How the Bengals Defense Keeps Opponents Guessing

Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and the offense generally get most of the credit for the Bengals’ success. While much of this is well-deserved, the defense has been instrumental in Cincinnati’s second-half run.

Their numbers for the season might not be spectacular. Entering Week 17, the Bengals rank 9th in points allowed, 13th in yards, 13th in takeaways, 19th on 3rd down, and 29th in sacks. But defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo throws a lot at opposing offenses, which keeps them from operating at full force.

Maybe the best aspect of Anarumo’s defense is its unpredictability. He often disguises his looks and will alternate between winning with coverage or pressure. He’ll create specific game-plans for each opponent and is more than willing to adjust on the fly (as we saw in the AFC Championship Game against the Chiefs last season).

Against the Buccaneers in Week 15, Tom Brady completed 17 of 23 passes for 194 yards and 2 touchdowns in the first half. Cincy’s 4-man rush wasn’t getting home as Brady was able to get the ball out quickly and in rhythm. So Anarmumo mixed things up during the final 30 minutes. He rushed 3 and dropped 8 into coverage on several snaps. He mixed in well-timed blitzes. He kept Tampa off balance by not showing his hand pre-snap.

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This first example was a 3rd-and-8 in the third quarter. Notice the Bengals’ pre-snap alignment. The entire defense was within 8 yards of the line of scrimmage, and there appeared to be 7 potential pass rushers. It looked like Cincinnati might be bringing a cover-0 blitz:

But the Bengals would drop out into a cover-3 zone and rush just 3. With the extra man in coverage, they had 5 defenders sitting in underneath zones near the first down marker. Brady forced the ball into a clogged throwing lane, and the result was an interception:

On Tampa’s next drive, the Bengals again showed blitz on 3rd down. Linebacker Logan Wilson (#55) aligned over the center, creating a 5-man surface that would force Tampa to match up their protection 1-on-1 across the board:

This time, the Bengals would actually blitz. They attacked with a 3-man stunt from the right. D.J. Reader (#98) and Joseph Ossai (#58) would take their pass rush inside to the left. Wilson (#55) would do the same initially. This took each of their blockers in that direction as well:

With Reader taking the left guard inside and picking the center, and Ossai taking the left tackle inside, Wilson was able to loop around the edge unblocked:

The result was a sack-fumble, which the Bengals offense quickly turned into a touchdown.

Coverage created the interception shown above. Pressure created the sack-fumble. A few drives later, with the Buccaneers facing a 3rd-and-7 from their own 5-yard line, the coverage and pressure worked in unison to get another stop.

Here, Cincinnati was again showing pressure pre-snap. This time there were 7 potential rushers: