Dropping 8: How Lou Anarumo Stifled Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs' Offense

Cincinnati is Super Bowl bound.

Mike Santagata | Jan 31, 2022

For the first time in my life, the Cincinnati Bengals have won the Lamar Hunt trophy and are headed to the Super Bowl. They had to slay the dragon standing at the end of the maze to get there, but they did so despite losing the overtime coin toss.

Take a step back and take in everything that this team has accomplished this season. They were only projected to win 6.5 games by oddsmakers. Instead, they've won 13 games, including three playoff contests and are headed to the Super Bowl. They did it on the back of their defense. They absolutely shut down Patrick Mahomes and company in the second half.

Let’s get into the masterful game plan by defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo.

The Chiefs got off to a hot start, scoring touchdowns on their first three possessions. The Bengals couldn’t stop anything that the Chiefs were doing offensively and it looked to be every bit of the defensive disaster that some analysts predicted. However, just like in the first matchup between these two teams, Anarumo adjusted and clamped Kansas City in the second half. In part due to a fantastic, unique gameplan of only rushing three defenders from extremely light personnel with single high behind it.

The #Bengals dropped 8+ defenders in coverage on a season-high 35% of pass plays.

Patrick Mahomes struggled against 8+ defenders in coverage, completing just 7 of 13 passes for 59 yards & an INT with 2 sacks (-14.4 pass EPA, career-low).#CINvsKC | #RuleTheJungle pic.twitter.com/oGWhaVWx6z
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) January 30, 2022

In dollar (3-2-6) and quarter (3-1-7) personnel, the Bengals were able to do everything they wanted defensively. They solved the age-old question of “who do you double between Hill and Kelce?” with a one word answer: Both. By putting eight defenders into coverage they were able to have a bracket on Kelce and a bracket on Hill, while also keeping a safety deep. That’s five defenders devoted to just those two if Hill goes deep. An insane task, but when you move an extra defender into coverage, it works. There are still three more defenders there to take away the other eligible receivers in man coverage. The Chiefs have fast guys, but they are not overly talented, so the plan works.

Not only did they drop eight defenders into coverage, but they did it with a single high structure behind it. The common thought process when a team plays the Chiefs is that you can never play single high because of the weapons that they have offensively, but the Bengals blanketed Kansas City in the second half and overtime by doing exactly that. This safety is able to stay over the top on anything that Hill does vertically and play it from the top down. Hill is fast, but he can’t outrun Jessie Bates when Bates has a 15-yard head start.

Third-and-goal for the Chiefs on the Mahomes fumble. He stares down Travis Kelce on this crossing route and doesn't throw the football. I need to see this on the All-22. pic.twitter.com/kZzRPnXeen
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) January 31, 2022

On this play, the Bengals are in nickel personnel. Sam Hubbard is the defensive lineman that drops into coverage and he plays a key role in preventing this touchdown. First, he gets into the passing window to take away Mahomes’ first read. Then after he lets Kelce pass him and Logan Wilson takes him, he works as a spy on Mahomes. Once Mahomes tries to leave the pocket, Hubbard comes flying downhill to bring him down for a strip sack.

Masterful defense and almost a win in regulation for the Bengals because of it. By the time that Hill comes open by sprinting across the back of the end zone, Mahomes has lost the ball and the Chiefs are scrambling to pick it up. This is just a work of art defensively.

Chiefs run mesh on third-and-3. Michael Thomas (31) comes out of the huddle behind the NT and ends up 18 yards deep as the single high safety by the time the snap actually takes place. Bengals have Hill + Kelce doubled and Mahomes eventually gets sacked. pic.twitter.com/p3TdRJMiYE
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) January 31, 2022

The Bengals come out in quarter personnel (3-1-7) against the Chiefs 11 personnel on this third down. I can’t see the eyes of the defenders from the dots, but to me, this looks like a variation on man match Cover 1. The key on this one is that the Bengals put a bracket on both Hill and Kelce.

It starts with Logan Wilson finding his way through traffic to keep up with the back who is motioned into running a wheel route. Eli Apple is playing MES coverage where he is responsible for Demarcus Robinson (No. 11) unless he is shallow. When he goes shallow, Bates is there to cut the mesh route with good leverage. He then finds Kelce and doubles him because it’s the smart thing to do in that situation. Mike Hilton plays sticky to Mecole Hardman's (No. 17) hip the entire play. Lastly, the coup de grace of this play is the bracket by Chidobe Awuzie and Vonn Bell on Hill (No. 10). It looks to me like Awuzie has Hill (No. 10) if he goes outside while Bell has him if he goes inside. It almost works like a triple team on him, because Mike Thomas is playing single high over the top and he has him if he goes deep. An inside-outside bracket with single high help over the top is impossible to beat if you are a wide receiver. It does not matter how good you are. With all of his options clamped up by the defense, Mahomes has to eat a sack. Fantastic coverage by all of the Bengals defenders and a masterful play call by Anarumo.

On the Chiefs first drive of overtime, Patrick Mahomes is picked-off by #24 Vonn Bell on a pass broken up by #30 Jessie Bates.

Since the start last season, Bates leads the NFL in ball hawk rate among all defenders with 80+ targets in coverage (25.3%).#CINvsKC | #RuleTheJungle pic.twitter.com/fDvUjw9DMd
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) January 30, 2022

This is a similar play to the last one to get the game changing interception in overtime. The Bengals are playing dollar personnel on defense (3-2-6) to match the Chiefs 12 personnel. The Bengals line up with Awuzie over Blake Bell (No. 81) to try to sell this as zone coverage and then on the snap they play man to man.

Tre Flowers does an incredible job covering Kelce one-on-one, Eli Apple is on Robinson (No. 11) in man coverage and sticks with him. It’s a 3-man rush with a spy from Wilson while Markus Bailey takes the back out of the backfield. There is an inside-outside bracket on Hill again. This time it’s Hilton as the outside bracket while Bell is once again the inside bracket. This allows Bell to play the crosser with really great leverage, but despite this, he is beaten to the spot. The issue for the Chiefs is that the Bengals are playing single high with Bates as the post safety.

Bates melts with Mahomes eyes and then once he starts to throw the ball, breaks on it. He is able to get over the top of Hill on this play and bats the ball right into Bell’s hands. Bell then returns the ball to the 45-yard line to set up the game winning drive. This is all possible because of what is in essence, a triple team on Hill. Even with this coverage, Mahomes trusts his guy to make the play. Another masterclass in defense by the Cincinnati Bengals and it led directly to the victory.

Joe Burrow and this offense is going to get a lot of credit for this win, but really the defense deserves just as much, if not more, credit. They played one of the greatest halves of football against the Chiefs this season. An absolute work of art from this squad. The Bengals could certainly use another game plan like this against the Rams in the Super Bowl.

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