6 pessimistic stats from the Bengals Week 12 loss vs. Steelers
- Points off turnovers
- Yards surrendered
- Explosive plays allowed
- Inability to cover tight ends
- Yards per carry
- Sacks allowed
By Glenn Adams
7 “explosive plays”
Cincinnati’s defense gave up the same number of explosive plays they did last week, seven. The Bengals continued to lead the NFL in such plays heading into the game against the Steelers.
Explosive plays allowed by defenses through 11 weeks of the season. No team has allowed more explosive passes per game than the Los Angeles Chargers this season pic.twitter.com/SfnP4flFry
— Arjun Menon (@arjunmenon100) November 21, 2023
Regrettably, they were true to form again. The Bengals surrendered five passes over 20 yards and two rushes of 10 or more yards.
Wide receiver George Pickens almost averaged an explosive play per reception, catching three passes for 58 yards with an average of 19.3. The former Georgia Bulldog wideout was a veritable walking explosive play.
Several other plays did not quite meet the threshold to count as explosive plays but were close. This includes a couple of runs of nine yards and several passes of 15 or more yards.
So not only did the Bengals give up a bunch of yards to a struggling offense, but Cincinnati’s defense continues to allow chunk plays in both the pass and run games. Yet another constant for the defense this season that is full of unfortunate constants.