Green Bay Packers: 5 Stats to Know About the Bengals
By Paul Bretl
Continuing on with our preview of the Green Bay Packers Week 5 opponent, I’ll be diving into five key stats that you need to know about this 3-1 Cincinnati Bengals team.
The Bengals defense has been good
Cincinnati is 3-1, and their defense is a big reason why. Through four games, they are allowing only 18.8 points per game, which ranks as the eighth fewest, while the 4.8 yards per play allowed is the fifth-fewest.
They’ve been effective against both the run and passing games, allowing only 3.7 yards per rush—again ranking in the top-10. They rank ninth in total sacks, and their pass defense ranks 11th by DVOA, with the run defense coming in at sixth.
You get the point; they’ve been quite effective.
Green Bay Packers v. the Big Play Bengals
In terms of downfield attempts per game, Joe Burrow ranks 24th, according to PFF ($$). But when he does let it fly, he and rookie receiver Ja’Marr Chase have been effective.
The Bengals offense has the sixth-highest explosive pass rate in the NFL per Sharp Football, while Burrow is fifth in yards per attempt and Chase is seventh in yards per reception. On passes of 20+ yards, Chase is tied for second in receptions, tied for first in touchdowns, and fourth in total deep ball yards.
Without Jaire Alexander, the Green Bay Packers may rely heavily on cover-2 in an effort to provide extra help to the cornerbacks and to take away the deep ball.
The Cincinnati offensive line
There was a good deal of concern about the Bengals’ offensive line entering the season, and while they haven’t been great by any means, they’ve held up better than what I’m guessing many expected.
A big part of this is Cincy relying on the quick passing game, with Burrow getting rid of the ball in 2.43 seconds, the fourth-fastest rate in football. As a result, he has been pressured only 27 times, although the 11 sacks he’s taken ranks as the ninth most.
On the ground, the Bengals average just over 25 rushing attempts per game with a heavy dose of Joe Mixon — who is on the injury report this week — and 3.8 yards per rush, which is 21st this season.
The trenches are going to be an important battle for the Green Bay Packers to win this week—slowing the Cincy run game and getting after Burrow is a must.
Opponent record
The Bengals are 3-1, and as we’ve already discussed, a number of their stats look very good and rank well throughout the league. But to add some context, it’s not as if Cincy has had a difficult schedule up to this point.
Their three wins came against Minnesota, Pittsburgh, and Jacksonville, who have a combined record of 2-10. The Bengals one loss was to the 2-2 Chicago Bears. Green Bay will certainly be the best team they’ve played thus far.
Red zone, third downs, turnovers, and time of possession
Whether good, bad, or indifferent, I always want to highlight these four statistical categories because they go a long ways in determining the outcome of NFL games.
The Bengals red zone offense has been efficient, scoring a touchdown on 75 percent of their trips inside the 20-yard line. However, it’s important to note that they only average 2.0 red zone trips per game, which ranks 29th, according to Team Rankings. The defense has allowed a red zone score 58.3 percent of the time—good for the 12th best rate this season.
In regards to time of possession, the Cincinnati offense controls the ball for an average of 28:05 per game, ranking 24th, and they are -1 in the turnover battle with five giveaways — including four Joe Burrow interceptions — and four takeaways.
Lastly, on third down efficiency, the offense ranks 20th, converting 37.7 percent of their third down opportunities, with the defense ranking 20th, allowing third down conversions 43.5 percent of the time.
All stats and info courtesy of PFF, Team Rankings, and Football Outsiders