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CINCINNATI — After five weeks of the Cincinnati Bengals’ defensive play raising concerns about its ability to summon the type of performances that steadied this franchise the last two years, the unit found itself Sunday.
It found itself the only place possible: Back against the wall, game on the line, exhaustion setting in, goal to go.
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This is their core. This is who they are.
“No matter how much gas you got in the tank, you got enough to finish the game, you always find that extra bit,” Sam Hubbard said. “That’s why we got such a great D-line and defense. Nobody is going to tap out ever.”
These aren’t winners’ narratives or feel-good thoughts for a team that willed its way to a 17-13 victory against the Seattle Seahawks and a 3-3 record at the bye. These are facts.
The Bengals’ biggest defensive moments have come near the goal line and no team has lived in the same stratosphere. The last two years in the second half and overtime of games, the Bengals were 21 percent better than anyone in the NFL at stopping the opponent from scoring a touchdown.
Twenty-one percent.
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There are no stats over multiple years in this parity-driven league where one team is 21 percent better than everyone else. Much less a stat that decides games. The Hubbard Yard Dash. Germaine Pratt’s interception against the Raiders to break the playoff-win drought. Vonn Bell’s forced fumble against New England. Mike Hilton picking off Ryan Tannehill in the playoffs. The list goes on and on.
“You always feel like these guys have such an attitude to find a way to get that ball out and not just be satisfied giving up any points,” head coach Zac Taylor said. “It’s turnover on downs and it’s get the ball out. And I feel that.”
Fittingly, four times in the second half Seattle moved down the field, an average of 48 yards and three first downs. Each was on the brink of a breakthrough touchdown in a one-score game.
For a Bengals defense that’s looked lost and internally questioned will and effort after games, yeah, you’d better believe these four goal-to-go drives allowing only three points plus an interception establish a belief they are finding themselves.
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“We just know who we are,” D.J. Reader said. “It’s everybody else who doesn’t know. We feel like we are one of the best in the league and we sit here and wait on our respect. We just got to go earn that s—. That’s where we are at right now, we just got to go get it.”
Did they ever go get it Sunday. The Bengals’ offense mustered just five first downs and 89 yards after scoring touchdowns on the first two drives, leaning on the defense to continually save the day.
The inside story of what made the difference on these four stops illustrates what makes this defense impossibly stingy in these situations. It comes down to a combination of intelligence and trust, with a splash of attitude for flavor.
Third quarter: First-and-goal at the 4, 14-10 Bengals
After Logan Wilson blew up a run on first down, a 15-yard penalty for a low block by Kenneth Walker on Hubbard put the Seahawks in poor field position looking for a big play to get back.
On second-and-goal from the 18, rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba motioned out of the backfield and Hilton’s ears perked up.
Yes, we would love the ball back. Thanks!#SEAvsCIN | 📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/X1PAS93pb1
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 15, 2023
“It was a route I have seen on film a lot,” Hilton said. “They want to give him the ball on that type of wheel route, it was in the same area. Once I saw the formation. I was expecting it.”
Hilton forged his reputation from an undrafted free agent to one of the best slot corners in football in this exact manner. He’s long been a chess piece for defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo all over the field, but particularly in the red zone with his savvy and anticipation.
The fact he caught the detail of Smith-Njigba to alert the defense of what to expect allowed him to essentially run the route and snag his third red zone interception over the last three seasons, tied for most in the NFL. Geno Smith should have reacted by checking down to Walker, but Hilton’s anticipation of the primary read lured the throw into traffic.
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“They have certain formations with him in the backfield, but it usually has been 16 (Tyler Lockett),” Hilton said. “We know when 11 is back there, something is up. I made the big play when I needed to.”
Third quarter: First-and-goal at the 5, 14-10 Bengals
After Trey Hendrickson rerouted a Walker run on first down for a short gain, Anarumo made a major personnel shift.
He brought in his run-stopping goal-line unit, going with six down linemen, unafraid of a Smith pass. The bet paid off as the Seahawks ran right into the heavy group and Walker went nowhere.
That set up third-and-4 and one of the biggest plays of Cam Taylor-Britt’s young career.
Taylor-Britt was tasked all day with following DK Metcalf around the field. Anarumo saw Taylor-Britt’s physical style as an ideal matchup and that proved correct. Metcalf drew a 15-yard personal foul for a block to the neck area after the whistle (Metcalf claimed he didn’t hear the whistle) and caught just four of 10 targets. Taylor-Britt came in with a mindset of bringing the fight to him.
“Today, (Metcalf) got bullied,” Hilton said. “Bullies get bullied. We know that is Metcalf’s type of game, he wants to get in guys’ head, get in corners’ head. We knew once we put 2-9 on him, all that was dead.”
Taylor-Britt even snagged his second pick in as many weeks on the ensuing drive.
In a day full of physicality, though, Taylor-Britt had to switch his mindset for this play. Lockett, at 5-10, 182 pounds and long one the toughest red zone weapons in the game, challenged differently.
Again, understanding the matchup and objective of the offense paid off by living in Lockett’s pocket and knocking down the pass at the pylon.
“You just have to see the differences in their routes,” Taylor-Britt said. “He’s more of a shifty guy. We had seen it on film early in the week with him going outside and doing a lot of shaking then coming back and running the comeback. I just got a feel for it. I knew he wasn’t trying to force me to run past me. Just waited on him to come back and the ball was there.”
Seattle settled for a chip-shot field goal and Taylor-Britt settled for a game ball on his birthday.
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Fourth quarter: First-and-goal at the 7, 17-13 Bengals
The Bengals have the third-highest-paid defensive line in the NFL. A whopping $60.9 million has been funneled into the defensive trenches, trailing only Pittsburgh and Washington.
Hubbard, Reader, B.J. Hill and Hendrickson have all been signed or extended with the idea of wrecking games in just this manner. As the game where Seattle ran 70 plays spilled into the final two minutes, it was clear the Seahawks’ line was overwhelmed.
On first down, Hendrickson bullied Charles Cross into Smith’s lap and Hubbard did the same with his mismatch of backup tackle Jake Curhan. Hendrickson pounced on Smith for his seventh sack in six games.
There goes that man.#SEAvsCIN | 📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/AIRXIWEO1u
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 15, 2023
This play started an avalanche of pressure that would define the game’s conclusion.
“He started it off, got the momentum building for us with the big sack and we just kept grinding, kept going,” Hubbard said. “Feeding off each other’s energy.”
At this point, both teams acknowledge the crowd became a significant factor. Seahawks linemen said afterward that communication became an issue and the move to a silent count changed the math and got off the ball faster.
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“It was super loud out there,” Reader said. “We couldn’t really hear the last couple plays as a D-line, it was pretty funny.”
On fourth-and-goal at the 6, the Bengals needed one last rush. That’s where Hubbard reverted to a pass-rush progression that coach Marion Hobby has been working with him to perfect.
Know when to throw the changeup.
“The fourth down, you consistently get off the rock and throw power, then in the biggest moment of the game you hit them with the swipe and they are not expecting it,” said Hubbard, who had five QB hits and the sack. “You win the game. Can’t draw it up any better than that.”
Saving plays, understanding game situations and paying big bucks to players known for relentlessness and holding the line creates the secret sauce.
“When we hit that moment when we are pinning our ears back and we are on that scratch line, get on there play after play after play after play, we are going to be there,” Reader said. “When you are hunting with your dogs, you feel vibes, you feel your guys. You can see it in everybody’s eyes, you got that look.”
Fourth quarter: First-and-10 at the 11, 17-13, Bengals
The Bengals offense not only went three-and-out but only took 24 seconds off the clock before punting the ball back to the Seahawks. Now a group that thought they made the game-winning stand was asked to do it one more time, a fourth fourth-quarter possession.
Once two incompletions and a stuffed run set up fourth down and timeouts called by both teams, one play stood behind the Bengals and a win.
Hubbard turned to B.J. Hill and stated he could beat Curhan, which he had been doing all day. But Hill had other plans. He wanted to call for a twist between the two, a game they’ve used for years in big spots.
“Sometimes he’s second-guessing,” Hill said of the conversation. “I said, ‘Listen, trust me.'”
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Trust me.
Think about that. With the game in the balance and desperately needing a pass rush, Hill asked Hubbard to trust him.
The trust exercise ended in a Hill sack and team celebration.
“He called it,” Hubbard said. “He said, trust me, I can get there. We ran the stunt we have been running together for years. I sold it, he made it through, we both got the hit, he got the ball out, we won the game.”
That’s the essence of what this defense can be. Players with years of experience together in high-leverage situations knowing exactly what the man next to them will do. Instinctually reacting based on those connections.
Football with a back against the wall can only be saved that way.
“You got no choice,” Reader said. “You got to trust that guy. Trust that he is prepared and you put in the reps. You can’t be out there worried about what he’s going to do.”
There’s little worry among this group. Not after Sunday. A day where the cornerbacks held their own against one of the best receiving groups in the NFL. The defensive linemen earned their paychecks. They won the turnover battle. And rediscovered who they are. And did so just in time to set the stage for the second half of the season.
“We are finally coming around into who we actually are,” Hill said. “You can tell this game, all over the board, we all made big plays today. That’s what kind of defense we are.”
(Top photo of Mike Hilton intercepting Geno Smith: Dylan Buell / Getty Images)
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