As we’ve been doing for several years now, we’ll break down the Pittsburgh Steelers’ opponent each week, telling you what to expect from a scheme and individual standpoint. This year, Jonathan Heitritter and I will cover the opposing team’s defense. I will focus on the scheme, Jonathan on the players.
Today, scouting the Cincinnati Bengals’ defense.
ALEX’S SCHEME REPORT
Bengals Run Defense
As a short sidebar, like the title above indicates, the Bengals’ defense will look to batten down the hatches after the offense lost QB Joe Burrow for the season. Expect an extra fire and rallying cry from these guys to now carry this team. Though this unit has taken some steps back from last season. Run defense-wise, the Bengals have struggled. On the year, they’re allowing an ugly 5.0 yards per carry, 31st in football, and the 11 rushing scores they’ve allowed are tied for 24th most. On the year, they’ve given up a whopping 42 runs of 10-plus yards, tied for 3oth on the year.
Their leading tackler is the man in the middle, ILB Logan Wilson. One of the best in football, Wilson has 79 of them this year. Not far behind is fellow LB Germaine Pratt with 71. The two make up for an excellent and underrated pairing that also produces a ton of splash plays. Each has two forced fumbles with five combined interceptions (Wilson is tied for most of any linebacker with three) while combining for nine tackles for loss and two sacks (one each). Their secondary is active with S Dax Hill picking up 67 tackles while former Steelers NCB Mike Hilton has 50 of them. He’s on the field a lot, 80 percent of the time.
It’s a base 4-3 defense. I’m seeing less five-man fronts than I remember the Bengals using last year, though there’s still a bit of it on tape. The ends are versatile enough to stand up or put their hand down, especially No. 91 Trey Hendrickson.
They mix one- and two-gapping but they slant and scrape with their linebackers effectively. Here’s an example of that. Though like the Green Bay Packers, they can get caught slanting strongside and if the run goes away, they can be out of position.
Overall, they did a nice job defending perimeter runs though a reverse the Houston Texans ran fooled them for a good gain. It may be worthwhile getting the receivers back involved in the running game, especially WR Calvin Austin III, while running the backs up the middle on inside zone and gap schemes. That’d be my strategy.
Some other defensive stats. The Bengals are allowing 22.6 points per game, 21st in football. They’ve also allowed 30-plus points in their last two games. Where they excel is taking the football away, 18 of them, which ranks tied for sixth in the NFL. It’s created a top turnover differential at plus-10, second-best only behind Pittsburgh’s plus-11.
Situationally, they’re poor on third down (43.8 percent, 28th) and essentially average in red zone defense (53.8 percent, 17th).
Bengals Pass Defense
They allow a low completion percentage, 10th best with opposing quarterbacks completing only 62.8 percent of their throws. But that’s likely because teams target them down the field. The Bengals are also giving up 8.0 yards per attempt, 30th in football. They’re vulnerable to the big play, big-time, giving up 43 completions of 20-plus yards this season. That’s the most in the NFL, now one more than Pittsburgh’s 42.
Their pressure is about average with 26 sacks on the season. That’s tied for 18th. Their pressure rate is exactly average, 16th at 22.7 percent, while their blitz rate is slightly below, 23.7 percent and 19th in the NFL. Though their blitzes are situational, which we’ll talk about in a minute.
DE Trey Hendrickson leads the team with 9.5 sacks. Two other Bengals players have more than two sacks in DT B.J. Hill and the nationally underrated Sam Hubbard, who each have four. Hill is a big interior guy but can get after the quarterback, leading the team with 15 QB hits. Cincinnati’s starting defensive line has a combined 48 QB hits on the year so the Bengals can get after the passer even if the sack numbers aren’t completely there.
From an interception standpoint, they can take the ball away, too. Twelve picks on the season, led by Cam Taylor-Britt’s four of them. As mentioned above, Wilson has three, tied with Fred Warner and Robert Spillane for the most of any linebacker this year. Pratt has two so their picks come from different levels.
Schematically, they vary their coverages in all the basic families. One we don’t talk about often is Cover 6, a quarter-quarter-half scheme. Examples of that below.
On third down, they blitz and man-up. A lot of Cover 1/Cover 0 with every non-coverage player tucked up at the line to show and threaten blitz. They’ll drop out a linebacker or occasionally a defensive tackle but they send their people, too. Example of these looks and you can see the defensive backs play “sticks” and aligned at the marker.
At the end of the first half against the Ravens, they played lots of Cover 2 early on Baltimore’s two-minute drive before manning up and blitzing as soon as Baltimore got into field goal range. Just something to file away.
Jonathan’s Individual Report
The Pittsburgh Steelers look get back as they go on the road to play their division rival Cincinnati this coming Sunday. The Bengals currently sit at 5-5 and are battling to stay relevant in the AFC after losing QB Joe Burrow for the season. Cincinnati sits in a similar situation as Pittsburgh’s defense as the Bengals rank 30th in the league in total yards allowed on the season but are 21st in points allowed. They rank 27th in the league against the pass but are second in the NFL with 12 picks on the year. As far as run defense, the Bengals are second worst in football, allowing 138.3 yards per game on the ground.
Defensive Line
DL No. 98 D.J. Reader is a formidable nose tackle who is extremely stout against the run. The 6-3, 347-pounder plays mostly as a 0/1 technique, using his size and superior strength to demand double-teams in the middle and will make opposing offenses pay if singled up with an undersized center or guard. He moves very well for his size and could be a problem if C Mason Cole is asked to block him in certain situations without any help from the guards.
The Bengals have another notable running mate next to Reader in DL #92 B.J. Hill. Hill came to Cincinnati from the Giants in exchange for OL Billy Price and has made his mark on the defensive line in three seasons with the team. So far in 2023, Hill has recorded 24 total stops, two tackles for loss, four sacks, a fumble recovery, and two pass breakups. He plays with great effort in pursuit of the football, running down ball carriers while plugging up running lanes and pushing the pocket.
The Bengals also have No. 68 Josh Tupou, No. 97 Jay Tufele, and No. 95 Zach Carter rounding out the unit. Tupou is more of a pure run-stuffing nose tackle while Carter and Tufele offer more pass-rush upside as beefed-up defensive ends who can play up and down the line of scrimmage.
On the edges for the Bengals, DE No. 91 Trey Hendrickson headlines the unit as the team’s most accomplished pass rusher. He came over from New Orleans on a big money deal after a breakout season in 2020 and proved he was worth the investment last season, tallying 22 sacks in his first two seasons with the team. He’s up to 9.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss this season. Playing with a motor that is always running hot. Hendrickson wins as a power rusher and likes to use a chop/swipe move paired with a rip around the edge as a changeup from straight power. He also is a stout run defender, making him a handful for LT Dan Moore Jr. come Sunday.
Opposite of Hendrickson is No. 94 Sam Hubbard, who is a solid second pass rusher and capable run defender for the Bengals. He’s missed some time since the Bills game with an ankle injury but appears on track to return on Sunday. He has four sacks and 37 total tackles on the season. Like Hendrickson, Hubbard is a high-effort pass rusher who constantly pursues the quarterback, winning with his hands and pursuit to get into the pocket.
In terms of backup edge rushers, No. 96 Cam Sample has started in place of Hubbard the last two weeks as a better run stopper than pass rusher with No. 58 Joseph Ossai, who has underwhelmed as a pass rusher to this point in his second season. First-round pick No. 99 Myles Murphy has played only 21% of the defensive snaps for the Bengals and has one sack and eight total tackles on the year.
Linebackers
The starting inside linebackers for Cincinnati are possibly one of the most underrated tandems in the NFL as head coach Mike Tomlin sang their praises during his weekly press conference. No. 55 Logan Wilson signed a nice contract extension with Cincinnati prior to the start of the season, and he’s worth every penny. The Wyoming product plays as the MIKE backer and does it all for the defense, being a sound run defender with great instincts. Wilson currently sits at 79 tackles, four for loss, a sack, two forced fumbles, six pass deflections, and three interceptions so far in 2023 as the leader of the LB corps. He is instinctual in coverage and flies to the football, being a guy to always account for whenever he is on the field.
No. 57 Germaine Pratt starts beside Wilson and brings size and strength to the table as a rocked-up inside linebacker. Pratt has good play speed and explosiveness, filling gaps well as a run defender who can work off blocks. Due to his size and athleticism, he will also align outside and can set to rush the passer should Hubbard or Hendrickson kick inside for more of a speed-rush package. He is a capable coverage defender as well, totaling 71 total tackles, five tackles for loss, a sack, two forced fumbles, two pass breakups, and two interceptions as the other man in the dynamic duo for Cincinnati.
Behind them, No. 59 Akeem Davis-Gaither is more of an undersized nickel defender who has played sparingly for Cincinnati this season. No. 51 Markus Bailey is more of a run stuffer who primarily plays special teams while No. 49 Joe Bachie provides special teams play as well.
Cornerbacks
The Bengals’ cornerback room has No. 22 Chidobe Awuzie, who has started to cede playing time to the younger bucks in the room. The long-time starter for Cincinnati and Dallas typically covers the opposing team’s top receiver on the outside. He hasn’t made much of a splash as a pass-coverage defender this season (three pass breakups), but he is an athletic defender who can still match up with the best of them in man coverage.
No. 21 Mike Hilton has been recognized as a team captain on defense for the Bengals and has become one of the best slot corners in the game since coming over from Pittsburgh. Hilton made his bones in Pittsburgh as a physical nickel defender who excelled in run defense as well as on the occasional corner blitz. He’s up to 50 total stops, three tackles for loss, a sack, three pass breakups, and one interception on the year. Watch for Hilton to make an impact as a run defender as well as a feisty competitor in coverage.
No. 29 Cam Taylor-Britt has become a full-time starter for the Bengals in his second season at cornerback and is in the midst of a breakout campaign. Britt has snagged four interceptions along with racking up 10 pass breakups, a forced fumble, and 46 total tackles. Britt is a great athlete with good size and play speed. He is able to carry receivers vertically down the field and across the middle. Pittsburgh can look to try Britt with George Pickens as a deep threat or Diontae Johnson’s route running, but the Steelers must be mindful of the young ball hawk.
Rookie No. 20 D.J. Turner has started six games for the Bengals this season, having logged three pass breakups along with 20 combined tackles and a sack. Turner has been splitting time with Awuzie as a young, fast cover corner. He plays well in man-to-man coverage but can have nuanced route runners give him trouble coming out of their breaks. No. 38 D.J. Ivey and No. 35 Jalen Davis primarily play special teams for the Bengals.
Safeties
The Bengals revamped their safety room this offseason, seeing Jesse Bates and Von Bell part with the team and elevating former first-round pick No. 23 Dax Hill. Hill is an athletic, versatile defensive back who played all over the secondary during his time at Michigan, lining up as an outside corner, single-high safety, split-zone safety, and in the nickel/dime defense as a slot corner. Hill plays mostly as the Bengals’ free safety but will roll down in the slot. He has 67 total stops, five tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, eight pass deflections, and two picks on the year.
No. 33 Nick Scott has stepped into the starting role for Cincinnati at strong safety and has fared well in that capacity. The former Ram has 50 total tackles and one tackle for loss on the year, excelling more coming downhill with the ball in front of him as a run defender than running with backs and tight ends in coverage. The Bengals also have rookie third-round pick No. 27 Jordan Battle at safety. He has played mostly a backup role behind Scott and Hill but saw plenty of action last week against the Baltimore Ravens, logging 10 solo tackles in that game.
