To come away with a win against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, there are a few things the Cincinnati Bengals need to do.
After months of waiting, the Bengals will kick off this Sunday at 4:05 PM against the Chargers in their first game of the season. The Bengals went 2-14 in 2019, the worst record in the NFL. This weekend, they will look to start their season of redemption off right with a win.
It was an offseason of change for the Bengals and now they will get the chance to show if they have improved. Free-agent additions like D.J. Reader and Vonn Bell will be playing in their Bengals debuts while rookies like Joe Burrow and Tee Higgins will be making their NFL debuts.
With such a dramatically different team from 2019 and a rookie quarterback, there may be struggles early on. However, if head coach Zac Taylor and his staff have properly prepared their team for opening day, they could send shockwaves through the league by getting a win in Burrow’s first career game.
The odds are against the Bengals in week one, sure. However, they can get a win over the Chargers if they do these five things in their opening game.
Bengals’ keys to victory: Exploit the Chargers’ linebacker group
With Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram on the defensive line and Casey Hayward and Chris Harris Jr. in the secondary, the Chargers have a strong defense. In order for rookie quarterback Joe Burrow to succeed in his first pro game, the Bengals will have to find any available soft spot to exploit.
For Zac Taylor and the Bengals’ staff, a weakness in the Chargers defense may be hard to find. Even so, one position stands out on the Chargers’ starting lineup that appears less stout than the others: the linebackers.
In their first unofficial depth chart of the season, the Chargers listed their three starting linebackers as Kyzir White, Denzel Perryman, and first-round-rookie Kenneth Murray. Behind the three starters, Drue Tranquill and former Bengal Nick Vigil are notable.
The Chargers linebacker group is by no means poor. However, without a true star at the position and Murray playing in his rookie debut, it is the closest thing to a weakness the Chargers have on defense.
If Murray struggles in his first game as a pro, he could be the Chargers’ Achilles heel that the Bengals need to exploit.
To go after the Chargers linebackers, the Bengals can hammer away at a few things in their gameplan. They can target their running backs and tight ends in the passing game and design runs to go after the linebackers.
If Joe Mixon, Giovani Bernard, C.J. Uzomah, and Drew Sample get high volume in the passing game, the linebackers may struggle to keep up. Additionally, Mixon is an elite player in the ground game who should be too much for the Chargers’ unit to handle.
It should be a tough day for Burrow as he adjusts to a new league. For Taylor to make it easy on his new quarterback, he should plan to go after the Chargers’ linebackers. They won’t be pushovers but they’re much preferable to challenging the secondary.
Bengals’ keys to victory: Avoid Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram
The Bengals’ offensive line facing off against the Chargers’ defensive line is easily the biggest mismatch heading into the game on Sunday. Jonah Williams will make his NFL debut at left tackle with Bobby Hart at right tackle as the two face off against star players in Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram.
With a rookie quarterback playing in his first NFL game in Joe Burrow, this could be a recipe for disaster. While Burrow displayed a knack for escaping pressure in college, the pros are a whole new beast that will prove much more challenging.
If the dangerous duo of edge rushers have a big day, the 23-year-old quarterback could be in over his head in week one. For Burrow to have a strong game against the Chargers, head coach Zac Taylor will have to plan the game around Bosa and Ingram.
To avoid the star edge rushers, the Bengals should make sure to pass the ball quickly instead of letting Burrow hold onto the ball. In 2019, Andy Dalton was only pressured on 29% of his passes for the Bengals, which was the 4th lowest rate in the league. Coincidentally, Burrow was pressured on the exact same rate of passes in his Heisman season.
Andy Dalton was pressured on 29% of his passes this year. That's the 4th lowest rate in the NFL behind Brees, Mahomes and Carr.
— Goodberry (@JoeGoodberry) January 2, 2020
Joe Burrow was also pressured on about 29% of his passes at LSU.
While this may look like an endorsement of the Bengals’ offensive line, it is not. Dalton may have been pressured at a low rate, but he actually got the ball out of his hand faster than most quarterbacks. This was an intentional attempt to mask the Bengals’ poor offensive line play. The defensive line can’t pressure your quarterback if the pass is out before they get there.
In order for Burrow to stay standing and keep away from Bosa and Ingram, he will need to get the ball out fast. Short quick passes will be the key to keeping Burrow safe from pressure.
Williams and Hart will almost surely lose their matchups against Bosa and Ingram, but the Bengals already know that. If they can mask this weakness with their gameplan, their offense could still succeed.
Bengals’ keys to victory: Minimize mistakes from Joe Burrow
The quarterback position is the most important spot for any team and that is no different for the Bengals with rookie Joe Burrow. To get a win over the Chargers on Sunday, the 23-year-old signal-caller will have to adapt to his new league fast.
In order for Burrow’s debut to be a success, the Bengals will have to work around his rookie mistakes. With no preseason and a bad offensive line, it could be a rough day for the rookie if Zac Taylor and crew can’t cater to him and minimize his mistakes.
There are multiple ways the Bengals can cut down on blunders from Burrow. As mentioned in the previous slide, they can make sure he gets the ball out faster than normal to keep the defensive line away from him.
Short and safe passes will be Burrow’s friend. Not only will they keep him on his feet, but he will likely complete more passes and build his confidence. If the Bengals plan on having their rookie quarterback throw bombs all game, they’re setting themselves up for failure.
Another way to lower mistakes from Burrow is to lean heavily on running back Joe Mixon. The star rusher was signed to a 4-year, $48M contract for a reason. If Mixon can get going against the Chargers in week one, Burrow won’t have to do as much in his debut and it will be easier for everyone on the Bengals’ offense.
The Chargers have a quarterback in Tyrod Taylor who rarely turns the ball over. For the Bengals to have a chance in their season opener, they have to cut down on Burrow’s rookie mistakes and make sure they don’t lose the turnover battle to a team that won’t cough up the ball so easily.
Neutralize star receiver, Keenan Allen
On the Chargers’ offense, there is one player who stands out among the rest: wide receiver Keenan Allen.
Allen was recently signed to a lucrative new contract for four years and $80M and he earned every cent of it. The veteran is one of three receivers with more than 300 catches and 3,700 yards over the past three seasons. Over that span, he has had 199 catches for a first down which is the fifth highest in the league.
It’s clear going into the Bengals’ game Sunday that they will need to hone in on Allen. With Mike Williams a game-time decision and unlikely to play, Allen will be in for a big workload. If the Bengals can find a way to neutralize Allen, the Chargers may struggle to get things going in the passing game.
With Allen shut down and Williams out with injury, the success of the passing game will fall on Tyrod Taylor to win without relying on his star receiving duo. Can he do it? While Taylor is a well-respected quarterback, no one expects him to put an offense on his back.
Without many options in the passing game, the Chargers will have to rely on their running backs and Hunter Henry. Unfortunately for the Chargers, the Bengals have revamped their running defense and added some talented linebackers in coverage, so that may not be a winning fight.
The Bengals can give the Chargers a tough time moving the ball if they focus their gameplan on Allen. In what may be a low scoring affair, this could be the key to the win.
Win the turnover battle
In the NFL, winning the turnover battle is a major key to coming away with a win. For the Bengals on Sunday, things will be no different. Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo’s unit will need to get the ball more than the Chargers’ defense if the Bengals are going to start the season 1-0.
Chargers’ quarterback Tyrod Taylor rarely throws interceptions, but the Bengals will have to change that on Sunday. With ball hawks like Jessie Bates III and Darius Phillips in the Bengals’ secondary, all it will take is a mistake or two for Taylor to throw an out-of-character interception.
However, if Taylor’s safe passing is as advertised, the Bengals’ new-look-defense will have to find other ways to get the ball. Offseason addition Vonn Bell could lead the way for the Bengals, the former New Orleans Saint recovered 5 fumbles in 2019, the highest total in the NFL.
The Bengals defense struggled to get turnovers in 2019, totaling only 16 on the season. That aside, they have added a slew of new faces to the defense. D.J. Reader, Josh Bynes, Mackensie Alexander, talented rookie linebackers, and the previously mentioned Bell will all play a part in changing the Bengals’ turnover woes.
While the defense had one of the lowest turnover rates in the NFL in 2019, they will have to buck that trend in their opener to come away with a win. It may be a tall task for a crew that has had past difficulties with turnovers, but with a lot of new faces on the defense, Anarumo could get it done.
If the Bengals can be safe with the ball on offense and get a turnover or two on defense, it could be the difference in what will likely be a close defensive game.