Will we see the same light boxes and heavy coverage looks against Cincy?

[Sjwalker1]

On 12/25/2022 at 12:31 PM, boyst said:

This is how you beat Josh. It was well done today and the bears lacked the quality of players to execute it. On offense they didn't have an answer for our defense. 

 

Our defense is better than Cincis and designed to stop their kind of offense. They'll have luck running against us, they'll attack and look for weaknesses in penalty calls and scheme breakdowns. A lot will depend on the refs. Tre will play very physical when allowed.

 

But back to offense - Cinci needs to bring the pressure up the middle. Do this over and over again. Eventually Spencer Brown will be beat on the outside and give up a bad play and possibly contribute to a turnover. 3 guys with two attacking inside the 5s and 1 outside beyond 6. Delay your linebacker to key off our RBs and Josh. This puts it all on Josh.

 

Further, no one talks about it but our runners are not smart players able to mix up the coverage. The once decent pass blocking Singleterry has struggled. The others can't block at all. Our full backs need to be used better, along with our ends.

 

I'll keep thinking on it but for Cinci this isn't a hard matchup for them on defense because their offense has talent. Overrated talent, however... IMO. 

You mean all of a sudden there's a defense that can stop Josh? Please ! They can't stop digs gabe or bease and now somehow they are going to stop Godzilla. Better try a different scenario because if the refs are neutral in this game borrows is exposed once again as a bumbling clown. 

[DrPJax]

On 12/24/2022 at 11:46 PM, Generic_Bills_Fan said:

I find it difficult saying Chicago did a good job when they sold out in pass coverage and got absolutely steamrolled on the ground.  I know they’re not a good team but 250+ rushing yards allowed is straight up embarrassing.  Your gameplan is broken if youre giving up 200+ rushing yards especially in a windy/freezing cold game.  They should’ve been loading up against the run 

 

Easy maybe to say with hindsight.  Our OC/ qb have shown a reluctance to be patient with the run game , even in games with successful runs happening.   I can see a d plan to defend the big pass play , which they did and don’t forget, Josh threw another two ints with one in the red zone yet again.  We were trailing 6-7 at half , Diggs with zero targets in the half , is a highly successful strategy against a 11-3  team while you are 3-11 ! The ints weren’t a big deal against the worst roster in the NFL, but throw those pics against Cincinnati and lose two possessions to that offensive premiere trio of receivers and a qb completing just under 70 % of his passes , and it’s a recipe for disaster.   We stayed patient with the run against a team who had no ability to make big plays against us.
 

     That was unusual for Dorsey, and even tho we didn’t pull away till late , he persisted running the ball with success.   I agree with you that perhaps late in the game the Bears might have adjusted  more against the run yet our history is we tend not to stick with the run game even when working.  That was our best all around running game this season I think , so you have to give credit to dorsey for sticking to what worked. The Bears didn’t deserve to be in that game at all based on roster talent and that final score wasn’t indicative of the actual talent difference as we played a team with NO EFFECTIVE PASSING GAME!
     That’s why many analysts are on Cincy ; if our o starts slowly again,  we commit drive killing penalties ( as Samford, Brown have been prone to do ) and Josh refuses again to stay patient especially in the red zone , we won’t get away with playing like we did against the Bears. Expect that same type of D , forcing Josh to be smart ( please , let’s not hear the post game “ I can’t do that “ , or “ I want that back “ ).  So many were insulted by Cris Sims pointing out evidence of our inconsistency this year, yet when he talks about “ my boy blue” , they are all in with him. Fans only want to see or hear positives, but Sims was just pointing out there is a big difference in talent between the Bengals and Bears. 
 

     Cincy  will never be out of this game imo as unfortunately we are not a great sack producing team now unfortunately lacking Beans hand picked sack artist ; it’s a rough year for our d backfield to have hyde out with po less than 100 % , Tre still a step slow or at least less than 100% , Hamlin learning yet prone to taking bad angles , and Jackson / Elam not having a clear winner in their competition, and they struggle tracking  the ball in the air as all the dbs  ints have dropped off.  So we can’t play like last week , but I don’t expect us too!  
 

     This is the start of the playoffs really, and the team knows that. Josh has been 0-3 in the playoffs on the road and I think that finally changes as he lives up to his talent and plays knowing this is the road to the Super Bowl.  If he doesn’t throw any picks , it tells me he was patient like he was against KC , and he is starting to peak!  If he can just stay away from turnovers ( fumbles as well) we should have enough possessions to overcome our defensive backfield liabilities against a SB experienced , prior AFC champion QB , and  that means we’re ready to compete for the Lombardi. Burrow seems to be doing lots of talking and I’m not sure that’s the best thing against this team that has a d line that might be dangerous if really motivated! 

[Generic_Bills_Fan]

5 hours ago, DrPJax said:

Easy maybe to say with hindsight.  Our OC/ qb have shown a reluctance to be patient with the run game , even in games with successful runs happening.   I can see a d plan to defend the big pass play , which they did and don’t forget, Josh threw another two ints with one in the red zone yet again.  We were trailing 6-7 at half , Diggs with zero targets in the half , is a highly successful strategy against a 11-3  team while you are 3-11 ! The ints weren’t a big deal against the worst roster in the NFL, but throw those pics against Cincinnati and lose two possessions to that offensive premiere trio of receivers and a qb completing just under 70 % of his passes , and it’s a recipe for disaster.   We stayed patient with the run against a team who had no ability to make big plays against us.
 

     That was unusual for Dorsey, and even tho we didn’t pull away till late , he persisted running the ball with success.   I agree with you that perhaps late in the game the Bears might have adjusted  more against the run yet our history is we tend not to stick with the run game even when working.  That was our best all around running game this season I think , so you have to give credit to dorsey for sticking to what worked. The Bears didn’t deserve to be in that game at all based on roster talent and that final score wasn’t indicative of the actual talent difference as we played a team with NO EFFECTIVE PASSING GAME!
     That’s why many analysts are on Cincy ; if our o starts slowly again,  we commit drive killing penalties ( as Samford, Brown have been prone to do ) and Josh refuses again to stay patient especially in the red zone , we won’t get away with playing like we did against the Bears. Expect that same type of D , forcing Josh to be smart ( please , let’s not hear the post game “ I can’t do that “ , or “ I want that back “ ).  So many were insulted by Cris Sims pointing out evidence of our inconsistency this year, yet when he talks about “ my boy blue” , they are all in with him. Fans only want to see or hear positives, but Sims was just pointing out there is a big difference in talent between the Bengals and Bears. 
 

     Cincy  will never be out of this game imo as unfortunately we are not a great sack producing team now unfortunately lacking Beans hand picked sack artist ; it’s a rough year for our d backfield to have hyde out with po less than 100 % , Tre still a step slow or at least less than 100% , Hamlin learning yet prone to taking bad angles , and Jackson / Elam not having a clear winner in their competition, and they struggle tracking  the ball in the air as all the dbs  ints have dropped off.  So we can’t play like last week , but I don’t expect us too!  
 

     This is the start of the playoffs really, and the team knows that. Josh has been 0-3 in the playoffs on the road and I think that finally changes as he lives up to his talent and plays knowing this is the road to the Super Bowl.  If he doesn’t throw any picks , it tells me he was patient like he was against KC , and he is starting to peak!  If he can just stay away from turnovers ( fumbles as well) we should have enough possessions to overcome our defensive backfield liabilities against a SB experienced , prior AFC champion QB , and  that means we’re ready to compete for the Lombardi. Burrow seems to be doing lots of talking and I’m not sure that’s the best thing against this team that has a d line that might be dangerous if really motivated! 

Idk…I personally see cincy as bills lite.  Can’t really run the ball effectively and if the offensive line doesn’t play well things start to get a little bumpy.  Burrow has got more passing targets when his pocket is clean but josh is much better when the play breaks down and improvisation is needed.  I’m expecting the bengals offensive line to look like absolute dogsh*t without la’el collins but maybe they’ve got a shot at gameplanning around his absence.  As it stands though they are in huge trouble at RT and adeniji will need a ton of help.  The bengals didn’t do a whole lot after Collins went down and the pats were a fumble away from pulling off the comeback last week 
 

people seem to be mostly enthralled by skill position players but football is almost always won in the trenches(unless you have josh Allen). The bills have a big advantage in this game imo now that boettger bates and morse are all back and the bengals pass rushers are pretty banged up 

 

I could obviously be wrong but I’m callin it like I see it…this isn’t just blind fandom I don’t think lol.  a lot of the experts have this one wrong imo.  The only place I give the bengals the edge is wr but that gets evened out if their pass blocking doesn’t hold up.  The bills corners haven’t played great but the bengals secondary is trash outside of Jessie Bates. 

Edited January 1, 2023 by Generic_Bills_Fan

[machine gun kelly]

On 12/24/2022 at 10:47 PM, Richard Noggin said:

Chicago, aside from some blitzes that Allen couldn't/didn't attack, seemed to employ a lot of light boxes in favor of dropping into heavy coverage looks. And Josh Allen seemed to be impatient often and kept looking downfield when there were gimmes underneath (and then put some POOR mechanics on tape when he did finally check it down). Obviously Dorsey called a pretty solid game against the looks they were getting, with our rushing success as one indicator, but Allen was not on that same page often enough to methodically dissect that defense all game long. 

 

Doesn't Cinci employ similar strategies against Mahomes? I know they tend to rush only 3 and use a spy/delayed blitzer, but otherwise they'd rather lose from a thousand cuts instead of a few big blows. Methinks Allen and Dorsey need to oblige them next week, and run the damned ball and check it down when they're backing off into that shell look. The key, of course, is also making them pay when they gamble and send pressure (like Allen did masterfully against KC for two key plays down the right sideline). That 3rd down deep in their own end today where Diggs was 1-on-1 on the left sideline and the Bears sent pressure was a criminally missed opportunity by Allen. It seemed so obvious pre-snap (and Diggs certainly agreed after the play). 

 

 

Both teams tomorrow night are most likely going to rush 3, play nickel defense, and yes Noggin the run will be more available.  The main difference is we have demonstrated a better running game than Cincy.

 

Its a toss up game so we can only hope for the best and best shot is Allen takes over like he’s done so many times before.

[DrPJax]

2 hours ago, Generic_Bills_Fan said:

Idk…I personally see cincy as bills lite.  Can’t really run the ball effectively and if the offensive line doesn’t play well things start to get a little bumpy.  Burrow has got more passing targets when his pocket is clean but josh is much better when the play breaks down and improvisation is needed.  I’m expecting the bengals offensive line to look like absolute dogsh*t without la’el collins but maybe they’ve got a shot at gameplanning around his absence.  As it stands though they are in huge trouble at RT and adeniji will need a ton of help.  The bengals didn’t do a whole lot after Collins went down and the pats were a fumble away from pulling off the comeback last week 
 

people seem to be mostly enthralled by skill position players but football is almost always won in the trenches(unless you have josh Allen). The bills have a big advantage in this game imo now that boettger bates and morse are all back and the bengals pass rushers are pretty banged up 

 

I could obviously be wrong but I’m callin it like I see it…this isn’t just blind fandom I don’t think lol.  a lot of the experts have this one wrong imo.  The only place I give the bengals the edge is wr but that gets evened out if their pass blocking doesn’t hold up.  The bills corners haven’t played great but the bengals secondary is trash outside of Jessie Bates. 

You make some valid, great points !   I agree with your points and appreciate your thoughts. My only counter,  that I hope is wrong , is Josh not playing up to his great talent.  Absolutely love this guy as the Bills qb and driving force.  I just believe he can’t make the mistakes like ints and fumbles that just don’t make sense for a really intelligent guy in his prime like he did against an inferior team like the Bears. .   But like you said , the lines , the trenches.really dictate how he plays and that’s more often been an issue on the road. We have been forced to shuffle guys in and out and this is Cincys first o line disruption./.injury concern along that line , so they have a new experience to figure out.  
 

Hopefully we get something special from our d line as like you said we need to win the trenches. Both qbs have been sacked frequently.  The pats had Cincy  on the ropes but can’t ignore cincy was up the whole game and we once again came had to come from behind playing a team much worse than the Pats.    If we can’t get to burrows, our dbs are prone to giving up chunk plays and Pi’s to elite receivers like Hill, Jefferson , Waddell., and these cincy wrs look pretty similar.   Hard to ignore Joe hitting his wrs at almost 70%  ( Josh at 63% I think) and I don’t see an  advantage against them outside of poyers experience unless the refs allow Elam and Tre to be physical should the d line not  get to burrows. Milano and Edmunds need to control inside the numbers.   

I don’t know the bengals dbs like you do ; so if our o line can protect Josh, he should not  be committing turnovers like ints. If he doesn’t make those mistakes, he can take over the game and I like our chances a lot.    Thx for the great points and hope on the road as I think this is a playoff atmosphere, and in  past playoffs we are 0-3 on the road.  This is a different Bills team tho and they seem to find ways to win, and this time they come in with a ton of playoff experience and they know this is actually playoff time. We  go as Josh goes Monday and I’m hoping for his best playoff caliber performance.  It’s time to control the afc and not return to KC !    

[BigAl2526]

It's hard on elite QBs when opposing teams focus on taking away the deep ball.  If you're elite, it's pretty much a given that you've got a very healthy ego.  You know you're good, and you love making the big play.  It's important to play with discipline though.  If you play with discipline and win consistently with an effective run game and short passing game, you will eventually force the opposition to fill the box more.  Deep opportunities will come.