Speaker 1: Hi, get everybody. I'm Dan Hoard and thanks for downloading
Speaker 1: the Bengals Booth Podcast. The I'm Going to your House
Speaker 1: tonight addition, as the Bengals look to knock off the
Speaker 1: Ravens in Baltimore on Thursday night football coming up, I'll
Speaker 1: go one on one with the AFC Defensive Player of
Speaker 1: the Week, Trey hendrickson ESPN. NFL insider Dan Graziano tells
Speaker 1: us why he thinks a six and two finish and
Speaker 1: a playoff berth is still possible for Cincinnati, and I'll
Speaker 1: look ahead to Thursday Night's game with offensive and defensive
Speaker 1: coordinators Dan Pitcher and lou An Arumo. The Bengals Booth
Speaker 1: Podcast is brought to you by pay Corps, proud to
Speaker 1: be the Bengals official HR software provider by Alta Fiber,
Speaker 1: future proof Fiber Internet designed to elevate your home, business,
Speaker 1: and community to a new level, and by Kettering Health
Speaker 1: the best care for the best fans. Kettering Health is
Speaker 1: the official healthcare provider of the Bengals. Now here's a
Speaker 1: quick reminder that you can have the latest edition of
Speaker 1: this podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet, or computer
Speaker 1: by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. It's the greatest
Speaker 1: thing since the coolest beer can I've ever seen. This Saturday,
Speaker 1: the University of Cincinnati is recognizing the one hundredth anniversary
Speaker 1: of the naming of Knippert Stadium. In honor of Jimmy
Speaker 1: Nippert and my friends at Rhinegeist Brewery, the makers of
Speaker 1: Cincey Light are coming out with a limited time only
Speaker 1: beer can that features the image of Jimmy Knippert. It
Speaker 1: will be available at UC's game against West Virginia and
Speaker 1: a limited quantity of four packs will be available at
Speaker 1: the Rhinegeist tap room in Over the Rhine. The artwork
Speaker 1: on the can is amazing and I suspect they'll be
Speaker 1: on display in Cincinnati bars and man caves for many
Speaker 1: years to come. It's a really cool keepsake from the
Speaker 1: makers of Cincey Light, Cincinnati's light beer. Now let's get
Speaker 1: to my first guest. Who had the best game of
Speaker 1: his NFL career last Sunday. Minshoe catches against the four
Speaker 1: man rush in trouble and sacked by Trey Hendrickson with
Speaker 1: a sack back at the thirty five Desmond Ridder waits
Speaker 1: for the shotgun snap he catches.
Speaker 2: Here comes a blitz hand. Rudder gets sacked for a
Speaker 2: loss of five. Trey Hendrickson adds to his sack total.
Speaker 2: Ridder ready he catches the shotgun snap, whoa Trey Hendrickson
Speaker 2: Berry's Desmond Ridder big play. Trey Man does it again.
Speaker 3: I'll tell you what he just threw. Mumford aside like
Speaker 3: he was little kid.
Speaker 1: First and ten Raiders at their own thirty Desmond back
Speaker 1: to throw.
Speaker 2: It's a deep drop. Hendrickson sacks them, knocks the ball free.
Speaker 2: It's still loose and the Bengals fall on it as
Speaker 2: Logan Wilson recovers at the thirteen yard line. AH four
Speaker 2: sack day for big play tray tray.
Speaker 1: When you record a sack, you point toward the sky.
Speaker 1: You're very open about your faith, so I've always assumed
Speaker 1: that that is a tribute to God.
Speaker 3: But tell us if that's the case.
Speaker 4: Absolutely, you know, my foundation, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Speaker 4: is instilled to me at a young age, a long
Speaker 4: time ago. My parents they raised us great. My older sister,
Speaker 4: younger brother also strong in their faith. And obviously my wife,
Speaker 4: you know, she's my rock and the day to day,
Speaker 4: keeps me humble, keeps me going, and you know, so, yeah,
Speaker 4: it's a It reminds me that you know, there's a
Speaker 4: verse James four six. God opposes the proud and gives
Speaker 4: grace to the humble, So you know, to give God
Speaker 4: the glory is what it's all about. And you know,
Speaker 4: I'm just a vessel and at the end of the day,
Speaker 4: I'm here to help my team win and be the
Speaker 4: best I can be.
Speaker 1: You certainly helped your team win last week. You had
Speaker 1: four sacks in the game. You had seven quarterback hits
Speaker 1: that is Lawrence Taylor, Bruce Smith type stuff. On one
Speaker 1: of those sacks, you sent a three hundred and fifteen
Speaker 1: pound tackle tumbling like he was a bowling pin. Can
Speaker 1: you describe the adrenaline rush of having a game like that?
Speaker 4: You know, it's one of those things that you you know,
Speaker 4: as a as a competitor, want every game, and you
Speaker 4: know that sacks are a team sport, so are a
Speaker 4: team statistic and it's a team sport. So that being said,
Speaker 4: it's one of those things that it's rush and coverage together.
Speaker 4: So it was great opportunity for individual achievement this week.
Speaker 4: Getting the quarterback as fast as I could and obviously
Speaker 4: trying to help this team win.
Speaker 1: You're one of the best pass rushers in the league.
Speaker 1: Another one was on the opposite side of the field
Speaker 1: last week, Max Crosby. He did not have any sacks
Speaker 1: during the course of the game. When you go into
Speaker 1: a matchup like that, do you create a little bit
Speaker 1: of a personal one on one thing in your head?
Speaker 5: Uh?
Speaker 4: The only one on one on concerned about is whatever
Speaker 4: offensive tackle is out there. And you know, through these
Speaker 4: next couple of weeks, we have a pretty great amount
Speaker 4: of quality opponents coming up, so my focus is always
Speaker 4: going to be on my opponent across the ball, not
Speaker 4: across the field. So that's for Joe and the O
Speaker 4: line to handle, you know, and they've done a great
Speaker 4: job this season. Credit to them. It's been fun to watch.
Speaker 4: So you know, it's one of those things that I
Speaker 4: take care of my one eleventh on this defense and
Speaker 4: try to help this brotherhood succeed as a defense.
Speaker 1: We're visiting the Trey Hendrickson. You face the Ravens on
Speaker 1: Thursday Night football. It's the second game in almost exactly
Speaker 1: a month against Baltimore. Could have won, maybe should have
Speaker 1: won the first one, if not for a missed field
Speaker 1: goal in ot Does that give everybody in this locker
Speaker 1: room the knowledge that if we play well, we can
Speaker 1: beat this team in Baltimore.
Speaker 4: I think we've known that we have the capabilities to
Speaker 4: do it since OTAs. I mean, the talent level it's there,
Speaker 4: the coaches are there. You know, we're being put in
Speaker 4: the right spots. So it's execution at a high level,
Speaker 4: and that comes down to the guys under the field
Speaker 4: and doing what we're coached to do. Fundamentals and technique
Speaker 4: that lead to winning, you know. So there are no
Speaker 4: real moral victories. It's a winning lots league. It's a
Speaker 4: national football league, and if we're going to go where
Speaker 4: we want to go, we have to win big games
Speaker 4: on the road and at home. So it's going to
Speaker 4: take all of us and that's something that I think
Speaker 4: we're excited for the challenge.
Speaker 3: Now let's just do it.
Speaker 1: Baltimore's been one of the best rushing teams in the
Speaker 1: league for years and now they've added Derrek Henry. He's
Speaker 1: already rushed for more than a thousand yards this season.
Speaker 1: What has he done for that Ravens rushing attack.
Speaker 4: Well, he's done a lot for Alabama when he was there.
Speaker 4: He did a lot for the Titans when he was there,
Speaker 4: and he's doing a lot for the Ravens. So talented
Speaker 4: football player. I think in any scheme let alone, the
Speaker 4: Ravens type offense and AFC North you know style play.
Speaker 4: I think he fits the mold and he's being very productive.
Speaker 4: But it's our job, a special upfront in the defensive line,
Speaker 4: to make that as hard as possible for him.
Speaker 1: Do you have to rush Lamar Jackson differently than you
Speaker 1: rush anybody else?
Speaker 4: I think the league in general is kind of trending
Speaker 4: that way to rushing in a different style, meaning we
Speaker 4: have more mobile quarterbacks, guys that can throw and run.
Speaker 4: But I don't think anybody does it better than Lamar.
Speaker 4: I mean, he's a quality dual threat quarterback and he
Speaker 4: can do both. So there is a heightened emphasis when
Speaker 4: you play a league MVP like that special talent. He's
Speaker 4: been doing it for a long time, so you know
Speaker 4: it's going to take all of us, you know, rush
Speaker 4: and coverage to get this.
Speaker 3: Guy to the ground.
Speaker 1: Your younger teammates have so much respect for you and
Speaker 1: your work ethic. Joseph i Osia immediately comes to mind
Speaker 1: as somebody who's just effusive in praising what he's learned
Speaker 1: from watching you and talking to you. What does it
Speaker 1: mean when a younger guy comes up to you and
Speaker 1: wants to pick your brain about your craft?
Speaker 4: Well, you know, that's a that's a humbling reality because
Speaker 4: I think I was that young kid with Cam Jordan
Speaker 4: one point.
Speaker 3: So you know, I'm blessed to do this.
Speaker 4: I'm blessed to have the knowledge of football in some
Speaker 4: way that I can give something to these younger players,
Speaker 4: because that's what it's all about, is, you know, loving
Speaker 4: the guy next to you and bringing him up.
Speaker 3: So Justin was a great, great guy.
Speaker 4: Uh, hell of a football player too, and you know,
Speaker 4: I'm blessed that he has that opinion of me.
Speaker 1: Your thirtieth birthdays about a month away. You're playing as
Speaker 1: well as you've ever played in your life. How much
Speaker 1: longer do you think you can do this at the
Speaker 1: level that you're playing.
Speaker 4: You know, as long as it takes, you know, then
Speaker 4: I think it's something that I love football. I love
Speaker 4: his team, I love playing here in Cincinnati.
Speaker 3: Two.
Speaker 4: It's it's been such a blessing to me and my family.
Speaker 4: So you know, as long as that I have wining
Speaker 4: the sales, and I give credit to the Lord for
Speaker 4: doing that for me.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna keep pushing. Appreciate your time very much. Best
Speaker 1: of luck against Ravens, all right.
Speaker 3: Thanks so much.
Speaker 1: Tray was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for
Speaker 1: last week's four sad Day and now leads the league
Speaker 1: with eleven That's two more than the guy in second place,
Speaker 1: Dexter Lawrence of the New York Giants. For sake of comparison,
Speaker 1: Miles Garrett has seven and TJ. Watt has six and
Speaker 1: a half in one fewer game. Thursday Night's game in
Speaker 1: Baltimore is obviously a big one for the Bengals. A
Speaker 1: win would get them to five hundred, and if the
Speaker 1: five and four Broncos lose on the road at Kansas City,
Speaker 1: the Bengals would be tied for the final playoff spot
Speaker 1: in the AFC. I discussed the bengals chances of making
Speaker 1: a second half run with one of the top NFL
Speaker 1: reporters at ESPN. Our guest this week is ESPN NFL
Speaker 1: insider Dan Graziano. Dan, the Bengals are in Baltimore this
Speaker 1: week trying to get to five hundred on Thursday night.
Speaker 1: What does this opportunity represent to you?
Speaker 6: I think everything I mean, and really you can loop
Speaker 6: into two weeks follow too. When you look at Baltimore
Speaker 6: and the Chargers and the Steelers, you're talking about the
Speaker 6: teams that are in front of you in your division
Speaker 6: and one or two of the teams that are in
Speaker 6: front of you in terms of your wild card hunt.
Speaker 6: So you know, this is the Bengals have, unfortunately, with
Speaker 6: the way they played the first nine games, kind of
Speaker 6: given away their margin for error. And you know, it's
Speaker 6: cool that you almost beat the Ravens and you almost
Speaker 6: beat the Chiefs, and you know, but like you lost,
Speaker 6: and so now you have to beat the Ravens like
Speaker 6: it's not good enough to play them tough and lose
Speaker 6: an overtime.
Speaker 7: You know, the Steelers are an opportunity. I think.
Speaker 6: You know they've started off very well, but you know,
Speaker 6: what's their quarterback situation and are they going to be
Speaker 6: beatable over the second half as we've seen sometimes in
Speaker 6: recent years.
Speaker 7: So it's all there for them.
Speaker 6: But yes, they have to draw on all the really
Speaker 6: I wish there's a great deal all the really good
Speaker 6: stuff they did in that first Baltimore game and get
Speaker 6: the bad stuff that cost them the game at the
Speaker 6: end out of their heads because they have an opportunity
Speaker 6: to beat them.
Speaker 7: There's no doubt about it. It's just it's at this point,
Speaker 7: you know, there's no more moral victories.
Speaker 1: Dan, You've been in Cincinnati on a few occasions this year,
Speaker 1: going back to training camp, and you were here a
Speaker 1: couple of weeks ago for the Bengals Eagles game. What
Speaker 1: do you think they must do better to get the
Speaker 1: job done over the final eight games?
Speaker 6: Well, I mean, look, the Eagle game was a tough one,
Speaker 6: obviously defensively, especially like someone's got to help Trey Hendrickson.
Speaker 6: I mean, I like, right now on defense, there's they're
Speaker 6: just not enough people contributing, and he is, He's playing
Speaker 6: at an incredibly high level, and you would, I don't know,
Speaker 6: look at this chatter out there that they could do something,
Speaker 6: you know, before the trade deadline. That doesn't sound like them,
Speaker 6: but you know it would be It would be nice, right,
Speaker 6: I like to get a little bit of help on
Speaker 6: that side of the ball, But I think it has to.
Speaker 7: Someone's gonna have to perform to a higher level.
Speaker 6: On defense than they have so far the Eagle game,
Speaker 6: Orlando Brown went out, there were protection issues obviously, and
Speaker 6: in general, I feel like, you know, Chase Brown is
Speaker 6: a fun story. But they haven't consistently run the ball well.
Speaker 6: So there's plenty they can do to play better than
Speaker 6: they have so far. But to me, most of it
Speaker 6: is on the defensive side of the ball that has
Speaker 6: to be better. When you look at those those great
Speaker 6: runs they made, you know, the Super Bowl year and
Speaker 6: even the year after, I mean, the defense was playing
Speaker 6: at a high level, and then this year it has not.
Speaker 1: Dan back in twenty twenty one, during the Bengal Super
Speaker 1: Bowl run, you wrote that Joe Burrow makes anything possible.
Speaker 1: What is it about Joe that makes you feel that way?
Speaker 6: Well, look, I mean he's obviously a winner, came into
Speaker 6: the league as a winner coming off that incredible year
Speaker 6: at LSU. He's got you know, he's got the leadership qualities.
Speaker 6: He was instantly the leader in that locker room when
Speaker 6: he walked in there the first day as a rookie.
Speaker 6: I remember interviewing him before the second seat before the
Speaker 6: Super Bowl season. We sat together in early September and
Speaker 6: just being really really impressed with just sort of the
Speaker 6: maturity level and the he's got an appropriate focus, right,
Speaker 6: Like he's not you know, he's not like ultra serious,
Speaker 6: he's not phony. He's dedicated to the things that that
Speaker 6: really matter. And I think people sense that about him.
Speaker 6: And I'll never forget something he said earlier in his
Speaker 6: career when they asked him where his confidence comes from,
Speaker 6: and his answer was from my preparation. And I think
Speaker 6: that's an honest answer, right, Like if the better prepared
Speaker 6: you are, the more company or in anything you do.
Speaker 6: Uh And And I think that has that has defined
Speaker 6: him throughout his career. I mean, he's playing way for
Speaker 6: a five more touchdown passes yesterday, Like I mean, like
Speaker 6: he's playing at a ludicrously high level.
Speaker 7: I go back to the first Baltimore game.
Speaker 6: I you know, I know there was the interception late,
Speaker 6: but I mean like that looks like for almost the
Speaker 6: entire game, that looked like a man who was determined
Speaker 6: not to lose, Like like, we whatever happened that many
Speaker 6: points they score, we're gonna get one more and uh and,
Speaker 6: and you see him operate like that more often than not. Again,
Speaker 6: I just feel like right now he's in a position
Speaker 6: where there needs to.
Speaker 7: Be some more help on the opposite side of the ball.
Speaker 1: You mentioned Trey Hendrickson earlier. He had a career high
Speaker 1: four sacks last week. He leads the league now with
Speaker 1: eleven this season. Trey's been to the last three Pro Bowls,
Speaker 1: so he's obviously respected. But does he belong in the
Speaker 1: conversation for the upper echelon of pass rushers in the NFL?
Speaker 7: Sure?
Speaker 6: I mean, if you're leading the league in sacks after
Speaker 6: week nine, how can you not be right?
Speaker 7: I mean, that's not a fluke.
Speaker 6: So look like that that signing is has been an absolute,
Speaker 6: you know, bullseye, Like there's no question about it. I
Speaker 6: remember at the time, right, like it was Carl lawst
Speaker 6: and they tried to keep him, goes to the Jets,
Speaker 6: end up with Hendrickson, and I mean perfect fit is
Speaker 6: delivered at an insanely high level.
Speaker 7: I don't know what That's the other thing, right.
Speaker 6: Like, like what's the future hold with this group? Like
Speaker 6: is this is the is this the last half season
Speaker 6: of t Higgins? There is this the last half season
Speaker 6: of Trey Hendrickson. They're like, what, like there's a window
Speaker 6: they're trying to hit here. Uh, And I think That's
Speaker 6: another reason why you might see them sort of break
Speaker 6: character and go out and get some help. But yeah,
Speaker 6: I mean, Hendrickson is a guy that I think people
Speaker 6: around the league definitely.
Speaker 7: I mean, when you play the.
Speaker 6: Bengals and you're an offensive coordinator, that's the first guy
Speaker 6: you're showing your team.
Speaker 7: In the Wednesday morning meeting.
Speaker 1: The Bengals had Ravens met almost exactly one month ago,
Speaker 1: and Cincinnati would have won the game if not for
Speaker 1: a botched field goal in overtime. What must the Bengals
Speaker 1: do to knock off the Ravens on their home field
Speaker 1: on Thursday night?
Speaker 7: Not batched the field goal attempt?
Speaker 6: I think is a good start, right, I mean, like, look,
Speaker 6: that's what it came down to.
Speaker 7: These division games are.
Speaker 6: Like you throw the records at like it's an old cliche, right,
Speaker 6: but you see it all the time. You see like
Speaker 6: the Houston Texans have a hard time with the Colts,
Speaker 6: Like like, you know, Washington had a hard time putting
Speaker 6: the Giants away. Like these teams that are that familiar
Speaker 6: with each other and know how to play each other
Speaker 6: and aren't scared of each other. I think the Bengals
Speaker 6: have to find a way to slow down Derrick Henry.
Speaker 6: They did, right, He had thirty rushing yards in regulation
Speaker 6: in the first game. So whatever that I know that.
Speaker 6: I go back to the playoff win against Tennessee that year,
Speaker 6: like I remember lou Anarumo saying that he had shown
Speaker 6: his guys video of them tackling Derrick Henry, like to know,
Speaker 6: you see, you can do it. This is not people
Speaker 6: tackling Dereck Henry, this is you. So I think you know,
Speaker 6: we'll see. We'll probably see that here in the next
Speaker 6: couple of days, if we haven't already short week. But yeah,
Speaker 6: and then someone's got to sack Lamar Jackson's not enough
Speaker 6: just chase him around, Like how many times in that
Speaker 6: game did he get away right and make a play downfield?
Speaker 6: So defensively, it's those two things easier said than done,
Speaker 6: no question about it. Like no one's really stopped those
Speaker 6: guys all year. But yeah, and then then let Burrow
Speaker 6: do his thing. I don't haven't even heard or made
Speaker 6: any calls yet on Higgins. I don't know is he
Speaker 6: expected to play Thursday or is there a chance, But
Speaker 6: certainly obviously that would help. The Ravens defense is very
Speaker 6: gettable on the back end, So the more weapons you
Speaker 6: have to throw out them, the better. But yes, I
Speaker 6: think defensively, whatever they did against Derrick Henry.
Speaker 7: For the first sixty minutes a month ago, repeat.
Speaker 6: That and then find a way to when you get
Speaker 6: near Lamar Jackson to actually knock him over or push
Speaker 6: him out of bounce.
Speaker 1: The Bengals currently one game out of the final playoff
Speaker 1: spot in the AFC with eight games to go. They
Speaker 1: probably need to go six and two to make that happen.
Speaker 1: Do you see a team that's capable of doing that?
Speaker 6: I do, because I see a team that has the
Speaker 6: quarterback to do it and who's done it before. I
Speaker 6: really believe in coaching staffs that have managed a team
Speaker 6: through the ups and downs of a season successfully.
Speaker 7: Right and seen it come out okay.
Speaker 6: On the other end, you know, this was the question
Speaker 6: I had going into the season about the Jets, right, like, like, Okay,
Speaker 6: they look good, but can that coaching staff do it?
Speaker 6: Buffalo's camp, we've seen it over and over and over again. Right,
Speaker 6: Kansas City, obviously we know they can. And we know
Speaker 6: that Cincinnati's can because we've seen it even last year. Right,
Speaker 6: held it together with the backup quarterback and nearly got
Speaker 6: in so but honestly, the answer to your question is yes,
Speaker 6: I believe it. But we will know for sure after
Speaker 6: the next three games whether they're capable of that or not,
Speaker 6: because if you lose them all or go one and two,
Speaker 6: you're probably done. If you win them all or go
Speaker 6: two and one, then you're still going to be right
Speaker 6: in the thick of it.
Speaker 1: Dan, we know you're busy. Thanks so much for the time,
Speaker 1: and keep up the great work.
Speaker 7: Thank you, my pleasure.
Speaker 1: As Dan mentioned, the Bengals made calls prior to the
Speaker 1: trade deadline in an attempt to improve the defense, and
Speaker 1: while that didn't pan out, they did swing a trade,
Speaker 1: landing running back Khalil Herbert from the Bears for a
Speaker 1: seventh round draft pick. Herbert is averaged a wopping four
Speaker 1: point nine yards of carry in his NFL career and
Speaker 1: ran for more than seven hundred yards two years ago.
Speaker 1: He takes the place of Zach Moss, who was placed
Speaker 1: on the injured list with a neck injury. The Bengals
Speaker 1: poof podcast is brought to you by pay Corps, proud
Speaker 1: to be the Bengals official HR software provider by Alta
Speaker 1: Fiber Future proof fiber Internet designed to elevate your home,
Speaker 1: business and community to a new level, and by Kettering
Speaker 1: Health the best care for the best fans. Kettering Health
Speaker 1: is the official healthcare provider of the Bengals. Now, let's
Speaker 1: take a closer look at Thursday's matchup with the help
Speaker 1: of coordinates lou Anarumo and Dan Pitcher. In the first
Speaker 1: meeting between these two teams about a month ago, the
Speaker 1: Bengals led by ten on two different occasions in the
Speaker 1: fourth quarter, but with five and a half minutes to go,
Speaker 1: Lamar Jackson did this second in goal from the sixth
Speaker 1: for Baltimore. Justice Hill back in at running back, shotguns
Speaker 1: down by Lamar.
Speaker 2: He picks it up. He's in trouble. Gabbs has him,
Speaker 2: but he gets away. Lamar looking throwing into the end zone. Cough,
Speaker 2: pol likely we're a touchdown. Wow, magic by Lamar Jackson
Speaker 2: has He dropped the snap, eventually picked it up, got
Speaker 2: away from Sam Hubbard and floated it into the end
Speaker 2: zone for a six yard touchdown.
Speaker 3: Unbelievable. He's a great, great, great football player.
Speaker 5: And you just look at the one, just the one
Speaker 5: play where he drops the snap fens off Sam Jermaine
Speaker 5: sit him as you throw it about throw and throws
Speaker 5: a touchdown pass. So like, tell me else, who show
Speaker 5: me somebody else.
Speaker 3: That can do that. You know, he's just an amazing
Speaker 3: football player.
Speaker 1: Lamar threw for three hundred and forty eight yards and
Speaker 1: four touchdowns with no picks for a passer rating of
Speaker 1: one nineteen. He ran for fifty five more. Here's lou.
Speaker 5: I think he ran backwards, fake left, fake right against
Speaker 5: us in the last game. So we've kind of I
Speaker 5: don't want to say we've seen it all because who
Speaker 5: knows what will come out, But I don't think anything
Speaker 5: anybody's surprise from anything that he does, So I.
Speaker 3: Don't think it's demoralized.
Speaker 5: We just got to have a you know, next play
Speaker 5: mentality and whatever happens, and just be ready to go
Speaker 5: forward and make a play.
Speaker 1: And then there's NFL rushing leader Derek Henry, who has
Speaker 1: already topped one thousand rushing yards this season. The Bengals
Speaker 1: held him to thirty in regulation, but his fifty one
Speaker 1: yard run in overtime led to the game winning field goal.
Speaker 1: The Jackson Henry combo is lethal.
Speaker 3: You watch all the things you have to try to
Speaker 3: do to contain the Lamar who's.
Speaker 5: The MVP of the league in the in their quarterback
Speaker 5: run game that also has an option to hand it off.
Speaker 5: Plus you know Derek running the ball the way he does.
Speaker 5: It's just it's it's not like your traditional way. Okay,
Speaker 5: we can load up for this particular one back run
Speaker 5: game when the quarterback is not an option. I'm not
Speaker 5: going to say it's easier, because it's not. But when
Speaker 5: you have both elements, now you've got to make sure
Speaker 5: you've you've got the quarterback handled as well as you've
Speaker 5: got to be stout inside and normally you're trying to
Speaker 5: get a guy and a half on the quarterback at least,
Speaker 5: and now maybe you're not able to do that.
Speaker 1: One thing the Bengals must do better is tackle Lamar
Speaker 1: when they have the chance. Sam Hubbard had the Bengals
Speaker 1: only sack in Game one, as Lamar escaped on several
Speaker 1: other sack opportunities.
Speaker 5: It's critical in any game, specifically in this game. And
Speaker 5: you know, just just being able to get Lamar on
Speaker 5: the ground is a task that very few people have done.
Speaker 5: So you know, we've got to make sure we do
Speaker 5: a great job of containing in the pocket.
Speaker 3: Every every defensive team talks about that.
Speaker 5: You got to do it against him and try to
Speaker 5: make him as uncomfortable as possible.
Speaker 3: He's operating at a.
Speaker 5: You know, as we all see, and you know, an
Speaker 5: MVP type level, so we got to try to get
Speaker 5: him as uncomfortable as possible.
Speaker 1: Offensively, the Bengals can't be much better than they were
Speaker 1: in Game one when they scored thirty eight points. That's
Speaker 1: the most the Ravens have allowed in their last forty
Speaker 1: four games. Here's Dan Pitcher.
Speaker 8: We had some success last time we played him, but
Speaker 8: that doesn't guarantee success this time. You know, it's a
Speaker 8: I have every bit of respect that I had for
Speaker 8: the scheme and for the players going to the first game.
Speaker 8: I got the same amount going into this game. So
Speaker 8: we're gonna have to come up with a great plan
Speaker 8: and it's going to be a challenge, but I think
Speaker 8: our guys would be.
Speaker 3: Up for it.
Speaker 1: Joe Burrow threw for a career high five touchdowns in
Speaker 1: that game, a number he matched last week against the Raiders.
Speaker 1: So why did Joe so ticked off on the sideline
Speaker 1: in the second half?
Speaker 8: Yeah, I mean it's frustrated, you know, it's holds himself
Speaker 8: in the team to a really high standard.
Speaker 3: He should.
Speaker 8: It's about finding a balance, right, you know, and and
Speaker 8: expressing that when that needs to be expressed. And then also,
Speaker 8: you know, recognizing positives when positives present themselves. But you listen,
Speaker 8: he and all of us had high expectations for the season.
Speaker 8: We still do, and we're far short of where we
Speaker 8: expected to be at this point.
Speaker 1: T Higgins had nine catches for eighty three yards and
Speaker 1: two touchdowns in Game one. If he can't play on
Speaker 1: Thursday due to injury, the Bengals will likely need to
Speaker 1: get more out of their running game after only averaging
Speaker 1: three point one yards of carry in the first meeting.
Speaker 1: Chase Brown is coming off the best game of his
Speaker 1: career with thirty two touches for a combined one hundred
Speaker 1: and fifty seven rushing and receiving yards last week.
Speaker 8: He was a high volume ball carrier in college. He
Speaker 8: does all the right things to take care of his body.
Speaker 8: He's diligent pro He.
Speaker 9: Catches as many balls as receivers, do you know? In
Speaker 9: practice he goes through the pre game pre pre warm
Speaker 9: ups with the receivers running routes and catching balls and so,
Speaker 9: like I said, I mean, he's just one of those
Speaker 9: guys that you trust because you know how Hardy works,
Speaker 9: and so I think that's showing up.
Speaker 1: The game is a return to the scene of the
Speaker 1: crime where Joe Burrow injured his wrist on Thursday Night Football,
Speaker 1: almost exactly one year ago. In regular season primetime games,
Speaker 1: Burrow has sixteen touchdown passes and only three interceptions.
Speaker 8: Pride yourself on being an elite competitor. I think you
Speaker 8: relish any situation where you know the attention of the
Speaker 8: football world is on you. So everything I know about
Speaker 8: him tells me that I think he likes these spots.
Speaker 1: Thursday's game kicks off at eight fifteen and our coverage
Speaker 1: on the Bengals Radio network will get underway at six
Speaker 1: point thirty. That's going to do it for this episode
Speaker 1: of the Bengals Boothbay podcast, brought to you by pay Core.
Speaker 1: Proud to be the Bengals Official HR software provider, by
Speaker 1: Alta Fiber future proof fiber Internet designed to elevate your home, business,
Speaker 1: and community to a new level, and by Kettering Health
Speaker 1: the best care for the best fans. Kettering Health is
Speaker 1: the official healthcare provider of the Bengals. If you haven't
Speaker 1: done so already, please subscribe to this podcast and if
Speaker 1: you have a minute, give it a rating or share
Speaker 1: a comment that helps more Bengals fans find us. I'm
Speaker 1: Dan Hord and thanks for listening to the Bengals Booth
Speaker 1: podcast