the prospect of getting beaten up by the league’s best defense and a running game that averages 172.3 yards per game.

Cincinnati will likely continue to eight defenders in the box to force Sanchez to throw against Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph’s single coverage on the outside. Flooding the box against the Jets’ six or seven man lines will also mean that the Bengals’ safeties will be forced to make one-on-one tackles in the open field against New York’s running backs or Smith in the Wildcat.

It will be those open field tackles, head-up blocks, single-coverage defensive plays—the ones that have carried Cincinnati to a No. 4 seed in the AFC—that the Bengals will have to make to earn their first playoff win in 19 years.

They did not make them on Sunday, though. Instead they hit the snooze button.

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Cincinnati Bengals Showing That Only the Strong Survive

One week after a letdown of bumbling proportions in a loss to the Oakland Raiders, the Cincinnati Bengals dominated the Cleveland Browns 16-7 on Nov. 29 in a Darwinian expression of strength.

The stronger Bengals overpowered Cleveland in almost every aspect of the game, resulting in a nine-point win that was never in much danger.

The Cincinnati offense dominated the line of scrimmage against the Browns by frequently using six offensive linemen.

When the Browns responded to seeing 6’9”, 325 lb. Dennis Roland at tight end by bringing eight men into the box, Cincinnati offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski countered by having Roland kick out the backside defensive end on a stretch play—consistently Cincinnati’s most effective offensive play throughout the afternoon.

Even other Cleveland run-stopping tactics, like corner and safety blitzes, were negated by poor tackling, allowing Larry Johnson and Bernard Scott to get into the secondary.

With the overloads, stretch plays, and missed tackles, Cincinnati was able to rack up 210 yards on the ground, adding to what was the eighth-best rushing offense in the NFL heading into the weekend.

The Bengal defense also exhibited supremacy over the Browns. Except, instead of a physical superiority, their advantage manifested itself much more in the mental deficiencies of Cleveland’s Brady Quinn.

Quinn epitomized a quarterback with happy feet in the pocket, launching inaccurate, hurried, and misguided passes whenever Cincinnati defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer would send an extra pass rusher.

Even when Zimmer abstained from a blitz, a show of six men at the line of scrimmage before the snap was often enough to force Quinn to a check-down into a conservative screen or run play—situations the Bengal defense handled easily against a Cleveland playmaking corps that left something to be desired.

As the Bengals continue to navigate through the plum portion of the schedule—a home game against Detroit next Sunday represents the third straight game with a cellar dweller—from their perch atop the AFC North, they can be comforted by their show of supremacy on Sunday.

It is a theme that will lead them into the playoffs, where as any Darwinian will tell you, only the strong survive.

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Cincinnati Bengals Bandwagon Just Got a Lot Lighter

Thud!

That was the sound heard ‘round Cincinnati Sunday evening, as the 2009 Bengals bandwagon dropped off a few thousand patrons following a 20-17 turnover-filled loss to the Oakland Raiders in week 11.

In a week that saw the queen of conservative politics blaze through Cincinnati on her cross-country book tour, the apprehensive attitude seemed to rub off on the Bengals’ play calling.

Cincinnati offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski made good on a promise to focus on the run game despite the loss of running back Cedric Benson, distributing 36 carries between Bernard Scott, Brian Leonard, and Larry Johnson—complimented by a few scampers by Carson Palmer.

As the reliance on the run became evident in the second half, Oakland was able to creep their safeties closer to the line of scrimmage, frequently putting eight men in the box against a Bengals team determined to sit on a lead. With cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha and Chris Johnson handling Chad Ochocinco and Laveranues Coles in single coverage on the outside, Oakland could afford to challenge the Bengals to run the ball.

When untimely fumbles by Jeremi Johnson, Palmer, and Andre Caldwell and a missed chip shot by Shayne Graham soured the Cincinnati strategy, the Bengals proved to have been their own worst enemy. In a game where they controlled the ball for over 38 minutes, draining the clock on long, laborious drives, the Bengals were left with only 15 seconds to attempt a game-winning drive.

Meanwhile, the Raider offense was gaining much-needed momentum in the second half thanks to a similarly laid-back Bengal defensive game-plan from defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.

Zimmer frequently settled into soft man coverage with a cover two over the top, allowing for fewer blitzing opportunities with linebackers often occupied in coverage against tight ends and running backs.

Facing only four or five rushers, the Raiders offensive line was able to give inexperienced quarterback Bruce Gradkowski time to progress through his reads and pick up momentum-gaining first downs.

With the Bengals controlling their own destiny in the AFC North, and simply attempting to survive and advance to week 12, a conservative approach carried a great deal of pragmatism before kickoff, but ultimately came back to bite the Bengals.

Still, with the 11^th best rushing offense and the second best run defense in the NFL, the Bengals seem to only have hit a bump in the road.

Don’t try to tell that to the folks that fell off the wagon, though.

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Cincinnati Bengals Overcome Odds, Convert Believers

Nobody believed.

The Cincinnati Bengals had not swept the Pittsburgh Steelers in 10 years. The Steelers had won four in a row, and were sporting “the toughest defense in football.”

The Bengal pass rush that only got to Ben Roethlisberger once in a week three matchup was now without defensive end Antwan Odom—out for the season with a town Achilles.

To make matters worse, the key to the resurgent Bengals offense, running back Cedric Benson, only carried the ball seven times because of a hip injury.

There was a laundry list of reasons why the Bengals should not have beaten the Pittsburgh Steelers in week 10. Ultimately, none of them mattered.

The supposedly weak Bengal pass rush produced four sacks, thanks to creative packages from defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, frequently bringing linebackers Rey Maualuga and Brandon Johnson up the middle to free up Jonathan Fanene on the outside for two sacks.

The Bengal secondary answered the proverbial challenge, as well, with cornerbacks Jonathan Joseph, Leon Hall and rookie Morgan Trent working in mostly single coverage to limit Steeler receivers Santonio Holmes, Hines Ward and Mike Wallace to 128 combined yards.

With the Bengal defense maintaining the early advantage on the scoreboard, Cincinnati offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski was able remain conservative in his play calling.

With Benson out with a hip injury, the Bengals rode a steady diet of 15-yard outs to Laveraneus Coles and Chad Ochocinco, screen plays to the wide receivers and outside runs to utilize running back Bernard Scott’s speed.

While the tweaked offensive system only produced 218 total yards on the afternoon, it allowed the Bengals to hold the ball long enough to avoid being dominated in the time of possession battle without Benson to lean on in the running game.

It may not have been the way that they drew it up, and it certainly defied the expert expectations, but the results are that matter.

The Bengals own their destiny in the AFC North. And a few new believers.

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Bengals vs. Steelers Matchup Is Bigger and Better, Yet With a Twist

Opening up a sports page, or flipping on a sports television show this week it is easy to get the impression that there is only one NFL game going on this Sunday, and it is taking place in Indianapolis.

However, in actuality, the biggest game on the Week 10 slate will take place 350 miles east of Indianapolis, where the Pittsburgh Steelers are hosting the Cincinnati Bengals.

Traditionally, a trip to Pittsburgh has been a veritable death sentence for the pass-happy Bengals, as turnovers abounded and the Steelers ran the ball endlessly until a lopsided victory was in hand.

2009 brings a change of pace however, as Cincinnati enters the matchup not relying on Carson Palmer’s arm—although it has been accurate to the tune of a 89.5 passer rating—but the legs of running back Cedric Benson.

Behind a revamped offensive line, Benson has piled up 837 yards in 2009, second in the NFL behind Chris Johnson’s 959.

The role reversal carries over to the Pittsburgh offense, as well. The tried-and-true grind-it-out running game that the Steelers have turned to in compiling a 149-90-1 record in 15 years under Bill Cower has slowly given way to a reliance on Ben Roethlisberger’s arm in year three under head coach Mike Tomlin.

Pittsburgh’s 266.8 yards per game ranks fifth in the NFL, with their ground game only producing 115.2 yards per game.

With the changes in offensive systems, the defensive strategies that the teams employ will be altered, as well.

Cincinnati’s rejuvenated defensive unit, led by cornerbacks Jonathan Joseph and Leon Hall, will likely have to continue its exceptional single-coverage ability against Steeler receivers Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes.

Joseph and Hall will be left on an island more frequently because of Cincinnati’s need to bring more pass rushers at the elusive Roethlisberger to replace defensive end Antwan Odom—out for the year with a torn Achilles tendon.

Even with Odom, the Bengals’ pass rush struggled in a 23-20 upset of the Steelers on Sept. 27, registering only one sack and forcing defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer to continually bring extra blitzers.

Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh defense will be forced to hold back on many of their customary blitz packages featuring linebackers James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley.

Since the Bengals routinely utilize six linemen at a time, Pittsburgh defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau runs the risk of blitzing his defense into an unbalanced position, opening up big plays for Benson on the ground.

With Cincinnati wide receiver Chris Henry out for the season with a broken arm it is likely that the Bengal passing game will be featured even less in the gameplan, making a forecast of 30 to 35 carries for Benson a realistic possibility.

With Benson running himself ragged, and Roethlisberger firing 35 to 40 passes, Sunday’s matchup will not show much of a resemblance to your father’s Bengals-Steelers matchups.

With the new tactics, comes new importance. Tell that to the newspapers.

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Cincinnati Bengals Move to Top Of AFC North Heap

The changing of the guard is complete atop the AFC North Division.

With a 17-7 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in week nine, the Cincinnati Bengals supplanted the Ravens as the top challenger to the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers in the notoriously competitive division.

With their second win of the 2009 season over Baltimore, Cincinnati completed a shift that had just as much to do with the faltering Ravens as it did with the rejuvenated Bengals.

Injuries along the defensive line to Haloti Ngata and Trevor Pryce forced Ravens defensive coordinator Greg Mattison to bring four or five men on obvious passing situations, and take an uncharacteristic number of risks in running situations.

When the Ravens gambled incorrectly—or missed tackles—the Bengals were able to exploit holes for Cedric Benson (117 yards on 34 carries).

Baltimore’s fortification of the line of scrimmage also led to frequent single-coverage on the outside, allowing Chad Ochocinco and Laveranues Coles to work single-cut routes for 10-15 yard gains. When combined with Carson Palmer’s ability to utilize his arm strength and hit the square-out route with consistency, the Ravens defense was picked apart easily while the Bengals built a 17-point lead.

The Ravens’ shortcomings do not tell the whole story of Cincinnati’s takeover of the catbird seat, however; Cincinnati’s defensive unit showed why they entered the week allowing the sixth fewest points per game in the NFL.

Cornerbacks Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph each picked up an interception, but it was their ability to hold the Ravens receivers to 84 combined yards—mostly through single coverage—that made them the defensive headliners.

Joseph and Hall had some help from the Bengal front four of Jonathan Fanene, Tank Johnson, Domata Peko and Robert Geathers who combined for 1.5 of the Bengals four sacks without defensive end Antwan Odom—out for the year with a torn Achilles tendon.

Odom’s ability to quickly collapse the pocket or force a double-team was missed at moments, particularly the Raven’s 65 yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter. But Fanene’s speed wore down Baltimore left tackle Jared Gaither as the game wore on, drawing two holding penalties and forcing Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron to keep and extra blocker in the backfield while the Ravens were passing on every down.

The Bengals may have gotten an extra push of assistance, but Sunday was the day when they reached that pinnacle that they have been chasing since 2005: they are now atop the hill of the AFC North.

All that is left is to knock off their neighbors in Pittsburgh. That comes next week.

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Why the Cincinnati Bengals Should Use the No-Huddle

In marching to the title of “Comeback Carson and the Cardiac Cats” the Cincinnati Bengals’ offense has discovered a valuable, effective tool in their offensive system: the two-minute drill.

 

While Marvin Lewis and the Bengal brain trust are reticent to install the no-huddle offense for the duration of a game because of the possible detriment it would have on the much-improved Cincinnati defense—leaving them on the field for a longer stretch of time—the risk of lining up and calling the plays on the fly (more plays for the opposition) is worth the reward (a crisper, more effective offense).

 

Since the Bengals rarely utilize much differentiation at their skill positions—running back Cedric Benson leads the NFL with 127 carries—marching down the field without substitutions is not a major issue for Cincinnati.

 

However, opponents such as Cincinnati’s week seven opponent the Chicago Bears frequently bring in specialists like cornerback Nathan Vasher for obvious passing situations. With a quickened pace, the Bengals could exploit situations in which a slot receiver is matched up against a safety or linebacker simply because the defense was unable to substitute between plays.

 

Beyond the confusion created on the defensive side of the ball, the Bengals’ offensive line would see benefits from the hurry-up offense.

 

With an inexperienced unit—utilizing Andrew Whitworth, a guard for the previous three season of his career, at left tackle and second-year pro Anthony Collins at right tackle—the Bengal offensive front would gain a valuable leg up when the opposition’s pass rushers lose a step in the hurry-up system.

 

Such an advantage will be especially important in Sunday’s matchup with Tommie Harris, Adewale Ogunleye and the Chicago Bears’ defensive front.

 

Also, with a smaller interval between plays, Chicago defensive coordinator Bob Babich would be afforded less time to call for blitzes. With fewer pass rushers to worry about, Bengal offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski could utilize four- and five-man pass routes, enabling Carson Palmer to dissect the Bears’ cover-two defense.

 

Going to a no-huddle system without having their back against the wall would allow the Bengals the proficiency on offense to move towards a different kind of comeback: a victory following their Week Six defeat to Houston.

 

If nothing else, the exciting style of play will likely keep the cardiologists of Greater Cincinnati busy for another weekend.

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Cincinnati Bengals Show Deficiencies in the Trenches

Through six weeks of the season, the Bengals have found themselves in the unexpected catbird seat in the AFC North Division in large part because they have fixed one of the most gaping holes on the team from recent years: the defensive line.

However, that patchwork came loose in a 28-17 loss in Week Six to the Houston Texans, in large part because of key knee injuries to defensive end Antwan Odom and defensive tackle Domata Peko.

The four-man pass rush employed by the Bengals for the majority of the second half—without Peko and Odom—was futile against the quick-strike attack employed by Texans quarterback Matt Schaub, allowing him to compile 207 yards after the break.

Even before Odom and Peko went down, the Bengal deficiencies at the point of attack were apparent.

Texans offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan recognized the propensity of the Bengals’ defensive line and linebackers to over-commit to play-action, freezing them for a critical second to make them vulnerable to wide receiver bubble screens and halfback dump-offs.

Houston dinked and dunked their way to 392 passing yards on the day, exploiting the Bengal front seven’s unpreparedness for the short passing game in the process.

When the Bengals did adjust to the Houston aerial attack, with Cincinnati defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer holding off on many of his customary blitz packages, Shanahan was able to run four and five-man routes against the Bengal cover-two scheme, only requiring basic pass blocking schemes to cover the tamer Bengal pass rush without Odom on the outside.

Without ample pressure on the quarterback, the Bengals figure to have an uphill battle in upcoming games against passing offenses in Chicago (Week Seven) and Baltimore (Week Nine).

Replacing Odom’s disciplined edge rush with the inexperienced and one-dimensional Michael Johnson significantly downgrades the defense, negating one of the Bengals’ strong suits through the hot start.

Zimmer will have a tough time pulling the trigger on compensatory blitz packages, as well, as playmakers like Chicago’s Devin Hester possess the ability to change a game through exploitation of the holes vacated by blitzing linebackers.

This is similar to what Houston’s Andre Johnson and Steve Slaton did in combining for 237 receiving yards in Week Six.

Zimmer has performed short-handed magic before, such as the three-game win streak his defense—decimated by injuries to Odom, Keith Rivers, and Robert Geathers—pulled off the finish up the 2008 season.

If the Bengals wish to remain in the penthouse of the division, they will have to conjure up some of that alchemy and use it to take back the most critical terrain on the field—the trenches.

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Cincinnati Bengals Maturing Into a Winner

For years the Cincinnati Bengals have been the forgotten stepchild of the AFC North.

Well, don’t look now, but that young child has grown into a man.

Following a come-from-behind 17-14 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5, Cincinnati sits atop the division, thanks in large part to the various maturations it has shown in eking out four straight victories.

As any Cedric Benson fantasy owner will giddily tell you, the most obvious advancement on the 2009 Bengal stat sheet has been in the rushing game.

For years the Bengals were known for their aerial assault, featuring Pro Bowler Carson Palmer orchestrating a star-studded group of pass catchers, highlighted by the omnipresent boastfulness of Chad Johnson, now Chad Ochocinco.

While Palmer is still leading the show (now with more of a grizzled veteran feel than up-and-comer vibe) and the artist formerly known as Johnson is still making his presence known (only now it is through virtual prose instead of ESPN-worthy babble), the Cincinnati offense has shifted its focus to become a unit dominated by the ground game.

In the most obvious example of their transformation this season, the Bengals took a page out of the playbook of previous divisional dominators Pittsburgh and Baltimore, giving the ball to Benson 27 times for 120 yards—the first time the Baltimore defense has allowed a back to surpass the century mark in 39 games.

As the Bengals are able to establish the run, it forces opposing defensive coordinators to put seven and eight men in the box to clog up the stretch-blocking scheme employed by the Cincinnati offensive line. Having the defensive backs’ cushion negated by such pressure increases the Bengals big play ability, bringing in Palmer’s ability to throw the long ball to Ochocinco and Chris Henry.

The maturation of the once dismal running game into one of the league’s most productive has been aided by the Cincinnati defense. Once a veritable sieve in key moments, the collection of castaways has held opponents to the 17th fewest yards per game through five weeks.

A big reason for the turnaround on defense has been an overhaul of the front-seven, an area that the Bengals have been tinkering with for over a decade. The ability to use a four-man rush to collapse the pocket against inferior offensive lines (such as the one that Baltimore fielded Sunday with rookie Michael Oher at left tackle) gives defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer increased flexibility with coverage schemes.

The Bengals are still making many of the mindless errors that cost them crucial games in previous years (see St. Louis, Brad). Yet, this group also possesses the maturity to overcome such lapses, and grind out last-minute victories in four of five games.

It is a new day in Cincinnati. The Bengals have reached adulthood.

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Conservative Bengals Need To Open Up Playbook

In the city of Cincinnati—a Republican hotbed where the radio broadcasts of sports events are often preceded by the voice of the second most popular conservative talk show host in the country—a sense of conservativism seems to have rubbed off on the city’s professional football team.

The Cincinnati Bengals’ lack of aggressiveness in a 23-20 overtime victory against the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 4 brought the conservative nature of the Bengal mindset into full purview.

Sure, Marvin Lewis sent out the offense on fourth and 11 with just over a minute remaining, giving his team the vital 15 yard run to set up the game winning field goal by Shayne Graham.

But the Bengals—visibly the physically superior team in the running game and at the quarterback position—should not have been in such a tight spot, had Cincinnati not taken such a myopic view of the playbook in preparation for the game.

The conservatism began on the defensive side of the ball, where defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer was faced with quarterback Derek Anderson, making his first start of the season under center for the Browns.

Lacking the expected timing and flow of the offense inherent to a regular starter, Anderson frequently targeted wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi—an expected fantasy fixation in coming days, as his relationship with Anderson from the Browns’ second team offense made him the go-to receiver.

Despite facing an uneasy quarterback, Zimmer held back on many of the blitz packages that he had utilized in previous victories over the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers, allowing Anderson to remain untouched by the four-man Bengal rush.

The ample time allowed Anderson to find a rhythm in the second quarter, propelling the Cleveland offense to a put up 305 yards—to the Bengals 17—in the second and third quarters.

Once Zimmer did turn up the pressure—bringing safety Chris Croker or weakside linebacker Rey Maualuga on multiple occasions—Anderson’s decision-making was hurried, stagnating the Cleveland offense for the fourth quarter and overtime.

While the Bengal offense applied a bend-but-don’t-break strategy against the 29th ranked Cleveland offense, the Cincinnati offense was struggling for much of the game—in large part because of their reluctance to take a risk over the middle of the field.

The Bengals failed to pick up a first down on 13 third down attempts, in large part because of their focus on square-out routes by receivers Chad Ochocinco, Laveranues Coles and Andre Caldwell.

While such routes fit the prescribed method for beating the Cleveland man-coverage in the secondary, they lost a significant amount of effectiveness when they were not offset with over-the-middle routes.

Streaks from tight ends Daniel Coats and J.P. Foschi, along with dump-offs to running back Brian Leornard, constituted the majority of the center-of-the-field routes on the afternoon. That was until a 20-yard reception by Chris Henry with 2:40 remaining in overtime.

It was easy to see offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski’s reluctance to allow for the higher frequency of interceptions that result from such routes.

Cincinnati will not be able to wait as long to assert themselves in upcoming games, most notably against divisional rival Baltimore in Week Five.

Allowing Raven quarterback Joe Flacco to roam unabated in the pocket, or encouraging Baltimore cornerbacks Dominique Foxworth and Fabian Washington to jump predictable out-routes will dig a hasty hole for Cincinnati at M&T Bank Stadium.

The Bengals have occupied that hole below the Ravens and Steelers for three years, and it will take a bold effort to get out.

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