In the eighth game of the 2022 season, Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt, then a rookie, was frustrating his defensive coordinator.
One year later, Taylor-Britt is frustrating Pro Bowl quarterbacks and wide receivers. Sunday night it was the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs on the receiving end as the Bengals prevailed 24-18.
How Cam Taylor-Britt Ruined Buffalo’s Night
The Bengals went into their Sunday Night Football matchup against the Bills intent on having Taylor-Britt travel with Diggs throughout the game.
MORE: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Buffalo Bills Observations
“That was the whole plan,” Taylor-Britt said. “But they kept running him away. Look at the film. Every play he’s motioning, either to the other side, to DJ [Turner II] or Chido [Awuzie], or he’s motioning in the slot to where I’m not guarding him.
When the Bengals were in zone coverage, which was 66% of the time, Taylor-Britt stayed on his side of the defensive formation.
“If we were in man, I’m following him the whole way,” Taylor-Britt said. “And when I did, he didn’t get the ball.”
Diggs finished with six catches for 86 yards and a touchdown. The scoring strike came with Turner, the rookie second-round pick, in coverage.
One of the plays when Diggs was in the slot was early in the second quarter, leaving Taylor-Britt on Gabe Davis. Allen started to go to Davis, then thought better of it and pulled the ball down, and then he threw it anyway.
Taylor-Britt intercepted it for his third pick in the last four games.
INTERCEPTION@CamTaylorBritt_ comes up with the takeaway for the #Bengals! pic.twitter.com/A2ajmpz7bT
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) November 6, 2023
“We were in zone, but I played it like man, and I kind of messed up the quarterback,” Taylor-Britt said. “I just gave him two little hitches to the out because Diggs was inside. I had Mike Hilton inside, so I attacked the out because we don’t want the deep ball. And that’s what they needed. And that’s who Josh Allen is — he’s gonna go for the big shot.”
Taylor-Britt said he and the Bengals’ defense as a whole had Allen frustrated for most of the night.
“You could see it,” Taylor-Britt said. “He gets to jitterin’ in the pocket, don’t know where to go with the ball. Just tries to make a lot happen when nothin’ out there.”
Last year in Week 8, it was an injury to Awuzie that thrust Taylor-Britt into action. On one of his first plays, he gambled and made a diving attempt at a pass and missed, and Donovan Peoples-Jones turned it into one of the Cleveland Browns’ biggest plays of the night.
When Taylor-Britt came to the sideline, defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo had a simple message for his rookie: “Don’t ever do that again.”
These days, the message from Anarumo is for Taylor-Britt to keep doing what he’s doing.
His three interceptions are tied with teammate Logan Wilson for the third most in the league, and Sunday night earned him yet another game ball from head coach Zac Taylor.
“My house is starting to get filled up,” Taylor-Britt said. “I might have to start putting them in storage or something. I feel like every week I should have one. When somebody catches a ball, I feel like I did something wrong for them to catch it. When the ball comes my way, I want it.”
Taylor-Britt said Buffalo’s game plan to keep Diggs away from him was frustrating but also a compliment.
“Most definitely I want to go at the best player on the field, man,” he said. “Week in and week out, that’s how it has to go. When they move them away from me, I see their game plan.”
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