Vikings at Bengals Depth Chart Preview 2021
Sept 10, 2021 23:11:29 GMT -6
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Post by Danchat on Sept 10, 2021 23:11:29 GMT -6
It's that time of the year again! Let's analyze the Vikings' first opponent of the 2021 season together in my weekly Depth Chart Preview.
As per usual, the ratings are based upon the player's PFF ratings, with a heavy blend of their 2020 play balanced in with the rest of their career. Let's see how the Bengals stack up.
Injury Report:
Line: Vikings -3
(70% of bets on Vikings according to actionnetwork.com)
My Thoughts by Position
QB - Joe Burrow is in a weird spot, coming off an ACL tear and reportedly looking rough in camp. He has yet to take any hits and is likely to be gun-shy on potential QB runs. He's a complete wildcard for this game.
RB - Mixon missed 10 games last year, but they're counting on him to be a three down back. With Barr out, Mixon could have some room in the running game, but I think he has more potential to do damage as a receiver.
WR/TE - WR is the big strength of this team. Tee Higgins had a great rookie year and should continue to ascend. I think he's the clear #1 WR with Ja'Marr Chase showing rust in the preseason. Chase has Jefferson-like potential, but he didn't play football last year. If he's ready to play at the NFL's speed level, the Vikings don't have a DB who can keep up with him. Meanwhile, Tyler Boyd has quietly been a very successful slot receiver and is a great option for moving the chains. The Bengals heavily use 3 WR packages to incorporate these three, and their TE room is barren. Drew Sample is a quality blocker but has no receiving skills - not sure why they spent a 2nd round pick on him. CJ Uzomah is more of a receiving TE but he's not a threat.
OL - Similarly to the Vikings, the Bengals' OL has been bad for some time now, and they didn't do a whole lot to fix it. Reiff is the biggest addition but is moving to RT. He's only played one season there (final year with the Lions) and PFF graded it as his worst season in the NFL. They will be hoping Jonah Williams will take a step forward after having a solid first season. Cincy did spend 2nd, 4th, and 6th rounders on Carman, Smith, and Hill, but none are ready to start. Instead, the underwhelming Su'a-Filo and Spain will start at guard. Neither will be trainwrecks, but Su'a-Filo is a weak run blocker and Spain is a poor pass protector. He was Buffalo's weakest link on their OL last year, prompting his release. Center Trey Hopkins has been a jack of all trades, master of none, fending off 1st round flop Billy Price for the past 3 seasons.
DL - Trey Hendrickson is the big addition here, but I have concerns that his 2020 season (13.5 sacks) was not indicative of his true talent level. That was his only season as a starter with the Saints, having been a rotational pass rusher before. Sam Hubbard is a fine #2 pass rusher, but he flopped last year with just 32 pressures and 2 sacks. There's also zero depth of note behind them. At DT, Cincy will have to hope that Reader can stay healthy. A 347 lbs nose tackle you could compare to Michael Pierce, was sorely missed last year as he played only 5 games (injury). Ogunjobi and Hill were added this offseason as depth, but I don't see a guy who can fill the three technique spot very well. Ogunjobi hasn't been the same since his fantastic rookie year, and Hill is a one-dimensional run suffer. Tupou has had strong PFF grades, but he opted out last year and didn't do much for the stat sheet in 2019.
LB - This might be the weakest LB room in the NFL, though you could say there is potential here. Pratt is the veteran, despite being in his 3rd season, but has near-Abysmal grades from PFF. Logan Wilson is probably their best option, as the 3rd rounder showed improvement as his 2020 rookie campaign progressed. Davis-Gaither was a 4th rounder who had great combine numbers, but had an Abysmal grade last year, though he didn't play many snaps. I don't see how these guys will be able to stop Cook.
CB - I was really hoping to see Trae Waynes, but he's been riddled with injuries since signing a $14M per year deal. Instead, FA acquisition Awuzie will be their main guy, who coincidentally had his worst game against the Vikings last year. They would be wise to start Darius Phillips in Waynes' spot,
as PFF rated him as their best CB in 2020. If they start Eli Apple, who couldn't even make a roster last year, well, they have only themselves to blame.
S - Jessie Bates is the best player on this team, and I didn't need PFF's rating to determine that. He's already compiled 300+ tackles and 9 picks in his first 3 seasons, proving himself as a great tackler and adept cover-er. He'll pair up with Vonn Bell, a more LB-like SS who is also a quality run stopper, but will allow lapses in coverage.
Prediction: Vikings 27, Bengals 23
I can see the Bengals' offense challenge the Vikings' defense in this one, but there are too many mismatches on the other side of the ball. Cook should have his way with this run defense, and the Bengals don't have the secondary to be able to handle Jefferson and Thielen. There should be no excuses for our offense - this is their game to win.
Any thoughts?
As per usual, the ratings are based upon the player's PFF ratings, with a heavy blend of their 2020 play balanced in with the rest of their career. Let's see how the Bengals stack up.
Injury Report:
Vikings
LB Barr Out
LT Darrisaw Out
Bengals
CB Waynes Out
LB Barr Out
LT Darrisaw Out
Bengals
CB Waynes Out
Line: Vikings -3
(70% of bets on Vikings according to actionnetwork.com)
My Thoughts by Position
QB - Joe Burrow is in a weird spot, coming off an ACL tear and reportedly looking rough in camp. He has yet to take any hits and is likely to be gun-shy on potential QB runs. He's a complete wildcard for this game.
RB - Mixon missed 10 games last year, but they're counting on him to be a three down back. With Barr out, Mixon could have some room in the running game, but I think he has more potential to do damage as a receiver.
WR/TE - WR is the big strength of this team. Tee Higgins had a great rookie year and should continue to ascend. I think he's the clear #1 WR with Ja'Marr Chase showing rust in the preseason. Chase has Jefferson-like potential, but he didn't play football last year. If he's ready to play at the NFL's speed level, the Vikings don't have a DB who can keep up with him. Meanwhile, Tyler Boyd has quietly been a very successful slot receiver and is a great option for moving the chains. The Bengals heavily use 3 WR packages to incorporate these three, and their TE room is barren. Drew Sample is a quality blocker but has no receiving skills - not sure why they spent a 2nd round pick on him. CJ Uzomah is more of a receiving TE but he's not a threat.
OL - Similarly to the Vikings, the Bengals' OL has been bad for some time now, and they didn't do a whole lot to fix it. Reiff is the biggest addition but is moving to RT. He's only played one season there (final year with the Lions) and PFF graded it as his worst season in the NFL. They will be hoping Jonah Williams will take a step forward after having a solid first season. Cincy did spend 2nd, 4th, and 6th rounders on Carman, Smith, and Hill, but none are ready to start. Instead, the underwhelming Su'a-Filo and Spain will start at guard. Neither will be trainwrecks, but Su'a-Filo is a weak run blocker and Spain is a poor pass protector. He was Buffalo's weakest link on their OL last year, prompting his release. Center Trey Hopkins has been a jack of all trades, master of none, fending off 1st round flop Billy Price for the past 3 seasons.
DL - Trey Hendrickson is the big addition here, but I have concerns that his 2020 season (13.5 sacks) was not indicative of his true talent level. That was his only season as a starter with the Saints, having been a rotational pass rusher before. Sam Hubbard is a fine #2 pass rusher, but he flopped last year with just 32 pressures and 2 sacks. There's also zero depth of note behind them. At DT, Cincy will have to hope that Reader can stay healthy. A 347 lbs nose tackle you could compare to Michael Pierce, was sorely missed last year as he played only 5 games (injury). Ogunjobi and Hill were added this offseason as depth, but I don't see a guy who can fill the three technique spot very well. Ogunjobi hasn't been the same since his fantastic rookie year, and Hill is a one-dimensional run suffer. Tupou has had strong PFF grades, but he opted out last year and didn't do much for the stat sheet in 2019.
LB - This might be the weakest LB room in the NFL, though you could say there is potential here. Pratt is the veteran, despite being in his 3rd season, but has near-Abysmal grades from PFF. Logan Wilson is probably their best option, as the 3rd rounder showed improvement as his 2020 rookie campaign progressed. Davis-Gaither was a 4th rounder who had great combine numbers, but had an Abysmal grade last year, though he didn't play many snaps. I don't see how these guys will be able to stop Cook.
CB - I was really hoping to see Trae Waynes, but he's been riddled with injuries since signing a $14M per year deal. Instead, FA acquisition Awuzie will be their main guy, who coincidentally had his worst game against the Vikings last year. They would be wise to start Darius Phillips in Waynes' spot,
as PFF rated him as their best CB in 2020. If they start Eli Apple, who couldn't even make a roster last year, well, they have only themselves to blame.
S - Jessie Bates is the best player on this team, and I didn't need PFF's rating to determine that. He's already compiled 300+ tackles and 9 picks in his first 3 seasons, proving himself as a great tackler and adept cover-er. He'll pair up with Vonn Bell, a more LB-like SS who is also a quality run stopper, but will allow lapses in coverage.
Prediction: Vikings 27, Bengals 23
I can see the Bengals' offense challenge the Vikings' defense in this one, but there are too many mismatches on the other side of the ball. Cook should have his way with this run defense, and the Bengals don't have the secondary to be able to handle Jefferson and Thielen. There should be no excuses for our offense - this is their game to win.
Any thoughts?
... and neither is this Chris guy.