Now, Cincinnati (3-4) sets to face another mobile quarterback when Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears (4-3) come into Paycor Stadium on Sunday. The Bengals couldn’t afford a bad performance last week, but they seek to get back on track ahead of the bye next week.
“I got to put ‘em in a better position,” Golden said. “I got to pressure more, and of course, you have to win your one-on-one. That’s part of it. We definitely have to win our one-on-ones and get them off track, so it’s more pocket pass and a little bit less play action. All of those come together to create that (pressure), so got to do a better job there.”
Only seven teams have protected their quarterback better than the Bears, as Williams has been sacked just 12 times this season. The 2024 No. 1 overall draft pick has proven good at making plays outside the pocket and also adds 135 yards rushing and two touchdowns on the ground.
Fields exposed Cincinnati’s weaknesses against mobile quarterbacks last week, and Williams will look to do the same.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
“Any quarterback that’s mobile, you don’t want them to get out of the pocket because you want your DBs to do DB stuff,” defensive end Myles Murphy said. “You want them to cover the receivers and tight ends and not worry about the quarterback. Us as a defense, we don’t ever want to be scared and stay on your block. You have to still rush the quarterback and still maintain your rush responsibilities and contain everything. Al’s doing what he can to scheme, keep him in the pocket, get to the quarterback and we as a D-line are individually studying our opponent, best ways to win our 1-on-1s and keep the quarterback contained in the pocket.”
Chicago ranks 10th in net passing offense (225.6 yards per game) and 15th in points scored (24.0 per game), but the Bears have some injury concerns impacting their top four wide receivers.
Rome Odunze (heel), DJ Moore (hip/groin) and Olamide Zaccheaus (knee) were all limited Thursday after not practicing Wednesday, and Luther Burden III (concussion) was out both days.
Perhaps that will help the Bengals secondary buy time for the defensive line to either force bad throws or get to the quarterback.
The Bengals just have to figure out how to get more out of their front seven, particularly with Trey Hendrickson either out or not fully healthy, should he play. Hendrickson re-aggravated his hip injury against the Jets, has not practiced all week and could potentially benefit from a couple of weeks off with the bye mixed in there.
“Once you get that first sack, they start rolling in, whether it be pressures, sacks or just better moves, trying different things, so I think it’s important to get sacks early and build that confidence,” Murphy said.
Murphy, the team’s first-round draft pick in 2023, recorded his first sacks since his rookie season, with a half-sack in Week 3 at Minnesota and a full sack in a loss to Detroit in Week 5. However, the Bengals have just one sack total since then – one against Green Bay.
In the last three games, they have seven quarterback hits. Hendrickson exited before halftime of two of those games and didn’t play the other.
Murphy believes he and the defensive line are on the verge of a breakthrough, and it’s just a matter of “stacking pennies and getting one percent better every day,” not getting complacent, and staying fiery for a full game – not just the beginning.
This week, focus also has been on tackling better. The Bengals have given up too many explosive runs and pass plays lately because of missed tackles and poor angles. Cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt said more drills were added early in practices this week, and a defensive players-only meeting helped re-set the standard with an emphasis on accountability.
Cincinnati had a similar meeting last year after falling to 4-8 with a loss to Pittsburgh, and the Bengals went on a five-game winning streak to end the season. Taylor-Britt said it was better to do that earlier this year.
“We’ve got to treat it like do-or-die,” Taylor-Britt said. “People tend to get comfortable and get complacent about what we do in life, being an NFL player. You can’t take it for granted, and I think when you put it in that sense, you better give it your all or it can be taken away.”
“Not to dwell on last year, but sh--, get our stuff together and went on a run,” he added. “It’s most of the same guys from that meeting (last year), so we know what we need to do, come together, play together and play complementary football.”
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