Going into the year, the Bengals defensive unit seemed a lot better. However the question remained whether they would have the talent to overcome a few of the deficiencies of last season's squad. Let's break down the 3 essential areas as I see them.
The Bengals hardly ever got to the QB last year, and when they were able to, it typically came from the linebacker position.
During the game against Denver on Sunday, the team recorded three sacks, all of which came from the defensive front. DE Antwan Odom recorded 2 sacks, which included one huge one in the 4th quarter, which knocked the Broncos out of field goal position.
The other came from Jonathan Fanene.
At the moment, I would say the defensive line looks improved in the area of rushing the QB, although there's room for much advancement. A lot of that comes from the other DE, Robert Geathers, but his inconsistency continues to be a concern.
In the preseason, the d-line seemed as if they were definitely going to take things up a notch, with respect to defending the run. The signing of Tank Johnson was sure to help in this area.
For the matchup against the Broncos, the run defense was fairly pedestrian. Nothing stood out, although the d-line did not give up any big plays either. They let up an average of 3.8 YPC and 75 yards.
That's a positive step, from a downright yardage angle. If you offer up less than one hundred yards on the ground, you're giving your franchise an opportunity to win.
It would be good to see the yards per carry average fall to three or less, though. While Tank Johnson saw a fair amount of double coverage, he nevertheless made an influence with two tackles and brings a dose of viciousness to this line.
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Tags: NFL Football by Maurice LaPorta
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