Forget Bad Dalton, Pass Rush Is Bengals' Biggest Concern Heading into Playoffs
The Cincinnati Bengals are no longer the AFC's third playoff seed. That honor now belongs to the Pittsburgh Steelers after they defeated the Bengals 27-17 on Sunday night.
It's not all bad, of course, with the Bengals already having clinched a playoff berth—just now, they are the conference's fifth seed and have to travel to Indianapolis to face the Colts on Sunday rather than hosting Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night.
While Cincinnati's woes—particularly in both prime time and the playoffs—have been mostly blamed on quarterback Andy Dalton over the course of his four seasons as the starter, it's not Dalton who should have the Bengals concerned as the 2014 playoffs begin.
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Instead, it's the defense—a defense that has struggled to rush the passer all season long.
On Sunday night, the Bengals failed to sack Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, though he came into the game having taken 33 sacks—or just over two per game. He was hit only once.
He was able to sit in the pocket and throw at will to the tune of 24 completions on 38 attempts for 317 yards, two scores and an interception.
On paper, it may seem that the Bengals defense forced the Steelers offense into one-dimensionality, given that it had just 20 rushing yards on eight attempts in the first half and 29 yards total on 18 carries. However, that was not the case.
Even with a lead, the Steelers didn't have to run the ball. Cincinnati's pressure just wasn't there and the Steelers could pass the ball whenever they chose.
The Bengals defense currently has the lowest sack total in the league with 20.0. This is down considerably from the 43.0 sacks from 2013, the 51.0 sacks from 2012 and the 45.0 sacks from 2011. It's even worse than in 2010, when the Bengals totaled 27.0 sacks.
| 2010 | 27.0 |
| 2011 | 45.0 |
| 2012 | 51.0 |
| 2013 | 43.0 |
| 2014 | 20.0 |
Unsurprisingly, the Bengals' defensive front ranked 29th in the league at creating pressure, according to Football Outsiders. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) has it ranked as the league's worst pass rush with an overall grade of minus-51.3. The second-worst is that of the Colts at minus-23.5.
No one Bengals defender has a double-digit sack total. The closest is defensive end Carlos Dunlap with 8.0. Ten Bengals have earned sacks this year, but only two boast more than 1.5 to their name.
Whether a result of losing aggressive defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer to the head coaching job of the Minnesota Vikings, losing defensive end Michael Johnson to free agency or losing linebacker Vontaze Burfict to the injured reserve list, it's clear that the Bengals defense has a major problem on its hands.
And it's hard to imagine the Bengals finding creative ways to produce pressure in the week between the loss at Pittsburgh and their trip to Indianapolis on Sunday.
If they haven't managed to do so already, then it's not likely that a pass rush will magically materialize simply because this is now a playoff team.
| Steelers | Ben Roethlisberger | 33.0 | 16th |
| Colts | Andrew Luck | 28.0 | T-21 |
| Patriots | Tom Brady | 22.0 | 29th |
| Ravens | Joe Flacco | 18.0 | 31st |
| Broncos | Peyton Manning | 16.0 | 32nd |
Making matters more difficult is that the other AFC playoff teams haven't been giving up many quarterback sacks. Only the Steelers have allowed more than 30.
The Colts, who once had a sieve of an offensive line, have given up 28 sacks on the year. The New England Patriots have allowed 22. The Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos have done the best jobs in the NFL of protecting their quarterbacks, allowing 18 and 16 sacks on the season, respectively.
The Bengals have been relying more on the secondary and turnovers to carry the passing defense. Interceptions have been a skill for the defense this year with 18. However, limiting passing yards in the air has not been its hallmark. The Bengals currently rank 16th in passing yards allowed per game at 238.1.
Pittsburgh's offense converted only three of its 11 third downs and was 0-for-2 in its red-zone attempts. It turned the ball over three times.
During Sunday Night Football's broadcast, Michele Tafoya reported that star running back Le'Veon Bell left the game with a hyperextended knee in the second half, which further took away Pittsburgh's opportunities to run the ball.
The lack of a pass rush was the Cincinnati's defense's only problem, but it was a huge one. Just two sacks could have changed the outcome of this game—or at least forced the Steelers into a less comfortable offensive game plan.
What if the Steelers had to run because the pressure was getting to Roethlisberger? Bell's injury could have been a game-changer, but because Pittsburgh's passing game worked so well, it ultimately didn't matter.
This is a pattern each of the Bengals' upcoming playoff opponents can mimic—especially the Colts, who cannot run the ball well and thus rely heavily on Andrew Luck's arm to carry the offense.
The Bengals defense is preparing to play the best quarterbacks in the league in hopes of a Super Bowl appearance, but one-and-done for the fourth straight year could be the outcome directly because it cannot sack the quarterback.
So blame Dalton if you must, but the front seven is the Bengals' biggest playoff liability this year.
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