Cincinnati Bengals Show Toughness on Defense

Entering the season, the Bengals defensive line seemed much more robust. But the doubt remained whether they might know how to overcome a few of the weaknesses of the 2008 season's team. Let's break down the three vital facets as I see them.

The team rarely got to the quarterback in the 2008 season, and when they did, it generally came from the linebacker position.

In the course of the game vs. the Broncos on Sunday, the Bengals recorded 3 sacks, all of which came from the defensive unit. DE Antwan Odom registered two sacks, including one giant one in the 4th quarter, which knocked the Broncos out of field goal position.

The other came from Jonathan Fanene.

At present, I would say the d-line seems better in the area of attacking the QB, however there is room for a lot of improvement. A lot of that comes from the other DE, Robert Geathers, whose inconsistency continues to be a dilemma.

During training camp, the defensive line looked as if they were going to take it to the next level, regarding stopping the run. The signing of Tank Johnson was destined to help in this area.

For the game against the Broncos, the rush defense was somewhat ordinary. There was nothing that stood out, but the d-line didn't allow any big plays either. They allowed an average of 3.8 YPC and 75 yards.

That's a positive step, from a sheer yardage standpoint. If you give up less than one hundred yards on the ground, you're giving your franchise an opportunity to come away with a victory.

It would be great to see the yards per carry average come down to three or less, though. While Tank Johnson saw a fair amount of double coverage, he nevertheless made an impact with two tackles and brings a dose of toughness to this defense.