Cincinnati Bengals: Is Their Defense Super Bowl Worthy?

The Cincinnati Bengals were a field goal away from consecutive Super Bowl appearances. One of the biggest reasons for their success has been the defense, especially in the second half of the season. After the bye in Week 10, they had six games where opponents failed to score 20 points. In the Championship game, they only allowed 23 points to the Chiefs. The offense is one of the league’s best so a lot of blame goes on their defense. The Bengals lost some pieces in Jessie Bates III, Vonn Bell, and Eli Apple. The secondary is now shorthanded and lost key pieces in their two playoff runs. In the draft, they went Myles Murphy, DJ Turner II, and Jordan Battle with the first three picks. Only time will tell if the rookies can overcome the losses on defense. If the defense is lacking, other teams in the AFC will pounce for their spot.

Baltimore Ravens: What’s The Ceiling Of This Team With The New Look Offense?

The Baltimore Ravens were on the news the most this offseason with all the Lamar Jackson drama with his extension. Before the draft day, they were able to secure the deal and Lamar got his bag. Other than this, they added OBJ, and Agholor, and drafted Zay Flowers. This looks like the fastest WR core in the league. Mark Andrews is always reliable and Lamar is dynamic. The Ravens will probably be the most-watched team because of the immediate results of the offseason. On paper, they look competitive and a Super Bowl contender. The main concern will be the health of Lamar from his injury last season and OBJ. Take one of them out and their ceiling drops significantly. Stats-wise, if all are healthy for the majority of the season, Lamar could have his second MVP. If not, they’ll be battling for the last Wild Card spot.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Which Player On Offense Will Take The Leap?

The Pittsburgh Steelers had a late run where they won seven out of their last nine games after the bye. In this run, we saw the growth of their young offensive core, especially Kenny Pickett who had game-winning drives. Currently, they have a lot of good young pieces, but none are sure-fire Pro Bowlers. They were always considered a favorite when they had the Killer B’s of Ben, Bell, and Brown. Now, someone will need to step up in order for the Steelers to reclaim their throne in the AFC North. Being able to make the postseason will be a big help to the growth of these young players.

Cleveland Browns: Was Deshaun Watson Worth The Trade?

Deshaun Watson finally made it back to an NFL field after all the drama over the past few years. With the restrictions on his suspension, he didn’t have much time to gel with his teammates on the field. So we’ll give him a pass for last season. Now this season will be interesting as he gets a full training camp and there will be no excuses for lack of time with teammates. The Browns are a talented team and have some elite pieces on both sides of the ball. Deshaun doesn’t have to do everything, unlike his days with the Texans. If he can lead the Browns to the playoffs, Cleveland will be fine with him. The noise will be very loud if they miss it.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Cincinnati Bengals take a trip to the Big Easy in Week 6. The Bengals signal-caller Joe Burrow is returning to his old stomping grounds — as he was a mythical figure at LSU. With that said, I will untwine five questions for the Burrow-led Bengals in Week 6.

1. Can Ja’Marr Chase explode against the Saints?

The 2021 Offensive Rookie of The Year, Ja’Marr Chase, has been hit or miss this season. Chase unleashed 10 catches for 129 yards, a touchdown in Week 1, and a modest 81 yards in Week 4. However, Chase only unveiled 54 yards in Week 2, 29 yards in Week 3, and seven catches for 50 yds last week. The New Orleans Saints CB1 Marshon Lattimore will be out, so Chase will have the golden opportunity to shine against Who Dat Nation.

2. Can Trey Hendrickson shine?

Trey Hendrickson will seek to wreak havoc against his former team this Sunday. Hendrickson only has 2.5 sacks on the season (which came against the New York Jets). He will be facing James Hurst — who has only allowed one sack this season.

3. Will Eli Apple have a quality performance?

Eli Apple will link arms with Trey Hendrickson in their attempt to fight to the death against their former squad, the New Orleans Saints. Apple was honestly underrated in my opinion last season. Well, 2022 has told a different tale about his abilities (as PFF has given him a 52.2 grade). Expect the Saints to try and match Chris Olave with Apple on deep-passing plays.

4. Will Joe Burrow have a big day?

The New Orleans Saints made Geno Smith look like Tom Brady a week ago (as Smith unveiled 3 passing touchdowns to 0 interceptions and a 139.7 passer rating). Burrow has the perfect opportunity to have a big day against a Saints defense that has been mediocre on the back end as of late. The former LSU QB has only thrown more than two touchdowns once this season. Hopefully, Burrow & Chase can start clicking in Lousiana once again.

5. Will La’el Collins play well against Cameron Jordan?

The Bengals signed La’el Collins this past off-season and anticipated him to be a star at tackle for their shiny offensive trio. Collins has blatantly been a bust for their OL this season. He’s earned a porous 53.2 grade by PFF thus far. It won’t be easy for him to return to being a stud against Cameron Jordan, who had a pair of sacks last week.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Cincinnati Bengals are known for possessing a high-powered passing offense, but they can’t always plan on winning in shootouts. They need to have a potent secondary to slow down opponents. Their top CB Chidobe Awuzie, who was recently titled the best chess player in the NFL, had a strong 2022 campaign — as he notched an 83.3 grade by PFF. He had 64 tackles, 14 pass deflections, and a personal best 2 interceptions.

The other starting CB on the Bengals is none other than Twitter’s beloved Eli Apple. The former Saints CB had 2 picks, 10 pass deflections, and 49 combined tackles. According to PFF, he allowed the lowest passer rating in man coverage last season. Zac Taylor referred to the re-singing of Apple as a “no-brainer”.

Besides the top two CBs in Cincy, the Bengals will rely on Mike Hilton at CB3 and Daxton Hill at CB4. Hilton ousted two interceptions (including a pick-six), 5 pass deflections, and he had 66 combined tackles. Hilton was given a 72.3 grade by PFF for his performance a season ago.

Furthermore, they still have a young CB with lots of potential in Daxton Hill. He may just be the future CB2 across from Awuzie. Of course, he was selected by the Bengals with their 31st pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He had a 6.33 prospect grade. He does also offer versatility as a safety. Tre Flowers may also be asked to be a factor in big contests. Flowers had three interceptions in 2019. He had 39 combined tackles last season.

The Bengals ranked 26th in passing yards allowed last season. Perhaps the Bengals secondary can improve with a wiser Apple and early production from the rook to at least a middle-of-the-pack pass defense in 2022.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Cincinnati Bengals were the Little Giants in Super Bowl LVI, but they added more firepower in the 2022 off-season. With that said, I’m going to simply untwine three reasons why the Bengals can return to the Super Bowl next season.

Improved pass protection

The Ja’Marr Chase show nearly won the Bengals their first Super Bowl, but Aaron Donald decided to end the game swiftly. The Bengals needed to improve their OL unit this off-season and they nicely added a couple of monster OL profiles. La’el Collins will be an excellent pass blocker on the edge, while Alex Cappa will be a sure-fire upgrade from the interior. The Bengals had the ninth-best offense in PPG last season, while Burrow was the most sacked QB. I trust that the Burrow-Chase connection will be more fruitful after the new wall in Cincy.

Eli Apple

I honestly love the re-signing of the NFL’s darling Eli Apple. The former OSU stud and Twitter outcast may not have guarded Cooper Kupp well in the Super Bowl, but he quietly allowed the lowest passer rating in man coverage last season, per PFF. Love it or hate it, Apple will be a Day 1 starter in the Bengals pass defense for the second straight season.

Baltimore Ravens

I believe the Bengals should feel quite optimistic about their chances in two key divisional contests against the Lamar Jackson-led Baltimore Ravens for another season. The Bengals impressively dropped 41 points in each of their victories against the Ravens last season. The Ravens have a greek god-like secondary, but I still don’t the Hollywood Brown-less offense to go blow for blow against Burrow’s gang next season.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Cincinnati Bengals stole the hearts of the NFL in 2021. The Bengals rookie WR Ja’Marr Chase won Offensive Rookie of The Year and he was arguably the best rookie WR of all time (81 receptions, 1,455 yds, and 13 touchdowns). Chase more than jumped onto the scene last season. The new question is: which Bengals will turn heads in 2022? Well, I’m going to untwine three Bengals profiles that will impress next season.

Hayden Hurst

Hayden Hurst escaped Atlanta island and It seems clear that he is in line for a heavy workload as the Bengals TE1. I really expect him to shatter his previous career receiving yard tally (576 yards) with Cincy. The 28-year-old signed a one-year, prove-it contract with Cincy and he should expect to have great match-ups across the NFL’s top WR trio. Ultimately, his third year QB that threw for the sixth-most passing yards in 2021 should help him excel in 2022.

Eli Apple

Eli Apple quietly allowed the lowest passer rating in man coverage last season. I believe he continues to be superb and not get torched after challenging Top-5 WRs in 2022 – which should grant him the most respect he’s had in his career. The CB that re-signed a one-year contract will be 27 years old in Week 1 and his expected consistent performance in 2022 should unfortunately surprise a lot of his haters.

Chris Evans (KR)

The Bengals clearly feel like they have a special role created for Chris Evans in the special teams area. Chris Evans was bumped to KR duties in the post-season and he was a modest performer in his fresh role. He returned one kick for 32 yards while averaging 23.4 yards on 9 kickoff returns in the playoffs. I expect him to crack a few kick returns, as he’s a special athlete (4.4 40 time and 22 bench reps at the combine). The Bengals could really benefit in prime-time games if Evans steps up to the plate.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Eli Apple was a pleasant surprise for the Bengals in 2021. In Apple’s first season as a Bengal, Pro Football Focus pointed out that Apple allowed the lowest passer rating allowed in man coverage. Furthermore, he also notched two interceptions and 10 pass deflections last season. It’s clear that Apple proved to be a late bloomer and potent shutdown corner at 26 years old for Cincy.

It may be easy to attack Apple on social media with a million other critics after he struggled to contain Cooper Kupp in Super Bowl LVI, but it doesn’t change the fact that Apple was a superb player from the 2021 season as a whole. It’s worth noting that Cooper Kupp wasn’t only prolific against Apple, but he was a rockstar against every team in the playoffs. Here is a closer look at how Kupp performed in the Super Bowl compared to how he performed in the two playoff contests prior to facing the Bengals.

• Against the Bengals: 8 receptions – 92 yards – 2 touchdowns

• Against the Buccaneers: 9 catches – 183 yards – 1 touchdown

• Against the 49ers: 11 receptions – 142 yards – 2 touchdowns

It’s clear that Kupp wasn’t only magical against Apple when he scored a touchdown against him out wide in man coverage and another score against the Bengals CB from the slot (while it appears Apple thought Kupp was run blocking), but the “2021 Offensive Player of The Year” was superb against every competitor he faced in the playoffs last season. If anyone believes Apple is a poor ballplayer for his battles against arguably the top WR in the NFL, they would have to be more silly than one of the baseball scouts not named Peter Brand (aka Jonah Hill) from the movie “Moneyball”.

The “keyboard warriors” were quick to virtually sacrifice Saints safety Marcus Williams for giving up the Minneapolis Miracle in the 2018 playoffs and now countless fans want to make Apple walk the plank for his rough moments against the Rams in Super Bowl LVI. Apple really was a quality contributor for his AFC home in 2021 and he could most likely choose to reunite with the Bengals as a free agent this offseason. Expect the talented and somewhat unpopular NFL CB to likely be even a better version of himself in 2022.

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By: Courtney Burrows

Now that the Superbowl is officially over and there is (gulp) 206 days until the 2022 season, we dive headfirst into free agency, dynasty, rookies, and the draft.  Superbowl LVI saw the Rams defeat the Bengals 23-20 in a battle till the end.  There are numerous free agents on both sides of the ball who are hoping to either resign or move to another team. 

Cincinnati Bengals

TE-CJ Uzomah

Drafted in the 5^th round in 2015, Uzomah has been a mainstay for the team.  He played only 2 games in 2020 and many thought he was fading into the background.  He came back staying in sync with Burrow for five touchdowns and 493 yards.  Now, those aren’t insane TE numbers, but they are decent and consistent especially when you consider he is the 3^rd to 4^th target on the team.  It’s always hard to lose a player that has been with the team since the beginning, but they do two other TEs on the roster, (though I believe Uzomah to be a better pass-catcher than Sample).  I think they keep Uzomah due to his big middle-of-the-field presence, chemistry with Burrow, but he is coming off an MCL sprain that could be lingering.   

Prediction: Retained( but really depends on money)

CB Eli Apple

Apple unfortunately was the defender that allowed Cooper Kupp to score the game-winning touchdown in the Superbowl.  This after much controversy has surrounded him when in the last few weeks he has taken to Twitter to speak of his distaste of the Saints and Giants (two of his former teams).  These Twitter comments have included hating the fanbase to the actual cities themselves.  While in New Orleans he had 11 passes defended and only one interception, and in 30 games with the Giants, he was suspended and only racked up 102 tackles.  It seems to me that someone with a rocky background should keep his head down and just play hard to win every game and prove his worth.  I don’t think this time he did.  This season with the Bengals, he had 11 assists and two interceptions.  There are younger, stronger, faster CBs out there not only in the draft but coming up in free agency like Casey Hayward Jr, or Steven Nelson.

 Prediction:  Released

QB Brandon Allen

It is quite obvious Allen is a backup and Burrow is not going anywhere anytime soon, but when Burrow went down last year, it was Allen who stepped in.  He has learned under Coach Taylor’s offensive system and has developed a great rapport with Burrow.  At 29 years old, it might be smart to retain him one more year and make a trade for a younger back up next year as there will be lots of QB shuffling this off-season.  Allen fits well behind Burrow, and with the Bengals looking to make another run at the big game next season, it makes sense to prioritize your off-season elsewhere than another QB.  During the 2021 season when Allen stepped in, he threw for 925 yards and five TDs.  He has proven himself to be coachable, consistent, and able to do the smaller tasks asked of him. 

Prediction:  Retained

Los Angeles Rams

WR Odell Beckham Jr.

After numerous up and downs seasons with the Browns, OBJ signed a one-year deal with the Rams.  We all know now that the Rams organization was “all-in” signing all the missing pieces to make a Superbowl caliber team, and that helped propel them to Superbowl Champions.  Immediately following the Superbowl win, OBJ tweeted he really wanted to stay in LA and was even willing to take a salary cut, and that is good news considering the Rams’ salary cap.  OBJ came up big when Robert Woods went on IR and complemented Kupp as a huge red-zone target.  He genuinely seemed to mesh with this team well, and there were no on or off-field antics swirling around him.  Maybe the sea air refreshed him enough to focus on football and the job he was paid to do.  In 9 games with the Rams, he had 359 yards on 31 receptions and five touchdowns.  He was instrumental in the first quarter of the Superbowl for Stafford catching the 1^st TD of the game.  I feel teams will be gunning for him after his turnaround time with the Rams, but I think the Rams would be wise to hold on to him one more year, especially at a discount as they make another run for the glory.

Prediction: Retained

RB Sony Michel

Akers is back and Henderson looked good as the passing-back in the Rams Superbowl victory.  Michel was the lead back Weeks 13-16 when Henderson went down carrying the ball for 423 yards, and overall had 845 yards and four TDs last season.  He is a great 3^rd-down back but struggles in the passing game.  I would love to see him in Atlanta complementing Patterson.  I think Davis is not a viable option, and I am guessing that Atlanta focuses on a QB in RD 1 or 2 to rep and learn behind Matt Ryan.  Don’t forget Michel is a graduate of Georgia, so coming home probably has a nice ring to it. 

Prediction:  Released

OLB Von Miller

Oh, how I love Von.  I loved watching him lead the defense for years with Denver and when he went to the Rams, my first thought was”¦they are going to win the Superbowl with him!  He is 32 and will be 33 before the start of the 2022 season, but when healthy he is a beast, and that may carry a high dollar price.  I could see him wanting to see what else is out there as he contemplates retirement within the next few years, but what could be better than LA”¦sun, sand, and another run at a back-to-back Superbowl appearance?  He most likely will desire to stay with the Rams, but they might not be able to afford him.  If he is willing to lower his salary terms, maybe, but there are plenty of teams that would love him for one to two more years including the Cardinals, Colts, Bears, and Raiders. 

Prediction:  Released (unless a lower salary is bargained)

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