Pass Rush Fails to Exploit Makeshift Bengals Line

Cincinnati was without four of its five starters up front and then made a change early in the contest.

It looked like a mismatch of biblical proportions.

The Cincinnati Bengals offensive line was the most depleted unit on the field on Sunday afternoon. Cincinnati had four backups protecting rookie quarterback Joe Burrow and blocking for a backfield that was without its starting running back. Three of their five opening day starters missed the contest due to injuries, and one because of an illness not related to the coronavirus.

The Tennessee Titans had a chance to expose the patch-work unit, but instead turned in a head-scratching performance in a 31-20 loss at Paul Brown Stadium, their second consecutive defeat.

The Bengals ran for more than 100 yards. The Titans didn’t bring down Burrow for a single sack despite having some chances to do so. Their defense registered only one tackle for a loss of yards.

“There is a lot that goes into losing,” Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel said. “Certainly, our ability to affect the quarterback would have been one of them.

“... There were times where they (Cincinnati) helped [double teamed]. There were times where the quarterback got rid of the football And there were times where we may have won and didn’t get anything out of it. We’ll continue to watch and learn and look at it and find out how we can continue to improve.”

Of the four new starters on the Bengals’ offensive line, one was a rookie who had never started an NFL game. Four others, including center Billy Price, were veterans who had a combined 28 career starts entering Sunday. An undrafted free agent in 2016, right guard Alex Redmond was the only regular present on Cincinnati's offensive line. He had only started 21 games prior to Sunday.

Then former Titan Quinton Spain replaced Shaq Calhoun on the Bengals’ second offensive possession. Released by the Buffalo Bills more than a week ago, Spain signed with the Bengals on Friday and has not yet practiced with the team.

“Hats off to our offensive line,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “It was a little bit unexpected, but no one batted an eye. They stuck together and provided a ton of energy for this team (Sunday).”

The lack of pressure on opposing quarterbacks has been a theme for the Titans this season. They currently have seven sacks, is tied for the second fewest among all 32 teams.

Cincinnati is the first opponent in four games to rush for more than 100 yards against Tennessee, and it did so without running back Joe Mixon, the franchise’s leading rusher each of the last three seasons. Veteran backup Giovani Bernard had 15 carries for 62 yards and a touchdown. Another veteran, Samaje Perine, added 32 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.

The first overall pick by the Bengals in the 2020 NFL Draft, Burrow completed 26 of 37 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns. Many time, he got the ball to receivers quickly.

“We were in a unique circumstance. Four new guys in there, and I think they played great,” Burrow said. “We had to help them, and we got the ball out fast. We ran the ball efficiently and did what we needed to do.”

The Titans have no sacks to show for it, but multiple players came frustratingly close to downing Burrow. Most notably, he evaded a slew of Titans defenders to avoid a sack on a third down play in the middle of the third quarter. Outside linebacker Harold Landry had two chances, rookie defensive back Chris Jackson had two chances and three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Jadeveon Clowney had a shot as well.

“We’re going to have to continue to take our chances and get them down,” Vrabel said of the play. “The quarterbacks in this league, they are big and athletic, I don’t know if we can get anymore guys there.”

The Titans spent a considerable amount of money in the past several months to bolster up their pass rush.

They signed Pro Bowl outside linebacker Vic Beasley to a one-year, $9.5 million deal in March. The eighth overall pick by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2015 NFL Draft, Beasley has racked up 37 ½ sacks, 156 tackles and 36 tackles for a loss in five NFL seasons with the Falcons.

In their highest profile move, the Titans landed Clowney on a one-year, $15 million deal in September. In six NFL seasons with the Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks, the No. 1 overall pick in 2014 has registered 32 sacks, 80 quarterback hits and 71 tackles for loss in 75 career contests. He also has forced eight fumbles and recovered eight fumbles. He had his best season of his career when Vrabel was the Texans defensive coordinator in 2017. He registered a career-high 9.5 sacks and 21 quarterback hits while also making 21 tackles for a loss.

Neither Beasley nor Clowney have recorded a sack this season. Beasley has made just three tackles this season (one for a loss), while Clowney has 14 tackles and three for a loss of yards.

“We have to stick together,” Vrabel said. “We have to change how we play, which starts with how we practice. Practicing better would lead to better performances. We all can do more and have to do more when we lose.”

Defensive tackle and team captain DaQuan Jones echoed that, saying the pass rushes improvement is contingent on players doing their job.

“We have to take advantage of opportunities and go out there and win the one-on-one matchups,” Jones said.

Yet when an opportunity presented itself on Sunday, the Titans did not take advantage of the Bengals’ most glaring weakness.