Three Down Look: Offensive Line and Red Zone Woes Fuel Bengals' 23-20 Loss in Super Bowl LVI

Cincinnati converted touchdowns on just 1-of-3 trips into the red zone.

Author:
Russ Heltman
Publish date:
Feb 14, 2022 2:47 PM EST

CINCINNATI — A gutting night in Los Angeles.

The Cincinnati Bengals couldn't block Aaron Donald and the Los Angeles Rams in a 23-20 loss defined by the storyline everyone highlighted for two weeks.

Cincinnati's season fittingly ended with a sack; on a play where Joe Burrow had Ja'Marr Chase wide open down the sideline—but not enough time to make the strike.

Matthew Stafford got plenty of protection and overcame a pair of mistakes to cap a first-year title run in L.A. Here's the Three Down Look on Sunday's loss.

Can't Block Em, Can't Beat Em

Cincinnati simply could not deal with the Rams front four, and it ended their Super Bowl hopes with a thud. Burrow finished 22-of-33 for 263 yards and one touchdown—but was sacked seven times and took 11 hits on the night.

No one on the line played well, and it meant L.A. rarely had to send extra rushers to get to Burrow. He got the ball out as quickly as possible, but the pressure was relentless on 43.4% of his snaps.

Even a sound running game wasn't enough to stem the onslaught. Joe Mixon ran well all night (15 carries for 72 yards), but Cincinnati turned away from him in key short-yardage moments. The most notable came on the final drive of the game when inexplicably Samaje Perine got the call on 3rd & 1.

The Bengals offensive line is, has been, and will continue to be this team's Achilles heel until they invest heavy financial and draft resources into this group. The Panthers picked all defensive players last year, Cincinnati doesn't necessarily have to take that extreme, but 3 to 4 more offensive line draft picks should be the expectation.

According to PFF, Cincinnati finished the game with the third-worst team pass blocking grade in the 2021 NFL season (24.5). The coaches had two weeks to prepare, and the personnel produced this.

Plenty of players performed well enough to win this game, but the most important position group laid a fat egg.

Red Zone Reality

Close NFL games often come down to turnovers and red zone execution. When viewed that way, Sunday was a wash at SoFi Stadium, and it was a big reason Cincinnati lost the game.

The Bengals turned L.A. over twice on Stafford interceptions, but they also went 1-3 in crucial red-zone chances to even things out. Things got wacky on the first trip deep into Rams territory.

Chase got them there on a magnificent one-handed 43-yard catch down the right sideline (which was miss-spotted egregiously at the 11-yard line when Jalen Ramsey touched Chase before he had control of the ball).

Then Zac Taylor proceeded to call three straight passes from the 11-yard line. It was mind-blowing to watch in real-time; Mixon had just cracked a decent run on the first play of the series after carrying it once in the first two drives.

The red zone is historically the best area to achieve efficient rushing results, and the Bengals just threw it out the window?

Taylor made up for that lapse with the great running back pass call to score their first touchdown from the six-yard line, but then once again, Taylor punted the rushing attack in its most useful spot on the field. The Bengals had a chance to go up 24-13 in the third quarter but stalled in the red area.

Cincinnati had a 3rd & 3 at the 11-yard line and took a sack to kill the drive. Zig when the opponent thinks you're zagging. Do what they least expect. L.A. anticipated a pass and ate it up quickly. Chase ran the ball just once and could've been used as a rushing weapon much more in this game. Those short areas were a great spot for that.

Early-down runs have been the bane of this Bengals offense, but against a dominant L.A. front, they needed to lean into them more, especially with Burrow facing pressure on nearly half of his snaps. According to RBSDM.com, Cincinnati rushed the ball 15 times on early downs to 28 passes.

Too many of those early passes were true pass sets, and that killed Cincinnati's offense throughout the game and in the red zone.

Kupp Paints His Masterpiece

The Year of Cooper Kupp concluded with a spectacular performance in the Super Bowl. The Rams star wide receiver was the best offensive player on the field throughout the night, finishing with a game-high 10.3 total EPA on eight catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns.

Sean McVay did a great job of moving Kupp around the formation, and that became even more important when they lost Odell Beckham Jr. in the second quarter. Kupp and Stafford's connection in the red zone defined this game and their season as a whole.

The Eastern Washington product got open at will near the Bengals goal line and caught his scores on passes of 11 yards and one yard. His separation ability is a big reason why he won the receiving triple crown and became the eighth player at his position to win Super Bowl MVP.

Despite the loss, this was a season to remember Bengals fans, cherish it and hold onto these memories forever. 2022 brings heightened expectations and a lack of wonder that can't be replicated after watching a team arrive early.

Take some time to let the sting of this wear off, and then it's onto Year Two of the Burrow-Chase era in Cincinnati.

For more on the game, watch our postgame report below.

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