When it comes to turnovers...we are elite

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

(01-11-2024, 06:05 PM)WeezyBengal Wrote: It's a minor detail that has a big impact.

We were bottom 3 in the league in giveaways the past two years. The Bengals TAKE CARE of the football - don't fumble or throw interceptions. They also take the ball away a decent amount - top 10 the past two years. They were top 5 in turnover differential in 2022 and 2023.

This team is not perfect by any means, but taking the ball away and not giving it away can off set a lot of the deficiencies this team has - especially on defense.

It's probably not a good idea to rely on it and I'm not sure its super sustainable, but it's definetly a part of this teams identity and you can tell its coached/preached. It's becoming a trend.

This is exactly my thought. It makes my mind go back to the 2005 Bengals defense. 

In 2005 they were 28th overall and 22nd scoring but had 31 INTs and something like 15 fumble recoveries which let them win the AFCN.
Then in 2006 they were 30th overall and 17th scoring but only had 19 INT and something like 11 fumble recoveries. .500 season.

Wasted a top-10 offense. Turnovers are great, but relying on them over preventing yards and points is just not sustainable.

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I wish they were coached/preached to secure the tackle FIRST, though. Pratt was driving me crazy all season because he seemed to care about trying to strip the ball a whole lot more than getting the tackle.