Cincinnati Bengals will test Kindle Vildor after clean week 1

Kindle Vildor walked out of his start of 2021 unscathed. Considering how rough it was for the rest of them, Vildor has to feel good that the Los Angeles Rams were willing to attack almost everyone except for the second year corner from Georgia Southern. Perhaps the Chicago Bears got something right.

At the same time, it is just as easy to realize that the Rams offense was quick-strike and they may not have attacked Vildor, but that likely is because they did not need to, not because they could not find an open man against him.

With that in mind, we should surely get the answer to that question Sunday. The Chicago Bears keep their cornerbacks on their sides. Jaylon Johnson plays his side, and Vildor will play his. Neither will follow a certain player around.

While the Bengals may have been attacking a particular matchup as the Rams did with the Bears in the slot, they attacked the right side, the side Vildor will line up on relentlessly.

Tee Higgins lined up on that side 44% of the time, and as you can see below, most of his work was on that side. Ja’Marr Chase spent 33% of his snaps on that side and found himself catching his first career touchdown pass on that side of the field.

On the flip side, against the Bears, the Rams put Cooper Kupp in the slot 70%, and even Robert Woods 56% of the time. Woods did spend 39% of the time against Vildor, but Vildor often was seeing Desean Jackson and Van Jefferson, and even Tyler Higbee.

Those names are not Higgins, who put up 900 yards as a rookie, and without Burrow for most of it, nor are they Chase, who is the top prospect in the game.

The Bengals are going to find ways to get their studs in the slot, and will find their matchups. Still, something is clear from breaking down this game, and that is that Vildor is not going to have the same snaps per target rate he had last week, which was almost uncontested.