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Film Breakdown: Analyzing the Cincinnati Bengals' Elite Pass Rush

The Bengals have 39 sacks this season, which is tied for the third-most in the NFL.

Mike Santagata

A common thought process for writers covering other teams is that the Bengals’ defense “does not blitz much” and statistically, they are correct. 

Cincinnati blitzes on 19.1% of dropbacks according to Pro Football Focus, which ranks 30th in the league. Despite this, they have the third-most sacks in the league (39) and rank eighth in pressure rate. 

So what gives? How are they able to get to the quarterback so often, despite not sending five or more pass rushers at their opponent? This is possible with a group of talented pass rushers, coverages that can make the opposition hold the ball an extra second, and an efficient blitz scheme.

Let's take a closer look at the Bengals' pass rush.

Talented Pass Rushers

Led by Trey Hendrickson’s 13 sacks, the Bengals’ defensive line has done a great job bringing down opposing quarterbacks. They have two other players (Sam Hubbard and Larry Ogunjobi) with 7 or more sacks as well, so it’s not just a one-man show. To really understand these pass rushers, let’s look at all three players individually to see how they win against opposing offensive lines.

For Hendrickson, everything starts with his get-off. He is able to challenge offensive tackles with an explosive get-off and if they aren’t quick into their pass set, he can easily win the outside and turn the corner.

This play is the prime example of his get-off. Kolton Miller is tasked with protecting the B-gap as well as blocking Hendrickson, and that’s a mistake. By the time Miller is trying to engage him, he is able to get 5 steps into the ground. He then gives Miller a rip move to keep his body clean and ends up with a strip sack on Derek Carr.

Having a great get-off sets up everything else that Hendrickson does. He can win with finesse moves, like this swipe and rip:

He can also beat offensive tackles by converting speed into power, like on this play:

Hendrickson’s get-off can even help set up games, like this 3-man stunt:

All in all, having a fantastic get-off is Hendrickson’s ultimate set-up move. The other area he excels is in his ability to sell inside rushes to soften the edge.

This was the best pass rush of his season and it was against a quality left tackle in Rashawn Slater. Hendrickson starts by selling the inside rush, forcing Slater to cut his pass set short. From there, he uses the shortened corner to his advantage by attacking the outside, chopping down Slater’s arm, and then ripping to keep his body clean. This ends in a sack on the quarterback, described by offensive line expert Brandon Thorn as “rare high quality,” which is reserved for sacks that are “a 1-on-1 win over a very good blocker due to the rusher’s skill, move(s), and/or athletic ability."

Hubbard ranks second on the team in sacks. He wins with extra effort and smarts to stay in his rushing lane, leading to multiple sacks against Lamar Jackson:

He was constantly taking away Jackson’s rushing lanes and frustrating him throughout the game. However, he’s not just an effort pass rusher. Hubbard has some talented hands and can win against tackles with his signature swipe move.

When his swipe is perfectly-timed, like in the previous rep, he not only beats the hands of the tackle but also propels himself forward towards the quarterback. While this play does not end in a sack, Hubbard directly causes one with his swipe move. He’s not the dominant force Hendrickson is, but he’s a talented pass rusher in his own right and doesn’t just defend the run.

Ogunjobi has seven sacks on the season, which is tied for fifth among interior defensive linemen. He wins by using leverage, strength, and get-off to abuse opposing guards.

In the first game of the season, Ogunjobi picked up the opposing team’s center and weaponized him to sack the quarterback. The leverage and strength required to do that to another professional athlete is insane.

This sack against the Broncos featured one of the most powerful punches I've seen from a defensive lineman in a game this season. He blasts the left guard with so much force that he is left stumbling around woozily. Ogunjobi is free to wrap up on the quarterback after that move.

Despite being a strong defender who often wins with strength and leverage, he can still beat guards with athleticism as well. Here, he fires off of the ball and threatens the guard’s outside edge. Ogunjobi is able to push and fight to win the edge, and then bends around the corner for the sack.

All three players win in different ways and are tough for opposing offensive lines to deal with. Combined, they have 27.5 sacks, ranking 24th in the league on their own. The sack total produced by this trio exceeds the Bengals' entire sack total (17) from the 2020 season.

Marriage Of Coverage And Pass Rush

The reason the Bengals are able to turn so many of these pass rushes into sacks is that they are playing good coverage on the back end. There have been quite a few instances this season where they sack the opposing quarterback after forcing him to hold the ball for an extra second. This symbolic relationship between coverage and pass rush is necessary for teams that want to field a high-level defense.

This strip sack by Hendrickson not only showcases the relationship between coverage and pass rush but also displays another example of how he likes to soften the edge with the threat of going inside. 

Ben Roethlisberger starts by looking to his left as he begins his drop. He wanted to throw something to his right, going so far as to begin his throwing motion. The coverage however took that away so now he needs to move on to his third read. By the time he is ready to throw something on this play, Hendrickson is there to knock the ball free.

This play is another sack that occurs due to the coverage on the back-end. The Bengals rotate their safeties late to flip which one will buzz down. This seemed to confuse Baker Mayfield as he quickly looks to escape the pocket. It also helps that the defenders are tight to their receivers. From there the Bengals’ defense swarms him and brings him down for the sack.

B.J. Hill is a guy that could have also gotten a mention as one of the talented pass rushers. He has 5.5 sacks of his own this season, which is pretty impressive for a 3 technique. He shows his ability to string moves together on this pass rush with the push-pull swim combination. Roethlisberger is held up again by the coverage. He looks to his left and pumps, but nothing is there. He scans across the field to his right but cannot find anyone open. Finally, he tries to scan back again to his left, but by then Hill is there to bring him down.

The Bengals’ coverage unit has done a great job this season in terms of holding up quarterbacks for the pass rush. There have been countless occasions just like these plays where the quarterback starts a read on one side, scans all the way over to the other side, and then ends up taking a sack because nothing is open. This marriage will need to continue if the Bengals want to make a playoff run.

An Effective Pressure Package

While the Bengals do not blitz all that often, that does not mean they never blitz their opponent. This season, they have been able to effectively attack opposing pass protections with extra rushers and formations. The Bengals have a few blitzes in their arsenal, including one that has ended in multiple interceptions.

This pressure is a very cool utilization of the personnel along with a smart way to attack the Broncos pass protection. Germaine Pratt and Markus Bailey are both fairly athletic linebackers, so they can execute this twist. The twist works because of the Broncos’ pass protection. One of the most common ways to deal with the double mug is to slide the center towards one of the linebackers and to let the back take the other. If both of the linebackers just rush forward, this is an effective way to stop this pass rush. However, Lou Anarumo knows this and wants to attack it. This twist is impossible for the Broncos to pick up with the running back coming from depth. Pratt is easily able to occupy both the back and the center which frees up Bailey on the pass rush. Pratt also displays his strength as he takes the double and fights through it to get involved in the sack as well. Very smart pressure from the Bengals defense and one that they should use again if teams want to protect in this manner.

I am unsure as to the Broncos’ plan on this play, but the Bengals are able to take advantage of it with a clean blitz through the A gap. The Broncos slide their center towards the running back despite there being no credible threat to that side’s A or B gap on the second level. Mike Hilton comes off of the edge, but it looks like they are ready for that with the running back. This pass rush was supposed to free up Hubbard as the looper with Pratt occupying the center, but because of the bust, Pratt ends up as the guy freed up. Another easy pressure from a smart pass rush plan.

This formation is designed to dictate how the offensive line will pass protect. With the linebacker head up over the center and every other lineman covered with somebody, the Lions have to get into what is known as 5-0 or big on big protection. This protection essentially means to just take the guy over top of you man to man. By walking down Vonn Bell, they further dictate what the Lions will do by making the back pick him up. This accounts for everyone within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage, but the Bengals are also blitzing Jessie Bates from depth. Bates does a great job to time up the snap count and D.J. Reader makes sure to create a hole by slanting to his right. Bates is able to run through the big hole in the A gap which leads to pressure and an errant throw. Attacking the opposing team’s pass protection like this is the smart way to bring pressure.

If the Bengals have a signature blitz, it is this one. They will get into a Cover 0 look with everyone on the line of scrimmage. The back end is playing catch man and sitting on anything vertical from the receivers. 

The linebackers on this play will rush until they are picked up. Once they are engaged by someone in pass protection, they drop back into coverage. This is smart because it still occupies a member of the pass protection, but it also lets them put an extra man into coverage. Logan Wilson is the best on the team at melting with the quarterback’s eyes and getting into the passing window. You can see him do it here for the interception. Once the right guard starts to punch him, he drops back into coverage. He reads Justin Fields’s eyes and puts himself in the perfect spot to grab an interception. Often quarterbacks are taught to throw the underneath hot route against a blitz like this, but when the linebackers start to drop into that window it can lead to disastrous results for the offense.

Jackson doesn't throw an interception against this blitz, but he does make an inaccurate pass due to the pressure from it. Once again Wilson will occupy whoever picks him up. In this case, it’s the right guard. Once the guard puts his hands on Wilson, he drops back to get into the shallow route’s passing window. Jackson is unable to throw his hot route because of this. Instead, he tries to drift away from the free runner and throw one up for Mark Andrews. The ball sails too high and the play ends in an incompletion. Another effective pressure from the Bengals’ signature blitz.

The ability to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks by the Bengals’ defense is something the fans of this team have not seen in years. In terms of sacks, they have moved from the worst in the league to the third-best unit. 

This area of their defense is the main reason that it has progressed from a liability into a strength of the team. Facing off against Jackson this week, the Bengals will likely blitz more than they usually do. If they can find a way to beat the Ravens’ pass protection scheme again, then the Bengals could be looking at their first sweep of the Ravens since 2015 which also happens to be the last time they made the playoffs.

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Mike Santagata
MIKE SANTAGATA

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