Racking up more than 400 yards of offense is usually a recipe for a team to win football games in the NFL. However, for the Cincinnati Bengals, that has not been the case. Joe Burrow has been playing like a top-10 quarterback, but the Bengals have almost no balance on offense. They need to find a way to get the running game going.
Cincinnati travels to face the Miami Dolphins in Week 5 with a chance to move back above .500. The Dolphins have struggled defensively this season. Still, the Bengals cannot keep relying on Burrow to carry the offense. Their 2-2 record has already dropped them behind the 3-1 Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North.
The numbers from Sunday make the problem clear. Cincinnati managed just 23 rushing yards on 15 carries in the 22-17 loss to Jacksonville. The Bengals were unable to create much of anything on the ground for the second straight week. Chase Brown had only 10 rushing yards, although he was also heavily involved in the passing game with 11 catches.
The lack of a running threat makes life harder for the entire offense. When defenses do not have to commit extra players to stopping the run, they can put more attention on Burrow and the passing game. That becomes even more important in the red zone, where Cincinnati has already struggled to finish drives.
Depleted Receiver Room Demands a Ground Game
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The Bengals are dealing with injuries at receiver. Ja’Marr Chase is in concussion protocol, Tee Higgins is dealing with an adductor injury, and Andrei Iosivas is on injured reserve after thumb surgery.
Losing Chase and Higgins should have been a clear sign for Cincinnati to change its approach. Instead, Zac Taylor and Dan Pitcher continued to rely heavily on the passing game. Mitchell Tinsley and Dohnte Meyers had to handle bigger roles on the outside.
That approach puts too much pressure on Burrow. When a team loses its top targets, the answer should not be to keep putting inexperienced receivers in difficult passing situations. Cincinnati should look to take pressure off its quarterback.
Burrow said on Sunday that he doesn’t mind throwing more. The Bengals QB also praised the Bengals’ pass protection. He admitted that he would like to see more production from the running game, but understands there will be games when he has to drop back more often and get the job done for his team.
