Why Are the Bengals Struggling so Much to Rush the Quarterback?

At 6-3-1 and in the top spot in the AFC North, the Cincinnati Bengals figure to be a very good team. They are coming off an impressive 27-10 road win over the New Orleans Saints, have been able to run the ball well even with running back Giovani Bernard sidelined with an injury and have overcome moments where quarterback Andy Dalton has played poorly. 

But there is one thing about this year's Bengals that isn't like the team they've fielded over the previous few years: the defense. What was once a fearsome group of in-your-face pass-rushers is now like a pack of lions—after the kill that is, lazily licking their paws. 

In 2012, the Bengals defense totaled 51 sacks, led by defensive tackle Geno Atkins and defensive end Michael Johnson. That number declined in 2013, to 32, though Atkins' absence with a torn ACL was mostly credited for the drop-off.

This year, the Bengals currently have 13 sacks, tied for the second fewest in the league. They've also totaled just 40 hits on opposing quarterbacks and 107 hurries, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). The Bengals are the site's lowest-ranked pass-rushing defense on the season so far.

Player	Sacks
Carlos Dunlap	4.5
Reggie Nelson	1.5
Wallace Gilberry	1.5
Geno Atkins	1.5
Domata Peko	1.0
Darqueze Dennard	1.0
Robert Geathers	1.0
Margus Hunt	1.0
Total	13.0

In turn, the Bengals defense ranks 20th in passing yards per game allowed, at 249.5. Even last week, against the Saints, the Bengals' successes against quarterback Drew Brees were in the secondary. They did not sack Brees once, though he was hit four times. 

The Bengals have a mostly healthy Atkins on the field. They lost Johnson in free agency, but even his absence cannot explain away why the Bengals cannot get pressure on quarterbacks like they once did.

Vontaze Burfict has missed games with concussions and a knee injury and could be out again on Sunday, but he accounted for three sacks last year. He's not the missing piece, either.

In fact, the missing piece might not be on the football field but on the sideline instead. It might just be the departure of former defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer to the Minnesota Vikings' head coaching job that has made the difference.

USA TODAY Sports

The transition from Zimmer to new coordinator Paul Guenther has been mostly seamless, with Guenther coaching under Zimmer and being promoted from within. Overall, the quality of the defense has not been poor, and no player seems particularly uncomfortable with any changes that have taken place.

However, the tone of the defense is different, and that could be attributed to a change in tone at coordinator. 

Zimmer was a brash, loud coach who would voice displeasure very clearly and directly when a play went wrong or a player did not perform to expectations. While Guenther is similarly exacting, he's not as aggressive. 

As cornerback Leon Hall said to USA Today Sports' Lindsay H. Jones in July, Guenther

"

Keeps it fresh. He's a little more upbeat sometimes in meetings, which is nice. Zim's intense. He'll have his laughs here in there, but he's very hard-nosed, very intense. But straightforward too. Just different styles. Pauly's more laidback. I mean, [Sunday] we didn't do so well on defense on a few plays, and he let us know, just like Zim would do. He let us know. He didn't let it slide.

"

Hall was quick to point out that though Guenther has a different style, he still demands accountability. And there's been no evidence that Guenther isn't putting his players through their paces or is lacking in discipline. But he doesn't have the same edge as Zimmer, and neither does the defense. 

ESPN's Coley Harvey notes that Guenther let the defense have it in October after the Bengals' blowout loss to the Indianapolis Colts. But Harvey also pointed out that "Where Zimmer was viewed as a coach players feared and respected, Guenther is seen as one they can relate to and befriend."

Guenther added, "There's different ways to go about it. Sometimes when you yell and scream all the time, they tune you out. But sometimes you've got to take that approach."

While that may have helped the Bengals defense out, in terms of getting back in tune with the fundamentals of the game and making fewer mistakes, it still hasn't translated in the pass rush. 

USA TODAY Sports

Zimmer has for the Vikings' pass rush, however. Last year, the Vikings ended the season with 41 sacks, 11.5 belonging to Jared Allen, who is now with the Chicago Bears. This year, through 10 games, they have 30, tied for the third most.

His defense is built in the Bengals' image, with one exception—he took the fire, the pass rush, with him. 

This doesn't mean that Guenther needs to be a different person in order to get the Bengals defense back to attacking opposing quarterbacks. What it means is that the players themselves need to channel some of Zimmer's aggression, in games, in the locker room and in practice, to get them back to the mentality that made them so fearsome just a year ago.

The Bengals' grasp on the AFC North's top spot is tenuous, and there are difficult games ahead. The Houston Texans on Sunday feature a quarterback, Ryan Mallett, who took no sacks last week against the Cleveland Browns, despite it being his regular-season debut.

Team	Avg. Atts./Game	Rank	Avg. Sacks/Game	Rank
@ HOU	28.5	32	2.0	T-7
@ TB	33.8	21	2.7	T-12
vs. PIT	37.8	8	2.7	T-12
@ CLE	32.7	25	1.5	T-4
vs. DEN	41.3	4	1.1	T-1
@ PIT	37.8	8	2.7	T-12

After that comes a matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, followed by the most crucial stretch of the Bengals' season—two games against divisional opponents (the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Browns), then a Monday night contest against the formidable Denver Broncos before closing out the year with their final meeting with the Steelers.

Two of those teams, the Broncos and Steelers, are in the top 10 in pass attempts per game. On average, that will give the Bengals defense at least 37 opportunities in each for a sack. They failed to take advantage of this with the Saints last week, who throw an average of 41.7 times per game. 

Without the ability to stop quarterbacks, it's going to be a long trek for the Bengals to wrap up their season successfully and even more difficult should they reach the playoffs. The defense must draw upon the well of aggression that Zimmer built up, even with Guenther coaching in his place. 

If the fire cannot come without, as it did when Zimmer was there, then it must come from within. The Bengals have the talent to rush the passer. They have the skills. We've seen it before. They just need to get the killer instinct back.