Bengals’ offense will test Seahawks’ ability to prevent big passing plays

RENTON – Stay on top.

No three words are spoken more often in Seattle’s secondary than those, an incessant directive to maintain the proper position in coverage and not give up big passing plays.

Stay on top.

No three words will be more important on Sunday when the Seahawks face the undefeated Bengals, whose offense with quarterback Andy Dalton and wide receiver A.J. Green has been the best in the league through four games at beating opponents with the deep ball.

“What they do best is what we emphasize,” said Seahawks defensive coordinator Kris Richard, “it’s staying on top and eliminating explosive plays. They’re the most explosive offense in the NFL right now, so it will certainly be a great challenge.”

This game will be full of challenges for the Seahawks. The interior of their embattled offensive line will have its hands full with Geno Atkins, a three-time Pro Bowl selection who’s among the league’s best pass-rushing defensive tackles. Marshawn Lynch is out and Fred Jackson is less than 100 percent, which means Seattle’s only healthy tailbacks are a pair of undrafted rookies in Thomas Rawls and Rod Smith. And it will be played in front of a rare sell-out crowd that will pack Paul Brown Stadium in anticipation of what’s being called the biggest Bengals home game in years.

But nothing is more important for Seattle – in any game but especially this one – than not allowing big passing plays. To stay on top, as Seattle’s defensive backs are mandated to do, is to never allow the opponent they’re covering to get behind them. That phrase isn’t a reminder in Seattle’s defense so much as it’s part of a greater commandment: Thou Shalt Not Get Beat Deep.

Every team in the NFL tries to eliminate big passing plays. What makes the Seahawks different in that regard is the degree to which it’s emphasized and how their defense is built around that principle.

“Top priority,” said assistant head coach Rocky Seto, who began working with Pete Carroll in 2000 at USC. “Right when I got with Coach Carroll years ago, staying on top was the first thing almost out of his mouth. So it’s a top priority because without it all 10 other players on the field are neutralized, it becomes a one-on-one game. If we can’t stay on top then we can’t play that style of defense.”

Said cornerback Cary Williams: “That’s all we talk about. It’s almost like a daily thing that’s just getting drilled in your head each and every day. You’ve got to stay on top. You’ve got to stay on top.“

An explosive passing play is defined in this case as one that gains 25 yards or more. Seattle’s defense allowed a combined six of them over the first two games, which was more than three times the rate at which they had allowed such plays while leading the league in that category in each of the past two seasons.

The Seahawks have only allowed one explosive passing play over the last two games, and while Chicago mostly attacked Seattle underneath, Detroit took plenty of shots deep down the field without much success.

Cincinnati figures to do the same. The Bengals lead the league in explosive plays this season with 15 while Dalton’s yards-per-attempt average of 10.23 is second among quarterbacks, stats that are indicative of how much success Cincinnati has had throwing deep.

“They’ve been very confident in their ability to strike you downfield, and they’ve been hitting it,” Carroll said. “So it’s a big problem. They’re making trouble for everybody and we’re going to try to minimize that as best we can.”

Seattle’s defense in general and its secondary in particular have returned to form over the last two weeks. Kam Chancellor is back from his holdout, Williams has gained comfort in what for him is a new system while Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman have continued to play at All-Pro levels. Seattle’s defense has yet to pick off a pass this season, but it’s only allowed a combined three points over the last two games, a turnaround that has helped the Seahawks climb out of their 0-2 hole.

Now comes an opportunity to get above .500 for the first time this season. But if the Seahawks are going to stay ahead of Cincinnati and its big-play passing offense, their secondary is going to have to stay on top.