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Death. Taxes. Trey Hendrickson getting at least half a sack. And the Bengals not being able to stop tight ends.
As much as the team (especially the defense) has made great strides this year, there is still one constant: the Bengals struggle to cover and tackle athletic tight ends.
While the Bengals have gone 4-2 since their bye week in Week 10 and blown out the Las Vegas Raiders, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Baltimore Ravens in that span, they’ve also allowed three monster games to tight ends:
- Mark Andrews, 125 yards receiving and a touchdown in Week 16
- George Kittle, 151 yards and a touchdown in Week 14
- Darren Waller, 116 yards in Week 11
Meanwhile, the Denver Broncos’ two leading receivers in a Week 15 game against Cincinnati were both tight ends (Noah Fant and Albert Okwuegbunam).
Now comes a matchup against arguably the best receiving tight end in the game: Travis Kelce, who has already topped 80 receptions and 1,000 yards receiving despite missing last week due to COVID protocols.
The problems for the Bengals covering tight ends are multiple. As Mike Sans demonstrates in the thread below, part of the reason the Bengals failed to stop Andrews was related to scheme, part of it to aggressive play style, and part of it to personnel:
1st and 10
— Mike (Sans) (@bengals_sans) December 28, 2021
The Bengals play quarters. Play action sucks in the linebackers. They want to limit the explosive play so the inside release go from Hollywood is essentially bracketed. Awuzie could come off the vert quicker so that he can come down on this flat from #1. pic.twitter.com/bbouJprEdJ
1st and 10
— Mike (Sans) (@bengals_sans) December 28, 2021
Cover 3 with Pratt as the nearest defender to Andrews from the curl-flat zone.
Pratt breaks on the throw and does a decent job. He can't cheat it or it opens the curl behind him.
Goes for the ball and ends up being in a bad position for the tackle. Some more YAC. pic.twitter.com/vVDsT6QUmt
Kelce alone is a big reason why the Chiefs enter this game favored by 3.5 points per DraftKings, despite being on the road against a Bengals team leading its division.
Fortunately, this week, the Bengals seem to be getting back Logan Wilson, who was injured in Week 13 but was a full participant in practice on Wednesday. But it is not yet clear how many snaps he will play. Of course, Germaine Pratt is now in COVID protocol, though he could be cleared in time for the game, thanks to the new guidelines.
Regardless of who is available, the team will have to take a big step forward to stop Kelce, who is on a completely different level physically than Andrews, as Vonn Bell pointed out recently:
Vonn Bell on Travis Kelce: “He’s the top of the top. His savviness, his finesse and how he can get open and read defenses… He always has that relentless motor."
— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) December 29, 2021
Further, the Chiefs do a good job of scheming Kelce open and use him in a number of creative ways, on cross routes, stick concepts, shovel options, and more.
So what can be done? First, it’s important to lower our expectations. The Bengals simply aren’t stopping Kelce. But they can limit the damage he does.
Travis Kelce is going to eat and that's ok. Contain his YAC, limit the explosive plays to Hill and keep Mahomes guessing a bit and they'll be in it come the 4th quarter. https://t.co/BTpYEHdiT6
— Andrew Russell (@PFF_AndrewR) December 27, 2021
But with Pratt possibly being out, who is going to do the job of covering Kelce?
Well, Bengals Twitter has some ideas, some crazier than others:
Do we put Vonn in at LB? Who the heck will cover Kelce! This COVID thing is gonna mess up the post season!
— Northern Bengal (@bengalstewart) December 29, 2021
I was talking with my boy @KaelHadley about the Bengals being thin at linebacker, and we came up with an idea if Pratt is out.
— Jared Arevian (@JaredArevian_) December 29, 2021
Drop Vonn Bell down to linebacker and put Ricardo Allen up top with JB3. Then run a dime package including either Trae Waynes or Flowers on Kelce.
Put Trae Waynes at linebacker and just let him play in the box.
— Andrew Russell (@PFF_AndrewR) December 29, 2021
This is a serious suggestion.
In other words, the Bengals are just going to have to overcome the hit they’ll take from Kelce by getting on a roll offensively themselves.
For more about the huge game between the Chiefs and Bengals, watch our preview:
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