After Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow made the game-winning throw to tight end C.J. Uzomah in Thursday night’s win against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he felt a sense of validation.
The Jaguars sent an all-out “zero” blitz at Burrow. After he completed a 25-yard screen to Uzomah, Burrow was shouting “you can’t zero me” as he walked toward the sideline. Even though Bengals left tackle Jonah Williams didn’t complete the pass or catch the pass, Williams said he felt the same sense of pride after the play.
When the Jaguars blitzed Burrow, they bet on the fact that the defensive line could sack Burrow before a Bengals receiver could get open. Burrow was hit as he made the throw to Uzomah, and it took every second from every block of every offensive lineman for Burrow to have just enough time.
'Build a lot of things off the run':What Joe Mixon's injury means for the Bengals offense?
Joe Burrow Film Room:What Zac Taylor's former quarterbacks texted him after Bengals win
Chris Henry:Ex-Bengal's sons walk, look like him. Even better, they play football like him
“When teams bring zero, you kind of have to make them pay because they’re trying to make you pay,” Williams said. “They’re trying to create a big turnover or a big sack or loss of yards. So if you can take their aggressiveness and use it against them, (you can) break a big play like C.J. did.”
Bengals offensive line allowing Joe Burrow to take more chances
Last season, when opposing defenses made the bet that they could get to the Bengals quarterback before Burrow could find an open receiver, the defensive line usually won the matchup. Last year, as Burrow was sacked 32 times, opposing defenses could dictate the Bengals game plan by pressuring Burrow.
This season, with the offensive line playing better, Burrow is in a better position to take more chances, throw the ball more down the field, and extend plays longer outside the pocket. Because he was able to do all three of those things against the Jaguars, the Bengals won their third game of the season.
“We haven't had any mental mistakes (from the offensive line),” Burrow said. “They're playing really, really well. The first couple games we had a few misses where we missed a blitzer or something like that, but the last two games it's been near perfect. “
The prevailing idea behind the revamped Bengals offense this season was that offensive line coach Frank Pollack's wide zone run scheme would complement head coach Zac Taylor’s vertical passing concepts.
Heading into the year, it was clear that they both would only work if the offensive line was playing at a high level. Through four games, running back Joe Mixon is averaging 88 yards per game and 4.3 yards per carry. Burrow is extending plays at a higher level than he did as a rookie, and he had enough time to connect with Uzomah for a touchdown on a scramble play against Jacksonville.
“What Coach Pollack likes to do and coach Taylor likes to do is kind of mesh up because they both like outside zone,” Williams said. “I feel like technically we’re doing a much better job with a lot of Coach Taylor’s concepts to stretch them out vertically.”
“You end up doing that and it puts defenses in tough positions. It stresses out different positions on the defense. Those definitely complement each other, and that’s been critical for our success."
What the Bengals will see against the Green Bay Packers
Against the Packers on Sunday, the complementary nature of the wide zone scheme and Taylor’s offense could be tested. Taylor said Mixon is day-to-day with an ankle injury, and he could miss his first game of the year.
When Mixon was out last season, the Bengals became a pass-first team centered around Burrow. This season, with Pollack’s scheme in the picture, the Bengals showed that they haven’t had to throw the ball 50 times for Burrow to reach 300 passing yards.
Taylor said he doesn’t believe that a team needs to be productive running the ball to set up opportunities to take shots down the field. But for the Bengals offense to continue to evolve the game plan and incorporate play calls with five wide receivers, the offensive line has to continue to play at a high level.
After the first four weeks of the season, Taylor said the offensive line gives him another reason to be confident in the offense.
“I think there are a lot of options on the table for us formationally and different types of schemes,” Taylor said. “That’s important in the long haul of the season to be able to win a lot of different ways and attack people in different ways.”
Ricardo Allen back for Bengals
Bengals safety Ricardo Allen injured his hand and his hamstring after the season opener. On Wednesday, he was cleared to return to practice, and he would be able to play Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.
Allen had a role in Week 1 as the third safety in three safety packages, and he had three tackles on 21 snaps. Before this season, Allen had been a starter for six seasons with the Atlanta Falcons.
Joe Burrow named AFC Offensive Player of the Week
AWARD SEASON: On Wednesday, quarterback Joe Burrow was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 4. Last week, Burrow posted career-highs in completion percentage (78.1) and passer rating (132.8) as he led a second half comeback. He finished the game with 348 yards and two touchdowns.
Get more Cincinnati Bengals news by listening to our podcasts
Source link
