10-01-2019, 05:34 PM
(10-01-2019, 03:31 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: To read it all, please click the link below, but I'll post the parts that I thought were interesting here:
Andy needs AJ badly
With Zac Taylor calling the shots under the new regime, the Bengals run a hefty amount of 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR). In an offense like this, having a deep receiving unit is essential to passing success. Since Cincinnati’s best wideout, and arguably one of the best in the league, A.J. Green is out with an injury, Dalton was left with one of the most underrated wide receivers in the NFL in Tyler Boyd, John Ross and Auden Tate. Those last two are a key reason as to why the Bengals failed to score a touchdown against Pittsburgh in Week 4.
Nearly 90% of the Bengals’ plays were ran out of 11 personnel against the Steelers and they passed the ball on 71.9% of their total plays. Even with Boyd, who is one of the top contested-catch receivers in the league (caught five of eight contested so far), Dalton failed to push the ball downfield with having to rely on Tate and Ross. At the end of last night’s blowout, Tate registered a 62.9 receiving grade and a drop while Ross was marginally better with a 69.4 receiving grade, bringing his 2019 season receiving grade to 64.5. He may not have had a drop last night, but Ross’ hands are a liability. He has dropped 12 of his 49 catchable targets since 2017.
Steelers pass-rush ate like Kobayashi
As suspect as their offensive game plan was, head coach Mike Tomlin had their defense locked and loaded against the Bengals’ hellacious offensive line. Furthermore, they came out firing with blitzing on 45% of Dalton’s dropbacks and executing a stunt on 35%. These blitzes and stunts Tomlin and company had dialed up were magnificent, but even without them, this pass-rush had their way with the Bengals and recorded a pressure on 40% of their standard four-man pass-rushes.
Overall as a team, Pittsburgh generated 23 pressures and ended the game with a historic night for the franchise. Last night’s pass-rush showing they put on led to a team pass-rush grade of 90.6, which was the highest ever recorded in a game by Pittsburgh in the PFF era (since 2006 – second was 2018 Week 11 at Jacksonville, 83.6 grade). The Steelers’ pass-rush feasted, and it was by far the most they’ve beaten their opponent in the pass-rush.
Looking at their defensive front ahead of the game, one could have assumed this would occur with having two of the top interior defensive linemen in the game in Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt and one of the rising stars at the edge position in T.J. Watt. This trio took the Bengals cookies and then some with combining for 16 pressures and each posting a win rate above 25% (Heyward had a 90.0 pass-rush grade and four pressures, Tuitt had an 84.7 pass-rush grade and six pressures and Watt had an 87.2 pass-rush grade and six pressures).
Cincinnati’s offensive line is really, really bad
Bengals fans, it’s okay. We will get through this section together. The Steelers’ pass-rush was successful because of their known skill, but also because of Cincinnati’s JV squad on the offensive line. Of the seven offensive linemen to register a snap against Pittsburgh, none cracked a pass-blocking grade above 54.0. From top to bottom, this line was just flat out horrific.
In all seriousness, this was among the five worst offensive line performances we have seen in the PFF era with their offensive linemen taking home a PFF pass-block grade of 21.4, the fourth-worst in a single game since 2006 (by far the worst by a Bengals team – next worst came 2017 Week 9 at Jacksonville at 33.7). No team lost more matchups in a single game in the PFF era than the Bengals did last night, and they also gave up a franchise-record amount of pressures.
Right tackle Bobby Hart finished the nightmare with a 24.1 pass-block grade and allowed seven total pressures (15.2% pressure rate). Right guard John Miller (30.1 pass-block grade) and left guard Michael Jordan (15.1 pass-block grade) were just as guilty as Hart was with those two combining for seven pressures allowed. Oh, and let’s not forget 2018 first-round pick Billy Price’s brief appearance where he allowed a sack on one of his four pass-block snaps.
To read it all, please click here:
https://www.pff.com/news/pro-key-takeaways-from-the-pittsburgh-steelers-blowout-27-3-victory-over-the-cincinnati-bengals
At this point I miss stacy Andrews.... (and I hated that guy)
