Bengals DC Lou Anuramo is the unsung hero of the NFL playoffs

While the Cincinnati Bengals offense rightfully will get a lot of the consideration, the Bengals protection has quietly grow to be one of many higher items in all the league. The unit completed eighth in whole defensive EPA per play, and has given QBs like Patrick Mahomes issues earlier than.

On Sunday, the Bengals put collectively one in all their finer defensive performances, holding the Buffalo Bills to 325 whole yards of offense and ten factors in a decisive 27-10 victory in a snowy Highmark Stadium. The explosive Bills passing offense was restricted to solely six completions over over ten air yards, and the Bills run recreation was restricted to 52 whole yards.

Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo has the Bengals defensive unit performing extraordinarily nicely on the proper time, and one of many issues Anarumo and the Bengals protection did to basically fry the mind of Josh Allen and the Bills offense is disguising coverages and pressures.

Josh Allen was pressured on 26 of his 47 dropbacks, regardless of very hardly ever blitzing 5 or extra gamers on the similar time. What Anarumo did to confuse Allen and the Bills offense is convey blitzers from totally different depths, whereas sustaining the protection shell of a extra tame protection.

This play was on one of many earlier drives of all the recreation, a 3rd down. The Bengals are in a 3-2-6 formation (3 down DL, 2 LBs, 6 DBs), however each linebackers are walked up in entrance of the uncovered linemen. This instantly shouts “blitz and cover 1 behind it” to the Bills offense, much more so when the DB shadowing the receiver in movement goes with him. Then, the image modifications on the snap. Cincinnati drops each LBs as gap defenders, taking away any crossing routes, and since they have been lined up with 5 males throughout the road of scrimmage, this offers the DL a one on one with their move rush matchup. So yeah, the Bengals play Cover 1 behind it, however now there’s a number of guys within the intermediate home windows, blanketing each route.

Where Anarumo and the Bengals actually acquired into their bag was in bringing second degree defenders on blitzes, and the Bengals DBs have been up for the problem. Before the ball was snapped on this Mike Hilton stress, that is what the image seemed like. Not precisely a blitz bundle.

However, on the snap, the Bengals run a hearth zone blitz, the place a defensive again blitzes from the sphere, and the weakside defensive finish drops into protection. This not solely will get stress on the QB, however it additionally takes away the new path to prepare dinner and the TE away from the journeys aspect. Mike Hilton will get a terrific soar on the snap, and Allen doesn’t even really feel the blitz coming, a blitz that he usually sees.

Here, the Bengals ship two DBs, one from either side, to get stress onto Allen. Again, the pre-snap seems mundane, however then when the ball is snapped, the image shifts rapidly and forces Josh Allen into panic mode. The blitz to the sphere will get a DL free and forces Allen to bail, proper into the DB who doesn’t rush all the best way, to pressure Allen into an errant throw.

Then, in crucial moments of the sport, the Bengals protection would present blitzes, then drop instantly, and pressure Allen to rethink his total plan. This was an ideal instance of Anarumo breaking the mind of Allen and the Bills.

The Bengals will as soon as once more be taking over the Kansas City Chiefs within the AFC title, and whereas Patrick Mahomes is the very best QB within the league, Anarumo might presumably take some ideas from the Bills recreation and put them to make use of in opposition to Mahomes, who might nonetheless be hobbled.

Anarumo can be prepared, although, as a result of that’s what he all the time does: prepares his protection for any state of affairs.