In an interesting twist, the rise of the Cincinnati Bengals has other teams attempting to emulate or even adapting their offseason gameplans around them.
So it goes for life near the top of the NFL food chain, no matter how sudden. We’ve seen teams start to emulate the wide receiver-heavy approach of the Bengals and opposing defenses, such as the one in Baltimore, changed coordinators and approaches in recent years.
There’s also the Buffalo Bills to consider, with Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer offering an interesting take on how the Bengals played a role in the Bills picking Dalton Kincaid in the first round:
So as for what the Bills saw in Kincaid: They wanted to find a mismatch player, be it a receiver or tight end, in the first couple of rounds and had a handful they thought might be available to them over the draft’s first two nights. In their playoff exit, the Bills watched the Bengals bracket and double Stefon Diggs, and they knew they needed more ways to make defenses pay for that approach.
In the Bengals’ 27-10 playoff win over the Bills in Buffalo last season, Bills tight end Dawson Knox led Josh Allen’s attack in receiving with five catches for 65 yards. The only player to match him in receptions was a running back and star wideout Stefon Diggs had just four catches for 35 yards on 10 targets.
There were other things at play in that game, of course, but contenders in the AFC continue to compensate for what the other contenders are doing, and that includes prepping to counter Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo.
For what it’s worth, the Bengals have also been very open about liking Kincaid in the draft, too.
