Over the past few seasons under Zac Taylor, the Cincinnati Bengals have struggled to assemble a passable offensive line. After all, starting quarterback Joe Burrow has spent the end of two of his first four seasons in the NFL on injured reserve. As has been the standard over the past few years, this offensive line is undoubtedly the most talented unit that has protected Burrow over the course of his career after the team replaced right tackle Jonah Williams with former New England Patriot Trent Brown. The question is: when will that be good enough to allow this team to make another postseason run?
Cincinnati Bengals Matchup Against Talented Washington Defensive Line
Much like Cincinnati has invested heavily in possessing one of the best wide receiver corps in the National Football League, the Commanders have put all of their chips on their defensive line. This is a unit that has sports three first-round picks amongst the four starters including 2019 fourth overall pick Clelin Ferrell, 2017 seventeenth overall pick Jonathan Allen, and 2018 thirteenth overall pick Daron Payne. Even with that heavy investment, this is a unit that sits at 11th in the NFL in rushing defense and 29th in the NFL in pass rushing according to Pro Football Focus.
Cincinnati, meanwhile, has officially been middle of the pack in terms of offensive line play in their pass-blocking score (16th) and run-blocking (19th). While that may not seem like an impressive number, it’s a huge victory for Cincinnati considering how poor this unit has been over the past few years and after a game against Kansas City and one of the most potent defensive fronts in the entire league. That being said, consistency will remain this team’s biggest struggle as they have a tendency to lose focus and concede an embarrassing sack several times per game.
While Ferrell certainly has untapped potential to be a game wrecker after he was an elite talent coming out of Clemson in 2019, the biggest threat to the Cincinnati offense will be the tandem of Allen and Payne on the defensive interior. That will leave guards Cordell Volson and Alex Cappa along with center Ted Karras to take on the strongest part of the Commanders defense. All three of those players are more than capable but Cincinnati will need to utilize running back support to assist whichever guard ends up pass blocking the three-technique (likely Allen).
While this is arguably the best offensive line that this team has had since their elite group from the early 2010s disbanded in 2017, both Volson and Cappa have a tendency to panic in one-on-one matchups with high-level talent. That is why Cincinnati should slide the defensive line to the nose tackle (double team Payne) and then use the running back to chip and potentially assist with a double-team on the three-technique. While I generally support using the running back to chip the most dangerous defensive end, tackles Trent and Orlando Brown should be able to win most of their matchups with the defensive ends. That should provide Burrow with ample time to find an open receiver.
Continued Struggle with Blitz Pickup
The other critical failure of this unit over the past several years has been blitz pickup. While it is critical to maintain shape when working as a team during pass protection, the offensive linemen for Cincinnati have shown a tendency to give up too much ground as well as turn their shoulders, allowing blitzers to breach the line uninhibited. If there is anything that offensive line coach Frank Pollack should be drilling into his players on a regular basis, it’s the critical fundamentals of blitz pickup and communication during pass protection.
After a brutal matchup in Week 2 against Kansas City, Cincinnati’s protective unit should have an opportunity to really dominate the line of scrimmage against an underperforming Washington squad. If Cincinnati can play well enough at the point of attack, expect the Bengals to jump out to an early lead and then utilize play action to generate chunk plays.
Follow me on Twitter at @Super_Squatch76. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in college and NFL news, click here! If there is a topic you’d like me to cover or a question you’d like to ask, feel free to contact me at my email timothy.mcbride76@gmail.com.
