Cincinnati Needs To Stop Waiting For The Passing Game To Save Everything
Credit: Cara Owsley/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Cincinnati Bengals’ Week One matchup against the New England Patriots saw their opponent outgain them on the ground by 100 yards in route to a lackluster 16-10 victory; Week two saw the pass-happy Kansas City Chiefs accumulate 149 rushing yards to the Bengals’ 74. Now, saddled with another 0-2 start in the Zac Taylor era, they will face the Washington Commanders in Week 3, clamoring for a win to re-establish their identity as much as relieve its anxious fan base.
Question abound about a passing game that Zac Taylor seems to be waiting on to come and save everything. Is quarterback Joe Burrow’s wrist healthy? What’s up with Tee Higgins’ status? Is Ja’Marr Chase’s contract situation gonna get worse? They all, as well as the Bengals losing streak, could all be silenced with four words.
“Run the damn ball” – and in doing so, the team might finally discover the formula necessary to take the pressure off the passing game and their collective heads alike. It’s time to stop waiting for the passing game to save everything.
Remember that pre-turn of the century commercial Nike ran about how “chicks dig the long ball?” Touchdown passes have become the NFL equivalent of that ad, the running game now regulated to secondary status, just like the majority of halfbacks across the league. The devaluation of running backs’ is a tired talking point in the present day, written about by many pundits ad nauseum in the past two years.
But those conversations are about contracts and value and declines in production over the course of a multi-season career. In terms of actual on-field production, strategy and execution, one could argue that the value of a strong running game is highly underrated. If the Bengals find a way to make the running game their strength, it could, strike that, it would help their passing game by leaps and bounds.
The Patriots lead the league in rushing with 433 yards, which, let’s face it, is out of necessity. Behind them? A slew of undefeated teams: The Green Packers with 424 yards, followed by the “quit saying San Diego” Los Angeles Chargers at 395 and the surprisingly 2-0 New Orleans Saints at 370.
The Packers led by Malik Willis, who’s been in Green Bay as long a warm day in November, rushed for 261 yards to the Indianapolis Colts’ 140 in Week 2, winning without the passing game many thought could lead them deep into the 2024 playoffs.
Likewise, the new-look Chargers, led by superstar QB Justin Herbert and a collection of “who are you” receivers, beat the Las Vegas Raiders 22-10 in Week 1. Herbert’s performance was paltry by his standards, throwing for only 140 yards to Gardner Minshew’s 225. But the Chargers ran all over Las Vegas, racking up 176 rushing yards to the Raiders’ 71. The week after that? Well, that was against Carolina, where it was almost merciful they ran for 219 yards (to the Panthers’ 90) in the game that seemingly has ended the Bryce Young experiment for owner David Tepper’s tepid team.
The Saints are surprising nearly everyone as Derek Carr, from a distance, looks like an MVP candidate. A closer look shows Alvin Kamara and the run game absolutely dominating. Kamara is scoring at will and the team is setting up their dangerous passing attack with an elite running game.
If these teams, in their current situations with their current talent, aren’t enough evidence to prove how valuable the rush game needs to be, there’s no convincing you
Ask most people and they will tell you that they believe Burrow is in the top tier of NFL quarterbacks. His most recent outing in Kansas City showed he can go toe-to-toe (or wrist-to-wrist as the case may be) with the game’s elite. Hell, if the NFL hadn’t screwed up on the pass he threw to tight end Mike Gesicki in Week 1, the Bengals might be 1-and-1. Then again, if Evan McPherson doesn’t miss an extra point, Chase doesn’t have his meltdown and rookie safety Daijahn Anthony doesn’t commit pass interference during a crucial fourth quarter drive and they might be 2-0. But you are what you are and they take a team is 0-2.
Reality is acknowledging that in a pass happy league, the Bengals are focusing on the passing game because they do have an elite level quarterback. Reality is realizing that by forcing the pass and seemingly abandoning the run, the Bengals are making themselves one dimensional. Reality is admitting that despite the preference to run up the middle, teams can stack the box, stopping that run and then blitzing from multiple angles, further complicating the passing game.
Reality is also admitting that it’s VERY easy to armchair quarterback a gameplan from the comfort of one’s couch. But until those other realities change, every part of the Bengals multiverse will end at the same destiny: A lack of running game is putting too much pressure on the passing game to prove itself as elite and carry the load.
In other words, it’s time to run the damn ball or be damned to watch other teams happily let the Bengals pass up their opportunities to do so.
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