Cincinnati Bengals Preseason: 3 Takeaways vs Washington

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2. They’ll Miss Burfict

That is, they’ll be fine to start Week 1 outside of one player. As you may already know, Vontaze Burfict is facing a possible five-game suspension due to a hit made on Kansas City’s Anthony Sherman in their second preseason contest.

I’ve already dived into detail on the matter (and what it could mean for his — and the team’s — future), but his performance against Washington in particular provides us another look at what makes him such a difficult player to make concrete determinations about.

Against Washington, he played a handful of snaps and was a one-man wrecking crew. According to Pro Football Focus’ Refocused recap, he picked up four tackles (three solo) and a defensive stop in 11 coverage snaps. In the passing game, he was targeted three times; two were completed, but neither picked up a single yard after the catch. Oh, and there was of course the interception off Cousins which he returned 62 yards for a touchdown to give Cincinnati a 14-3 lead. For the game, PFF graded him 85.2 overall and 88.0 in coverage while naming him their player of the game.

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That sort of dominance is what makes him a desirable player, the sort who can have a decidedly powerful impact on any play or game he’s on the field. “On the field” is key phrase here though, because if the suspension holds up through appeal he’s set to miss a significant chunk of the year.

When Burfict is playing, he’s probably only surpassed by Geno Atkins in terms of his combination of talent, impact and playmaking ability to Cincinnati’s defense. An argument that he’s even above Atkins wouldn’t necessarily be wrong, either. He stonewalls runners, does an excellent job in coverage (23 career pass knockdowns), forces turnovers (three forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, five interceptions), and has earned high individual grades for his play (Pro Football Focus Edge has rated him 85.3 overall or better in three of his five seasons) throughout.

If he’s out for some or all of this levied suspension, the players behind him are not close to his caliber.

Nick Vigil is expected to be a new starter, but he proved uninspiring during his rookie campaign and is probably just a guy at this point in his career. Vincent Rey is good, but works best in a rotational role (or at least that’s what Cincinnati appears to believe). Kevin Minter was underrated in Arizona, but he’s not going to change a game himself.

This defense may have looked good against Washington, but for every game Burfict misses, the unit will be taking a massive hit — one which could upend any postseason hopes before we even reach October.

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