You people need to trust Lou

[KillerGoose]

(05-05-2022, 02:36 PM)WeezyBengal Wrote: If you're using "yards allowed" as the only metric to judge a defense on then you're missing out on a ton. The defense carried this team the last few weeks of the season and through the playoffs. 

There's a lot more that goes into the quality of a defense than "yards allowed". These days, you don't need an elite defense to win games. You need a VERY good offense and a capable defense. Lou has definitely taken this defense from garbage to capable.

One question I have is whether or not Cincinnati's defense will be able to maintain the improvement in turnovers they saw during the postseason. On a play by play basis, the defense was the exact same defense they were in the regular season. However, they forced a significant amount of turnovers.

• The Bengals defense allowed 5.5 yards per play in the playoffs and regular season.
• The defensive EPA per play was -0.01 in the regular season compared to -0.03 in the postseason. 
• The defense averaged a sack every 25 plays in both the regular season and postseason.
• The turnover rate in the regular season was a turnover every 51 plays compared to a turnover every 28 plays in the postseason. 
  

That is the only major difference between the two, and it is a powerful one. I am hoping with an extra year of experience and some of the additional youth in the secondary, we can see more turnovers this season. Otherwise, Cincinnati may be looking at another middle of the road defense.