The Cincinnati Bengals enjoyed a memorable win on Sunday, rallying from an early 14-point deficit to beat the mighty Kansas City Chiefs and clinch their first AFC North title since 2015.
After falling behind by two touchdowns, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase hit the reset button with a 72-yard touchdown connection late in the first quarter. That was just the start, as the former LSU Tigers teammates connected for two more scores to help Cincinnati earn a landmark 34-31 victory.
Chase finished the game with 11 receptions for 266 yards, and Burrow totaled 446 yards and four touchdowns on 30-of-39 passing.
How did Burrow and Chase dissect the two-time defending AFC champions so effectively?
As it turns out, the Bengals didn’t have to draw up anything special on offense, because the Chiefs had one plan in mind — attack Burrow. But that strategy allowed the dangerous Chase to run wild through Kansas City’s defensive backfield.
Let’s dive into the film to see how the Bengals exploited the game plan.
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One thing that makes this Bengals offense so special is their receivers’ ability to separate at the top of their routes.
Chase, at 6-foot, 201 pounds, isn’t one of the biggest receivers in the NFL, but he finished in the 90th percentile in all of his pro day drills — including the 20-yard shuttle, which measures quickness, change of direction and body control.
In the clip below, he showcases those exact skills. He separates at the top of his comeback route to get open underneath.
With the Chiefs running man-to-man press coverage all game, this gave the Bengals’ wideouts many opportunities to show their skills. Burrow wasn’t throwing amazing passes, but his receivers adjusted well mid-route, and they were meeting the ball at the highest point possible.
On Chase’s second touchdown of the day, the Bengals lined up just inside the red zone. With Chase on an island to the outside, Burrow showed why he can trust his rookie receiver to make the plays to take this offense to the next level.
Chase, shown at top of screen, is lined up against a press-coverage defender. Burrow noticed mid-route that the defender had a step on Chase, so instead of throwing the ball over the top, he threw it to the back shoulder. Chase then made a great adjustment to reel in the ball.
When the Chiefs switched out of man coverage into a two-high zone underneath, they got scorched.
In both of the plays in the clip below, the Bengals exploit the gaps within the Chiefs defense. On the first play, Chase is lined up on the inside running an out route, as the outside receiver runs his defender out of the play and opens the underneath route.
In the second clip, we see the same concept run for the offense. The defense then collapses on the underneath route to prevent another similar play with massive yards after the catch — but that left Chase wide open down the sideline for what turned out to be a 69-yard touchdown reception.
After the Chiefs tried their zone defense and got burned, they decided the best way to stop a moving train was to clog up the tracks. So they went back to the press-man coverage game plan, forcing the Bengals receivers to fight in order to get open.
That was the hill they died on, as Chase racked up his impressive numbers.
Even when Chase wasn’t getting the ball, the Chiefs defense still had to accommodate for him. That exposed them to screen passes, like in the clip below.
The Bengals offense did a great job spreading the ball around to other playmakers when the Chiefs tried to double- and triple-team Chase. Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd and Joe Mixon all stepped up to make plays.
The high-powered Bengals rank third in the league in yards after catch, and Chase leads the league with 18.1 yards per reception (among players with at least 25 catches).
If Burrow continues to click this well with his receivers, the Bengals will be a tough out in the playoffs.
The Chiefs lived and died by their press-man coverage on Sunday while trying to attack a mediocre Bengals offensive line and pressure Burrow. Other AFC playoff teams should take note of the result.