01-02-2016, 10:01 PM
(01-02-2016, 09:56 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: Same here. I just think both have done fine jobs.I agree totally. Yards per game are empty calories. Points per game mean a lot.
IMO, people put too much stock into total yardage rankings. I look at many categories (sacks, turnovers, pass efficiency, points allowed) and we're top notch in all of those areas. Total yardage can often be skewed. For instance, a team that is often in blow outs will give up more yardage when teams start playing catch up and airing it out.
Right now the Bengals are 20th in pass yards allowed. Does that mean we have a bad pass defense? Considering that we have 41 sacks (4th), 19 INTs (3rd), and surrender a measly 80.7 passer rating (6th), it seems like passing against our defense isn't a good idea. Yet teams keep doing it because they're often behind against us. I think that inflates the total yardage number some.
That said, this defense isn't perfect. They have the 9th most defensive penalties in the league (that could contribute to sustained drives). They rank 10th in 3rd down %, which isn't bad but I'd like to see better. Despite being 7th in rush yardage, they're 25th in opponent's yards per rush. What this tells me is that some of these blowout wins have protected our defense from getting gashed by the run (again, when behind, teams pass).
You'd best believe that whatever team we face in the playoffs will be testing out our run defense early and often. If the game stays close, expect plenty of running and play action. We've been killed like that before in the playoffs.
Plus situational football might dictate more yards per game due to having huge leads and just running the clock out. This in the fantasy world is known as "junk time stat padding". In the real world, it's worthless.
