Cincy Jungle
Myles Murphy led the team in pressures with six in the game. He also led the team with five stops in the run game. He combined with BJ Hill for a half sack during the game, as well. This was by far the best game I have seen from Murphy.
The Bengals will have to make the decision on picking up his fifth-year option ahead of next season. Seeing him play well down the stretch could go a long way in making that an easier decision for the front office. Let’s take a look at some of his more impressive plays from Sunday via the All-22 film.
He immediately made his presence known by getting his hand up on the initial read for Rodgers on the first play of the game. He continued working up the field and forced Rodgers into a short check-down pass for a minimal gain.
Next, he didn’t bite too hard on the play fake, staying home and forcing Rodgers into a tough throw. Great awareness and effort early in the game from Murphy.
The first play that landed him in the stat sheet with a tackle was one he worked down the line and helped tackle Jaylen Warren. It is a good thing he did, because it looked like Dax Hill initially whiffed on the tackle attempt.
It wasn’t a completely clean performance from Murphy. On this long Warren run, he could have made more of an effort in backside pursuit. However, he was the least of the problems in this play. It is never good when you end up with five players on the ground near the line of scrimmage.
Murphy also had a couple of penalties on the day. The first one was a play where Aaron Rodgers was able to get him to jump offside on a hard count.
There were multiple plays in which he was able to keep contain, shed a block, and then make a tackle. He was constantly active throughout the game.
One thing this defense lacks at times, which is just flat-out inexcusable, is effort. Geno Stone’s non-tackle attempt on Darnell Washington was a prime example from this game. That is why this next play is one of my favorites on the day for Myles. He redirects, pursues down the field, and makes the tackle. We need more effort from everyone on that defense. It was nice to see him giving that on Sunday, beyond that initial early run from Warren.
Troy Fautanu is a former first round pick for the Steelers at right tackle. He had been garnering praise for his recent play. Murphy likely put an end to that hype on Sunday. Fautanu had a tough game going against Murphy. This next play is one of several examples to come.
The very next play after the one above, Murphy pursues from the back side of the play. His effort leads to another tackle near the line of scrimmage.
Myles also had a couple of good...
