Cincinnati Bengals defensive lineman DJ Reader has been a major deciding factor in the recent battles with the Tennessee Titans.
Notably, he’s the main reason the Bengals have been one of the only teams to completely shut down Titans running back Derrick Henry.
And before the matchup this weekend, Reader actually gushed about what could have been with a matchup against Titans rookie left guard Peter Skoronski.
“I like his Madden rating,” Reader said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “He’s a good player. He’s going to be a good one.”
Unfortunately for Reader (and the Titans), Skoronski — the draft’s 11th overall pick this year — is one of four key Titans ruled out for the game.
Let Reader tell it though, that doesn’t change the approach to tackling Henry and the Titans.
“Same thing. Read your keys and just play it,” Reader said, per Hobson. “They’ve got to run the ball. That’s the identity of their team. That’s how they’re built. We have to go out there and be more physical than them and just do our thing. Being physical and keying in on it. Eleven guys doing their job is always the key to stopping the run.”
The lack of Skoronski in the lineup could mean Reader sees the same interior offensive line he faced off against last year, which could be a good sign for a Bengals defense that needs to do some heavy lifting again this week.
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