Meet the masterminds behind the Bengals' clutch, timely defense
Every Saturday, every defensive back on the Cincinnati Bengals goes to the “front of the class” to give a presentation.
The 10 cornerbacks and safeties split up sections of the game plan. Each player does a deep dive into a different topic and shares what he learned with the entire group. One guy presents the different personnel groupings that the opposing team’s offense uses. Another presents what the opposing team has done on fourth downs.
The more experienced players get the more detailed assignments. Bengals safeties Jessie Bates III and Vonn Bell –– the co-quarterbacks of the defense – get the most important one. They split up the red zone game plan and share what they’ve learned with the rest of the group.
This year, the Bengals have the fifth-best red zone defense in the NFL. Bates said the Bengals thrive when their backs are against the goal line because of how much the entire defense prepares for those situations.
“We’re just really detailed within that red zone area,” Bates said. “When we get down there, we talk about the situation. We talk about the routes that they like to run and all that stuff. It’s just a really smart team, a really well-connected team that’s asking the right questions in the red zone, making sure we’ll see stuff through the same lens.”
When the Bengals beat the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the playoffs, Cincinnati’s red zone defense saved the game. Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson, linebacker Germaine Pratt and defensive end Sam Hubbard made one of the biggest plays in Bengals’ history, forcing a fumble and returning it for a touchdown. Before the snap, the Bengals linebackers were expecting Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley to try to jump over the top and stretch the ball over the goal line.
The play before that, Bell saved a touchdown with a tackle against Ravens running back Gus Edwards. Bell knew where Edwards was looking to cut and filled that gap before Edwards got there. When Edwards tried to fall forward into the end zone, Bell didn’t give up an inch.
“All those squats paid off right there,” Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said.
Before halftime, the Ravens had first and goal from the Bengals’ 3-yard line. On first down, Bates identified a quick throw developing for tight end Mark Andrews and tackled Andrews in the backfield. The Bengals forced incompletions on the next two plays to limit the Ravens to a field goal.
Then on the final drive of the game, the Bengals defense held up again with two pass breakups in the final minute. Ever since Pratt picked off Derek Carr in the first round of the playoffs last year, the Bengals’ defense has developed a reputation for delivering clutch stops near the goal line.
“We’ve got a lot of big-name guys on offense, but we know as a defense that we consider ourselves the heart and soul of the team,” Hubbard said. “We take pride in that. Being the unsung heroes, that’s something Mike Hilton talked to the defense about in our meetings the night before the game. It’s great to see it come to fruition so many times.”
The Bengals prepare all week and all season for these moments. Two days before Bates and Bell give their red zone presentation at the end of the week, Bengals linebackers coach James Bettcher has his own red zone presentation for the defense.
“We always joke around that it’s long as hell,” Bates said.
The defense goes through a lot of tape with a lot of detail. Bettcher goes over specific situations that come up in the red zone, routes the opponent likes to run and tendencies from the opposing quarterback.
“Why we’re so good (in the red zone) is because we have conversations,” Bates said. “Things speed up. I always tell people (to) slow your feet down, speed up your mind because things just aren’t going to run past you. You got to speed up your mind and process where we are on the field and what exact call that we’re in. Like I said, it’s just a smart team.”
Bates and Bell’s presentations on Saturdays double down on those details. The result is moments like Bell’s forced fumble in the final minute against the New England Patriots, and all of their goal-line stands against the Ravens.
“The players take initiative,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said. “It’s just part of their process of some of the things they do on top of what the coaches ask them to do. They are always in there as a unit watching extra film without the coaches in the room. Vonn and Jessie lead that. We (have) got a lot of leadership there.”
Red zone defense will likely be what decides this week’s game against the Buffalo Bills. Quarterback Josh Allen is the most aggressive playmaker in football, and he takes it up a gear in the red zone. He’ll hurdle a defender as a runner, and he’ll rifle a pass into the back corner of the end zone to a receiver who’s in double coverage.
That approach has also put Allen in trouble a few times. This year, Allen has thrown six interceptions in the red zone or into the end zone.
Recently, the Bengals’ defense has adopted a motto: “Win on ‘D,’ count on me.”
“Whatever it takes, whatever the situation,” Anarumo said. “We've got to stand up and make a play."