The Cincinnati Bengals have a brutal task in Week 10 after a bye — desperately searching for a way to stop Lamar Jackson.
And desperately is the right word there. Jackson is right in the thick of the MVP race so far with his 1,800-plus passing yards on a 64.3 completion percentage with 12 touchdowns and five interceptions, not to mention the 637 yards and five scores on the ground.
Jackson has already terrorized the Bengals defense once this year, ripping the lackluster unit for not only 236 passing yards, but 152 yards and a score on the ground on an average of eight yards per carry.
As NFL Research noted above, the Bengals inexplicably went the wrong direction schematically, which played a part in their inability to stop Jackson.
It should go without saying, but when Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots break away from what works for them just to account for a single player, the Bengals should probably consider doing the same.
The fact the Bengals are the only team this season to trend in the wrong direction here doesn’t speak highly of coordinator Lou Anarumo, nor does it speak highly to the front office’s allotment of talent supplied for the defense.
If Jackson does whatever he wants again and the Bengals don’t try something different — after having two weeks to prepare — the quarterback change might not be the only shuffling the team might consider in the coming weeks.
