Zac Taylor Will Face What He Lacks On Sunday Night
Syndication: The Enquirer
Historically, people in NFL circles don’t go out of their way to praise the Los Angeles Chargers. The team was famously seen as a dead end by the Manning family and then subsequently squandered Phillip Rivers’ Hall Of Fame career. Yet despite the ugly history, as I researched this week’s matchup, I couldn’t help but find myself jealous of Dean Spanos’ current operation. The team the Cincinnati Bengals come face-to-face with on Sunday night is currently an organization they should consider mimicking.
As the Bengals struggle to find their footing in a 4-6 season, the renewed Chargers are 6-3 with the sort of build that can take them somewhere. While Zac Taylor continues to put more and more on Joe Burrow’s shoulders week after week, the Chargers have made a pointed effort to reduce Justin Herbert’s responsibility.
In 2023, Los Angeles threw the ball the third-most of any team in the NFL while their run game ranked 24th in attempts and 25th in yards. Enter Jim Harbaugh. In 2024, they rank 31st in pass attempts while flipping the script in the run game to be ninth in attempts and 19th in yards. The results have created both a better quarterback and more wins.
Herbert’s yards per game may be down, but his completion percentage is up a point, his quarterback rating is a full 10% above last year’s performance, and he’s thrown 11 touchdowns to 1 interception in 2024 vs the 20 to 7 he threw in 2023. Additionally, per PFF, he has had 13 “big-time throws” and ZERO turnover-worthy plays since Week 7.
It’s important to note that the Chargers are not doing this with a flawless running game, but rather commitment to it. There have been peaks and valleys in Los Angeles this year as the team has struggled with three-and-outs and an inability, at times, to be consistent. But Harbaugh’s steadfast belief in the run has balanced the team and helped their quarterback. Now, with the return of Gus Edwards to pair with J.K. Dobbins, that commitment will likely start to pay off in high-level results.
Meanwhile, in Cincinnati, Taylor continues to display either an inability or unwillingness to prioritize the run game. Some of the offensive numbers look beautiful. Burrow is having arguably the best start to his career, while Ja’Marr Chase is sitting on a rare Triple Crown season. The Bengals might have both the MVP and OPOTY on their squad, yet they rarely seem to have control of the games they play in. It feels like the duo has to perform at an absurd level each week to put Cincinnati in a position to compete.
There is certainly blame to be had with an underperforming defense and a wide receiver room filled with off-the-field and injury issues. But it’s reasonable to believe, if Taylor would make any meaningful effort to control the run game and line of scrimmage, that they could find their way to more success.
As a contrast to what Los Angeles is doing, the Bengals are crushing in the passing game coming in sixth in attempts, fourth in yards, and first in touchdowns, but their running game is 28th in attempts and 29th in yards.
This is not a new phenomenon. The previous two years were also absolutely brutal. Here’s how they’ve ranked in passing/rushing attempts and yards, respectively:
2023 Passing: 7th; 15th
2023 Rushing: 30th; 31st
2022 Passing: 6th; 5th
2022 Rushing: 24th; 29th
Not coincidentally, their Super Bowl year was the only time they’ve been anywhere close to balanced. The team ranked 20th in pass attempts (seventh in yards), while coming in 19th in rush attempts (23rd) in yards. It’s not a good situation when fans are pining for “The Good Ol’ Days” when the Bengals’ ground game was merely in the bottom half of the league.
We found out quickly this year that the “Joe Mixon got old” narrative was a false one. The former Bengal has thrived in Houston averaging 93 yards a game while the balanced Texans rank 10th in passing attempts and 13th in rushing.
You might be screaming at your computer right now, “The NFL has become a passing league!” But that’s just not the full truth. Yes, the passing makes the money and gets the highlights, but most great teams still effectively prioritize and execute the run game
So the big question remains, is Cincinnati’s lack of balance due to personnel issues and a defense that can’t get off the field? Or is Taylor continuing to prove himself as someone who can’t properly prioritize the run, and therefore cannot manage the flow and outcome of the game?
No one is dumb enough to claim that this defense, with the horrific performances of Sam Hubbard and Cam Taylor-Britt, as well as Myles Murphy looking like a bust, isn’t a problem. Similarly, it would be insane to deprioritize one of the two best quarterbacks in the league. But a proper run game and physical approach could both elevate everything Burrow does while controlling the pace of the game in a way that might help Lou Anarumo’s struggling group.
Cincinnati doesn’t have to be tops in rushing, they just can’t be at the very bottom of the league. Heck, late teens would be a perfect recipe for this group.
Harbaugh has brought a winning approach to Los Angeles. He lives and breathes physicality. His simple philosophy is to dominate the line of scrimmage and beat people up with the run game. We will see it first-hand on Sunday. If the Bengals want any chance to turn this season, or if they want to properly maximize their all-time quarterback’s career for that matter, they should pay very close attention to how a team far less talented than them is succeeding.
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