01-13-2022, 11:37 AM
Those two can be stopped just like Trey Hendrickson can be stopped. "Can" is kind of a meaningless word though. It is technically possible for Cedric Ogbuehi to hold prime Bruce Smith without a pressure for an entire game. He "can" do that. He probably won't.
That isn't to say that I expect Crosby and Ngakoue to just murder the Bengals offensive line the whole game. However, the primary advantage of the Raiders pass rush is that it can be effective without needing any help from the blitz. And, as it happens, that is something that Joe Burrow hasn't quite mastered yet in his young career -- teams that can get pressure with the front four and drop the rest into coverage have given him some trouble. I am confident in his ability to adapt, especially in a second game against a specific opponent, but he has to go out and prove it. And the line has to give him a puncher's chance. They have to prove it.
That isn't to say that I expect Crosby and Ngakoue to just murder the Bengals offensive line the whole game. However, the primary advantage of the Raiders pass rush is that it can be effective without needing any help from the blitz. And, as it happens, that is something that Joe Burrow hasn't quite mastered yet in his young career -- teams that can get pressure with the front four and drop the rest into coverage have given him some trouble. I am confident in his ability to adapt, especially in a second game against a specific opponent, but he has to go out and prove it. And the line has to give him a puncher's chance. They have to prove it.
