01-21-2023, 12:22 PM
(01-21-2023, 12:18 PM)SHRacerX Wrote: The Bills have the #30 rush defense in the NFL, according to PFF.
Their overall grade for the season in run defense is a 53.9 Why do they rate so low? Their TACKLING grade is a dismal 38.9. It appears that their weakness is to run right at them....something the Bengals do quite often, as opposed to outside runs, but they have had a fairly poor success rate. The Bills grade/weakness has likely been highlighted by their division. The AFC East is loaded with teams that are pretty successful rushing the ball (the Jets were as well before losing offensive linemen and Breece Hall.
This leads me to think that a lot of these games, the Bills just got way up and the opposition had to abandon their rushing attack.
Here is the run/pass mix for the Bills' three loses, by their opponent:
9/25 Miami L 19-21. Miami ran the ball 17 times and passed it 20 times. The Bills lost the turnover margin as well, 1-0.
11/6 NYJ L 17-20. Jets ran the ball a whopping 34 times, and passed it just 25 times. The Bills lost the turnover margin as well, 2-1.
11/13 Minnesota L 33-30 Minnesota ran the ball just 25 times, compared to 50 throws. The Bills had 4 tunovers to the Vikins 2.
Despite that last example, where the turnovers clearly killed the Bills, as Minnesota has no semblance of a defense, you can see that when the opposition stayed dedicated to the rushing attack, or at least had BALANCE, it tended to give Minnesota fits.
Conversely to all these struggles in rush defense, the Bills actually have some really highly rankced pass rushers, even without Von Miller. PFF has them as the 6th highest rated pass rush in the NFL.
Now, of COURSE I want to see explosive plays. I want to attack them downfield, but I also hope the Bengals really dedicate themselves to running the ball and staying balanced. I think if Mixon/Perine have a big game, this is certainly a win.
If Cincy can have success in the run game it’s really a nightmare for teams. But as the game gets closer I’m leaning to the Bengals confidence and calmness as the difference . It’s not easy to come by.
Romo “ so impressed with Zac ...1 of the best in the NFL… they are just fundamentally sound. Taylor the best winning % in the Playoffs of current coaches. Joe Burrow” Zac is the best head coach in the NFL & that gives me a lot of confidence." Taylor led the Bengals to their first playoff win since 1990, ending the longest active drought in the four major North American sports, en and appeared in Super Bowl LVI, the first since 1988.
