In the opener against New England, the run defense was atrocious, but Cincinnati only allowed one touchdown in a 16-10 defeat. In a 26-25 loss at Kansas City, the Bengals forced three turnovers and limited Patrick Mahomes to 151 yards passing but couldn’t get a stop needed to prevent the game-winning field goal in the final minute. On Monday, the Commanders scored on every drive, and rookie Jayden Daniels completed 21 of 23 passes and sealed the game with a 27-yard touchdown with just over two minutes left.
“Give them credit, they did a great job,” said Anarumo, who is in his sixth season as the Bengals’ defensive coordinator. “We have to improve in all areas. It starts with me and the coaching part of it. Substitutions weren’t good. You have to be better there. Obviously, you guys saw that a couple times. So, just getting the guys better prepared to handle that, and then certainly can’t allow any quarterback to go 90-some-odd percent completion percentage. So, it starts and ends with that.”
“The kid had a great, great throw at the end of the game. We pressured him and made one of the better throws I’ve seen a long time. But we were inconsistent. Our missed tackles were up in double digits again. So, we’ve been like this so far with that. I think it was 11 (missed tackles) for 70 (yards) I think. So that’s too many. And then, we just didn’t ever get ourselves into a third down that was beyond (third and) two. I think we had three fourth downs that they were 3-for-3 on. A lot of situational stuff we just weren’t good in and obviously, it showed the way we played.”
A lack of pass rush, outside of Trey Hendrickson, is probably the one constant over the first three games, but Anarumo said there weren’t as many opportunities to increase the pressure Monday because of how many “50-50 downs” the Bengals found themselves in where Washington could run or pass. Then, they “weren’t able to substitute and get the right guys” to do what was needed from a pressure standpoint.
Daniels’ ability to scramble also created challenges that tested lane discipline.
Anarumo still maintains faith he has the personnel needed to get the pass rush going, but it can’t just come from Hendrickson. While Hendrickson is tied for first in the league in Pass Rush Win Rate at edge (33 percent), Sam Hubbard on the opposite side is second-to-last at just 5 percent.
Taylor attributed Hubbard’s slow start to practice time missed in training camp when he injured his knee, but both he and Anarumo expect he will continue to be more productive as he continues to get more snaps.
“I thought he showed glimpses in the last two games, but, you know, I think we all have to do better,” Anarumo said. “I expect Sam will continue to get stronger and better each week. So, you know, I was happy with some of the things that Cedric Johnson did while he was out there. So, we can some create some depth there with that.”
The Bengals should be getting 2023 first-round draft pick Myles Murphy back soon, as he will be eligible to come off injured reserve next week. He was looking much-improved this summer before he sprained his MCL in a joint practice with the Colts, and the hope was he would be rotating in with Hubbard a lot more this season.
Anarumo said ideally he could cut back some of Hubbard’s snaps while he continues to work his way back to top form but with the defensive line depleted, that will have to wait until the “calvary comes.”
Once B.J. Hill and Sheldon Rankins return from hamstring injuries, that will provide a boost to the interior pass rush as well.
Asked if the team needs more from its former third-round picks in Zach Carter and Joseph Ossai, Anarumo said he’s expecting a lot from both players and both would probably agree they could do better. Carter is asked to hold his gap more than be a sack guy, Anarumo clarified, but ideally the Bengals could get five or sacks from him.
Meanwhile, it seems the Bengals are counting more on Johnson, as a rookie sixth-round draft pick out of Ole Miss.
“We’re constantly manipulating (scheme and matchups) the best we can to try to get it to our advantage,” Anarumo said. “I’m hoping that at some point we’ll get BJ and Sheldon back, Myles at some point is a guy that can certainly help. We’re just gonna keep working with the guys we have. Those guys have given all that they’ve got. They’ve done a good, solid job. They gotta get better.”
SUNDAY’S GAME
Bengals at Panthers, 1 p.m., FOX, 1530, 102.7, 104.7
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