Last Sunday was a rarity for the Cincinnati Bengals. When a bad day for the offense happens, the center of the problem has typically been the offensive line. That wasn't the case against the New England Patriots.
Compositive pass blocking scores , opposing pressure rate , whatever metric you look at tells the same story.
Cincinnati protected quarterback Joe Burrow well, and it started with left tackle Orlando Brown Jr.
And for Brown, it all started with his stance.
Orlando Brown Jr. changed up his technique
Brown put together one of his best games since joining the Bengals last year. Pro Football Focus graded him at 80.1 in pass blocking and charged him with just one hurry allowed on 35 pass blocking reps. He did this despite noticeably changing his stance from last year.
As seen above, Brown's hands are still starting on his knees, but his left knee is bent inwards closer to his post foot. This was consistent all throughout the afternoon, and the results showed Brown to be in much more control over his pass sets.
What I noticed in the tape is he was able to create more space in his vertical sets. which has an o-lineman kick-sliding in what's almost a straight line backwards. His timing out of his stance remains the same as it once was, but he's able to cover more ground in his first two kick slides as a result.
This was evident when comparing a similar rep from Week 8 of last season against the San Francisco 49ers. I went a broke down the plays side-by-side below:
How this change helps Brown and the Bengals
With the ability to create space in a more efficient manner, Brown's lack of elite quickness for a tackle can be better negated. This can give him a literal edge against the caliber of pass-rushers that have given him fits in the past, specifically those who can win with speed around the edge.
In short, Brown can become a more reliable pass protector on a week-to-week basis. The Bengals don't have to scheme too specifically to help him against the better opponents they'll face throughout the season.
This is not to say he'll be perfect against the Myles Garretts of the league, but better consistency and control from the left tackle is a huge boost to any offensive line, and therefore, the quarterback.
Burrow notably didn't play well Sunday , but it had little to do with how his protection turned out to be. He noted this week that he had struggles with his footwork in the pocket . Luckily, he knows the steps to remedy that.
"I thought I had some happy feet in the pocket on Sunday," Burrow said Wednesday. "So slowing everything down, let my mind work and let my fundamentals take care of the rest."
Once it clicks again for Burrow, he should be operating with a clean left side of the pocket for many weeks to come if Brown continues this level of play with his new stance.
Related: Joe Burrow's struggles were encapsulated by one forgettable play in Bengals' Week 1 letdown
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