Joe Burrow knows where he wants to go with the ball, or at least he thinks so. Making the Pro Bowl quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals second-guess himself will be crucial for the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football in Week 3.
Burrow and his receivers, especially Ja'Marr Chase, will easily have the beating of struggling defensive backs if the Commanders try and play things straight up. Head coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. need a plan based on disguise and concentrated pressure.
Fortunately, one team has already shown the Commanders how to confuse Burrow this season.
Commanders can borrow Patriots disguised coverages
Changing what Burrow sees pre- and post-snap can help Washington protect a depleted and lackluster secondary. It's what the New England Patriots did to frustrate the Heisman Trophy winner out of LSU during a 16-10 victory at Paycor Stadium in Week 1.
The Patriots were a Rubik's Cube in coverage, showing one thing, then constantly rotating into different looks. This was a notable disguise because the Patriots morphed into the much-discussed and lamented two-deep coverage. Keeping a pair of safeties deep is a must for the Commanders when Burrow could have his full fleet of talented receivers available.
That means Chase could be reunited with vertical threat Tee Higgins. The latter is planning to make his comeback from a hamstring injury on Monday night, according to ESPN's Ben Baby.
Higgins being ready to play is bad timing for the Commanders, but not if Quinn and Whitt have the right plan. Their strategy should involve mixing coverages the way New England did two weeks ago.
The smorgasbord created by New England head coach Jerod Mayo and defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington was described by Patriots.com staff writer Evan Lazar:
"After having some success against this Bengals offense in a matchup during the 2022 season, Covington and Mayo had most of the same buttons this week. The Patriots played more man coverage, increasing that rate from 21.6% in 2022 to 37.1% on Sunday. However, the Pats most-used coverage was still Cover-2 (12 drop-backs) like it was two years ago."
- Evan Lazar
There's that reliance on Cover 2 again. Those two-deep shells limited Burrow to a mere 164 yards from 21 completions. But the Commanders need their defensive stars to perform better collectively to stand any chance if this strategy pays off.
This is the blueprint for the Commanders to follow, but taking away shot plays and keeping Burrow guessing forms just one part of the puzzle.
Inside pressure key to Commanders' containing Joe Burrow
He possesses underrated mobility, but Burrow is at his best standing tall in the pocket. That makes him vulnerable to pressure through the middle.
The Commanders should have no problem collapsing the interior of the pocket. Not with Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen in the lineup.
They saw plenty of double teams during Week 2's 21-18 win over the New York Giants, but some clever shifting can free Allen and Payne for a more active showing this week. Moving both into the A-gaps, either side of center Ted Karras, will create a nightmare for the Bengals' offensive line in obvious passing situations. They'll have to slide toward the defensive tackle tandem and double at least one of them.
Another option is to put rookie second-rounder Johnny Newton onto the field with the starters on third-and-long to cover up Karras and both guards. This "bear" front would create a one-on-one matchup for at least one member of the Commanders' trio of terrifying tackles.
Newton earned special praise from Quinn this week for his "speed and athleticism" in practice, per Ben Standig of The Athletic, so the second-round pick should have a bigger role to play on the road.
Unsettling Burrow, preventing him from stepping up to throw into shape-shifting coverages, will keep the Bengals' offense stymied. That can give Jayden Daniels, Austin Ekeler, and Brian Robinson Jr. enough chances to control the clock and secure a notable upset win.
