Andy Dalton vs. Pittsburgh | Wildcard Preview

Andy Dalton is one of the NFL’s most controversial Quarterbacks due to his inconsistency, lack of playoff success and also capability to occasionally have great games. Dalton has once again led the Bengals to the playoffs, winning the 5th seed in the AFC and facing the AFC South champion Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. Coming into the playoffs this year Dalton has had a mediocre year with 19 TD’s and 17 INT’s as well as a 64.1% completion percentage which ranks him tied for 13th in the league with Tom Brady. Dalton has his good games as well as his bad, but I wanted to take a look at some select plays from his previous game vs. the Steelers to see how Dalton fared beyond the stat line and maybe get a glimpse of what he can be capable of in the playoffs this season.

Play 1: 1st & 10. -23. 12:32 1st.

Formation: Singleback Dice Slot (11 Personnel)

As you see in the picture above, the Bengals are running a “Verticals” concept, with the two outside WR’s outside releasing and running up the sideline while the slot WR runs away from the jam and then to the post. The Steelers defense is showing Cover 2 until Dalton gets into his cadence, then the SS (to the field) drops down to what looks like man-to-man coverage with the slot WR. On the snap, the Steelers jump into a Cover 3 concept, bringing OLB #92 on the blitz and dropping the weak side OLB (showing blitz) off into coverage. With the SS playing up in the slot WR’s face, this forces the WR to break off of his route course and disrupts the timing of the play. Dalton feels the pressure and takes his 5-step drop before releasing the ball to the “vertical” at the top of the screen. The ball is in a good spot, giving the WR a chance to run it down but falls incomplete. It wasn’t a high success play in the first place, this comes down to the Bengals being buried in their own territory and trying to take a shot to get themselves in good field position to run their offense.

Play 2: 2nd & 10. 28. 8:35 1st.

Formation: Strong Pro (21 Personnel)

The Steelers bring the blitz, bringing their two ILB’s on the pass rush while dropping the two OLB’s into coverage. With the Steelers bringing five and dropping six into coverage they have an extra man in coverage compared to the Bengals who only send four players out for routes. In the secondary the Steelers are in a Cover 1, one deep safety, everyone else in man-to-man. To the field, the Bengals run a two vertical concept with the TE releasing up the seam. At the top of the screen to the boundary (the only place Dalton looks on this play), the WR appears to have an option route between a “vertical” or a curl depending on the coverage of the CB. The WR breaks the cushion of the CB pretty quickly forcing him to flip his hips and run. After seeing the reaction of the CB, the WR settles his hips and turns for the curl. By the time the WR settles his hips, Dalton has already released the pass for the route he thinks the WR should run (the vertical) and the play results in an INT due to the miscommunication. If you look back at the play, you will see that the Steelers have a mixup in the secondary which leads to the “Swing” route out of the backfield being wide open. Had Dalton not been locked in on one WR from the start he may have seen this and been able to continue the drive.

Play 3: 4th & 3. 35. 4:47 1st.

Formation: Shotgun Dice Slot (11 Personnel)

It’s 4th down and 3 and the Bengals are in their own territory and decide to go for the 1st down. This is the first real excellent throw from Dalton we see all day. The Steelers are in a Cover 3, an interesting choice for this situation due to the short yardage needed. At the bottom of the screen, the outside WR runs a “vertical” while the slot WR runs an “out” right past the 1st down marker. To the boundary (top of the screen), the WR runs a sit down route right at the numbers on the 30 yardline, while the TE runs a “7-cut” or a Post-Corner. Since the CB has anything that goes deep on his side, he is forced to run with the “7-cut” while the LB dropping into his zone is late to the curl zone leaving the sit down open for a split second. Dalton puts the throw right on the money leading his WR away from the LB and up the field for a 1st down and a gain of 14 yards.

Play 4: 3rd & 6. 17. 2:54 1st.

Formation: Shotgun Empty Spread (20 Personnel)

The Bengals come out in an Empty set, although the trick here is there is a RB in the slot to the left and the right. The Steelers are in a 2-man under defense, two Safeties over the top while everyone else is in man-to-man. The coverage combination shuts down the double verticals to the left, while the man-to-man coverage is good on the “dig” route from the inside WR to the left as well. With a LB matched up with the RB in the slot to the right, that is an obvious mismatch that must be taken advantage of. Dalton senses the pressure and does a good job breaking the pocket, Dalton has made his share of mistakes but I feel one thing he is good at is breaking the pocket with his legs. He makes an impressive improvisation play by flipping the RB the ball where he does the rest, resulting a TD for the Bengals.

Play 5: 3rd & 5. 29. 15:00 2nd.

Formation: Shotgun Bunch TE

3rd and medium here for the Bengals as they look to continue their drive into Steelers territory. The Steelers are in a Cover 1 for this play bringing a blitz up the middle, with the CB to the bunch side playing off-man with a high-low combination with the Nickelback. The CB to the single WR is playing off due to the respect of the WR to beat him deep. Before the play starts, I imagine Dalton already knows where he is going with this ball (the out route to the single WR side). Dalton takes his 3-step drop and delivers the ball to the out route before the other routes have even developed or had a chance to get open. As you can see from the endzone angle Dalton does a nice job looking down the middle of the field until right before he throws the out route. The throw is on time and on target resulting in a first down. A good throw and good read by Dalton on this play.

Play 6: 2nd & 3. -34. 6:51 2nd.

Formation: Singleback Ace Twins (11XL Personnel)

This is what some would call a typical Dalton throw in a big game, a terrible mistake here. The Steelers are once again in a Cover 3, trying to limit the deep throw. The Bengals run a “vertical” and “dig” combination in order to free up the “dig”. The “dig” does come free with the CB giving a cushion to the WR and not being able to react with the WR’s break. Dalton must throw the ball into the window between the CB and the low-hole S, but the LB appears to be in front of the throwing lane so Dalton must throw the ball over the top of the LB. The “dig” route should be run straight across the 50 yard line but the throw is high and requires the WR to deviate from his route (you can see him attempt to adjust up the field). Even after the adjustment the ball is still high and hits off the WR’s hands and falls into the hands of the CB. Dalton’s second INT of the day and this one wasn’t a communication, this one is all on him.

Play 7: 3rd & 5. -35. 13:36 3rd.

Formation: Shotgun Doubles Flex (11 Personnel)

The Steelers are once again in Cover 1 with off-man on the outside WR’s, they bring the blitz but the Bengals keep 6 in for protection. On the left side of the formation, the WR and TE run a “vertical” and “7-cut” combination, but neither player gets open before the blitz hits home. On the right side of the formation, the Bengals run a Hi-Lo concept with a 3 yd dig followed by a 13 yd dig. As you watch the video, you will see that the LB dropping into the middle of the field, sucks up to the 3 yd dig, double teaming that WR and leaving the 13 yd dig completely open. Dalton shows something I have been looking for the whole game by coming off his number one target and throwing to the open WR by how the defense reacts. An easy throw made more difficult by the blitz right in his face, an overall good play by Dalton.

Play 8: 2nd & 20. 41. 12:41 3rd.

Formation: Shotgun Doubles Weak (11 Personnel)

The Steelers bring the blitz from the LB and are in a Cover 1 in the secondary. While the Bengals once again run down field combinations. To the left, the TE runs a deep cross at around 18 yards while the WR runs a “dig” behind him. To the right and double WR side, the slot WR runs a “bubble” and brings his defender up leaving a vacancy in the coverage. The outside WR runs a skinny post to take the top off of the defense. Dalton makes a great play here, feeling the pressure from his right side and stepping up in the pocket before rolling to his right and delivering a great throw to the crossing route in front of the trailing defender for a gain of 16. Once again showing his playmaking ability on the move, as well as impressive accuracy.