Seattle Seahawks QB Geno Smith Lauds Cincinnati Bengals' Defensive Multiplicity

Even with extra time to prepare due to a bye week, Geno Smith isn't expecting to know how the Cincinnati Bengals will try to defend the Seattle Seahawks until after the opening kickoff on Sunday, shrouding the game planning process in mystery.

RENTON, Wash. - When it comes to game planning for an upcoming opponent during the dog days of the regular season, each week presents different unique obstacles for Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks to navigate.

In some cases, particularly with familiar divisional rivals who Seattle sees twice a year, it's easier to devise a plan with more defined expectations for what to expect schematically come game day. But as Smith explained prior to Wednesday's practice as the team ramps up preparations for a tough road game coming up in Cincinnati, other opponents make that process far tricker and less predictable with scheme usage being more volatile week to week.

“It just comes down to philosophy and the coordinator and the coach," Smith told reporters. "Some defenses will say, ‘We’ll line up and play what we play and you have to beat us.’ Some guys will say, ‘Hey, we’re going to give you bunch of different looks, and we’re going to switch it up and see if you can make the right calls, the right checks, and see if we can cause some confusion.’ It comes down the coordinator, how they feel about their philosophy and players.”

In the case of the Bengals, Smith and the Seahawks will soon face one of those defenses that isn't near as simple to game plan for due to their multiplicity and the diverse ways they deploy personnel under renowned coordinator Lou Anarumo.

While Cincinnati currently ranks 20th in scoring defense, Anarumo's unit finished sixth in that category a year ago with many of the same players and after a sluggish start, the group started to show signs of life last weekend in a 34-20 win at Arizona on the road. Led by edge rusher Trey Hendrickson and defensive tackle B.J. Hill, they generated 19 pressures on quarterback Joshua Dobbs and turned that heat into a pair of interceptions for linebacker Germaine Pratt and cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt.

With Hendrickson leading the charge racking up six sacks already this season and others such as Hill and defensive end Sam Hubbard more than capable of being disruptive pushing the pocket themselves, the Bengals have plenty of talent along the defensive line for the Seahawks to worry about this weekend. Per Pro Football Focus, Hendrickson and Hill both rank in the top 15 in their respective position groups for quarterback pressures and must be accounted for.

Under Anarumo's direction, the Bengals also offer as diversified of a coverage pallet as any team in the NFL currently. According to PFF's charting, the team ranks in the top 10 in Cover 1, Cover 3, and Cover 0 usage by percentage, mixing in a significant dose of middle of field closed coverages with zone underneath as well as quite a bit of man coverage with one or zero deep safeties.

A breakdown of coverages the Bengals have played thus far this season. (via Pro Football Focus) :: © Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

But in Smith's opinion, what makes prepping for Cincinnati's defense most difficult is the plethora of capable blitzers that Anarumo can and will send after the quarterback from the variety of different fronts and formations in their playbook arsenal.

“They’ll rush four, they have four great guys, great pass rushers and then they’ll send five, six, or seven and they’ve got some zeros," Smith said. "They have a bunch of different looks, and they like to be multiple. They’re a gameplan defense, so you’ll know what you’ll get on gameday. It’ll be something different than we’ve seen on tape and that’s how pretty much how it’s been all of the time for us. They present a bunch of different challenges, they have a really good coordinator, a really smart head coach, and I assume it’s going to be that ultimate chess match, like always.”

One of the best in the business at adjusting his play calling to match his personnel, Anarumo has been more willing to send extra rushers this season than in years prior. After only sending five or more rushers on 20.8 percent of defensive snaps in 2022, he has ramped up his aggression bringing the blitz nearly 34 percent of the time, which ranks eighth in NFL through five weeks.

For the most part, though they have been exposed a few times by trick plays and cutbacks in the run game, Anarumo's pivot towards being more pro-blitz has worked out for the Bengals. Prior to their win last week in Arizona, according to PFF, the team had produced a 45.6 percent success rate when bringing extra rushers through Week 4, the eighth-best rate in the league.

Benefiting from the trigger happy blitzkrieg, second-year safety Dax Hill already has two sacks and five pressures. Pratt and safety Nick Scott also have been productive with their blitzing opportunities, combining to manufacture a sack and seven quarterback pressures so far this year, adding more names for Smith to keep tabs on as he and his offensive line make protection calls before the snap.

“It starts with the little things like calling the plays in the huddle and getting to the line of scrimmage in the proper fashion," Smith said outlining keys to executing against a talented Bengals pass rush. "Really having that tempo, we want to be an up-tempo offense. It starts with that. Getting in and out of the huddle, getting our substitutions right, calling the plays right, and getting to the line of scrimmage. And then, doing our process, making the ‘mic’ points, whether that’s the pass or the run game, and then once the ball is snapped, every single guy doing his job to the best of his ability."

As far as storylines to watch on Sunday, it will be interesting to see whether or not Anarumo sticks with recent trends against the Seahawks and sends additional pressure after the quarterback with a higher than league average frequency. They didn't blitz quite as much against the Cardinals, as their season average dipped from 38.5 percent to 33.9 percent following the victory, and Smith has been effective when teams have decided to bring extra rushers.

Through the first four games, opponents have sent five or more rushers on 34.3 percent of Smith's drop backs and a total of 46 plays. With those limited opportunities, he has completed 63.6 percent of his passes for 335 yards, two touchdowns, and 7.6 yards per attempt with no interceptions and a 102.2 passer rating. Given the receiving talent at his disposal in DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, this could be a game where the Bengals blitz at their own peril.

But if there's a reason to believe Cincinnati could opt to stay aggressive dialing up pressure, though he finished third in completion rate and second in yardage, Smith tied for the NFL lead with five interceptions against the blitz last season. Going against an offensive line that will still be missing tackle Abraham Lucas and could also be without guard Damien Lewis, sending rushers from different levels of the defense coupled with a stout front line in front of a loud home crowd could cause real problems for Seattle.

Regardless of what transpires, moreso than some other weeks against different teams, Smith, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, and his teammates will have to keep their heads on a swivel expecting the unexpected against the Bengals. With Anarumo at the controls, he has proven himself willing to mix things up in coverage schemes and blitz packages, making the ability to adapt on the fly critical for the Seahawks chances of moving their win streak to four games.