'Those Guys Have To Win More' - Bengals Lack of Pass Rush Leading Reason Why Season Is Sinking

Jay Morrison | Oct 28, 2024

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) walks off the field after the Cincinnati Bengals lost the NFL game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. / Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

CINCINNATI – Despite sitting 3-5 without a single home victory in four tries this season, the Cincinnati Bengals are not feeling any pressure.

The bigger problem is neither are their opponents.

The Cincinnati pass rush managed just three pressures against the Philadelphia Eagles in Sunday’s 37-17 loss.

Only one of those pressures ended with a quarterback hit, when Joseph Ossai took Hurts to the ground after a 6-yard completion on third and 10.

It was the first time since Week 2 last year against Baltimore that the Bengals registered less than two quarterback hits. And their three pressures were the second fewest in the league this season behind Jacksonville’s one Week 5 against Indianapolis.

“He never got out of rhythm. He never felt uncomfortable, just in terms of the pocket was pretty clean for him all day,” Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said. “The previous game they were 15 throws, 40-something runs. Yesterday they were 20 throws, 39 runs. So you've got to get them out of that type of game.”

Even when the Bengals tried to blitz, the pressure was late getting to Hurts, if it got there at all.

And once Philadelphia took the lead, the Eagles leaned into the run even more, limiting how much pressure Anarumo could send.

“We kind of played into their hands that way, just trying to affect the quarterback with different types of rushes,” he said. “But at that point, it was the ball in their court where they could play from ahead and run the ball and get you in run calls and throw it. But we've got to try to affect the quarterback better.”

The Bengals have been overly reliant on Trey Hendrickson for the bulk of their pressure, but against the Eagles he was neutralized by former teammate Fred Johnson to the tune of two pressures on 18 pass rush snaps.

On the season, the Bengals rank 19th with 92 pressures and 29th with 12 sacks.

“There's a lot of things we've tried,” head coach Zac Taylor said. “There's some things we've done in previous games. It's a challenge. There's times when you pressure and if you don't get home, you’re thin out the back end of the defense.

“And you rush three or four and you don't get home, then they've got to hold up in the back end so something we continue to evaluate constantly, trying to disrupt the other teams offense and just keep working toward it,” he added.

The pass rush issue was supposed to be solved once the Bengals had their full complement of defensive linemen back.

Sheldon Rankins, whom the Bengals gave a two-year, $24.5 million contract in free agency to be a pass-rushing force inside, missed three games with a hamstring injury. B.J. Hill missed two. Myles Murphy, their 2023 first-round pick, was on IR for the first four weeks, as was rookie third-round pick McKinnley Jackson.

And rookie second-round pick Kris Jenkins missed two games with a broken thumb.

The whole group is healthy, but the pass rush is not well, outside of Hendrickson, who despite Sunday's off day ranks sixth in pressure percentage (10.6) and fifth in win percentage (21.2).

But through five games, Rankins has four pressures and one sack and ranks 100th out of 120 qualifying defensive tackles in pressure percentage (2.4) and 87th in win percentage (5.8).

Murphy has eight pressures and no sacks through four games. He ranks 62nd of 117 qualifying edge rushers in pressure percentage (5.8) and 108th in win percentage (4.3).

Starting defensive end Sam Hubbard is 94th in pressure percentage (4.2) and 98th in win rate (6.0).

Anarumo said the answer isn’t blitzing more, it’s getting their pass rushers to win more.

“If we are counting on just getting free runners to the quarterback, those (offensive) guys get paid, too, and you do get some free runners – that happens – but generally we try to get one-on-ones,” he sad. “We are always going to try to scheme to get a guy free for sure. Two on a back or two on a guard, two on a tackle, we had that yesterday one time.

“When we do get those one-on-ones, those guys have to win more than we are winning right now.”

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