CINCINNATI - When discussing what makes a great red zone defense, Bengals safety Bryan Cook decided to shift the conversation to a different sport.
He wanted to talk basketball. Specifically, he brought up a comment heard from NBA champion Iman Shumpert. He recalled why Shumpert thought Steph Curry was the most dangerous player to guard during Shumpert's 10-year career.
"He was saying how scary it was, no matter what, he is shooting the ball," Cook said. "He can miss, 0-for-4, most guys might start overthinking. Not him. If he's getting it, he's shooting it again. That's very dangerous. You are not thinking about the future or the past, just the present."
Thriving in the red zone requires living dangerously. No matter what happened that led to the ball getting there, it must be forgotten. There must be an unwavering belief that in the highest leverage moments, the dagger is always coming.
"That's the kind of mentality we are trying to get," Cook said.
So far, they've not only been successful, but it's also saved them.
Despite ranking No. 28 in allowing explosive plays, in the bottom quarter in creating three-and-outs and No. 21 in success percentage, Cincinnati still ranks No. 8 in points allowed per game.
The third-ranked red zone defense in the NFL has covered all the warts. In no game was that more on display than the road win against the Baltimore Ravens. The three drives with the most snaps ended up in the Bengals' red zone. During the dreadful first half, Baltimore went 78 yards on 18 plays, then 87 yards on 13 plays. Those ended up in 6 points. Then, with the Bengals up one in the fourth quarter, Cincinnati stuffed a third- and fourth-and-short to send the Ravens to the sideline empty.
They never recovered.
"The fact we got those stops when it looked ugly, that matters," Cook said. "That definitely matters."
The foundation is set.
If not for the three stops Sunday, the game script could have looked much different even with the flawless five-touchdowns-in-five-drives showing from Joe Burrow and company.
Instead, the game felt manageable at the break, and with 4 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter Cincinnati had the lead.
That's been the way of things this season for the Bengals' defense.
In 20 red zone trips, they've allowed seven touchdowns and five times walked away allowing nothing on the board. The 35 percent TD rate ties for the Bengals' best six-game red zone start this century.
"There is supreme confidence in what we are doing down there," defensive coordinator Al Golden said. "You can't underestimate the perseverance of what it takes to win down there. You are never in a great mood when it gets down there. It's always an explosive play or a series of plays. … It takes a reset. Hats off to the leadership and the fight."
Fighting with backs against the wall deserves praise and, on its face, that's a fine way to win games.
But how sustainable is a great red zone defense? Historically, teams can catch momentum in that area and go on extended runs for a week, month or more. Confidence plays such a significant role that the NFL roller coaster can shut the ride down in a hurry.
Should the Bengals expect it to continue? Recent history says not necessarily.
Tracking specifically teams ranked in the top five in red zone defense at this point in the season over the last five years, there's a loose correlation to success continuing the rest of the season.
Here are the averages among those 25 teams before and after.
Ten of the 25 teams ended up ranking in the top 10 in red zone defense over the final portion of the season while just three ranked in the bottom 10.
The 2022 Bengals were also third in red zone defense through seven weeks. The final 11 games they ranked No. 20.
History suggests this success could continue, and that's far more likely than it turning into a disaster, but a regression to the mean would fit with history.
If a regression occurs in the red zone and the struggles with explosives and defensive success rates don't improve over the rest of the field, the wheels can come off in a hurry.
So, this question becomes an increasingly important one: What's the key to red zone sustainability?
"You have to be built to last and, again, it's really hard to practice, so our guys have bought in to the walk-through part of it," Golden said. "You really have to walk through it, and you have to demonstrate your knowledge. Everything in the red happens quickly. A lot of overs, crosses, lot of picks. Sometimes the pocket moves, wildcat -- you are getting everything. You really have to make quick decisions. You have to be unified. You have to be committed. I really believe that because you don't get many reps."
Defensive tackle Jonathan Allen was on a Minnesota team that ranked second in red zone defense through the first seven weeks last season and was second over the final 11 weeks, as well. One of the rare top five double dips.
His perspective on why teams can hang around at the top of the rankings, not surprisingly, goes back to the primary job of his defensive line.
"I think it's important to make teams throw the ball in," Allen said. "If they throw the ball in, that's going to happen. It's the NFL. If you stop teams from running the ball in, it definitely makes it a lot easier to keep such a high percentage throughout the course of the season."
The Bengals have been solid stopping the run in the red zone. Between the tackles, they've been great all season with Dexter Lawrence and company consistently pushing runs to the perimeter.
The wildest aspect of the Bengals' red zone success is their dominance when teams try to pass.
Opponents have dropped back to pass in the red zone against them 27 times this season. They have gained minus-16 yards. Yep, that's right, negative.
The Bengals have five sacks for minus-53 yards. The NFL average is 31 dropbacks gaining 101 yards with nobody else in the negative.
Golden points out the MVPs of the red zone are the linebackers and safeties charged with navigating the chaos created quickly over the middle. The communication and ability to react together on the fly is the only way to counter creative play calls.
"The down guys, their presence is felt, but the decision-making and how quickly things come at you from a linebacker and safety standpoint -- those guys have been terrific," Golden said. "Even if there is a decision we would like to change after the play, they are all on the same page during the play. Great things start happening when guys are empowered to make those decisions."
Empowerment comes from confidence. The same confidence of a Steph Curry 35-footer and "night-night" celebration. For now, the Bengals have that going for them. Success sustaining it just might determine the ceiling on their defense.
"That's our mindset," linebacker Barrett Carter said. "We might be pissed off for a second they made a big play to get down there, long drive, 20-play drive and got to the red zone. S--, who cares? Give us a patch of grass and tell us to defend that patch of grass, and that's the identity of this defense."
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
