Why Does Consistency Continue To Elude the Bengals?
Cara Owsley via Imagn Images
It’s often said that the hardest thing to do in sports is hitting a baseball… Just ask a Chicago White Sox player. But if that is truly the hardest thing, then the second might be having a Cincinnati Bengals team play with any level of consistency in all three phases of the game.
At the beginning of the season, the Bengals’ offense was, essentially, offensive. There was less chemistry among the offensive line than Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker. Tee Higgins’ availability — or, as was evident in their most recent matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, lack thereof — has exposed the WR depth behind him and Ja’Marr Chase.
Then again, their running game isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire, either. Look no further than the fact the team is in the bottom-fourth of the league, sporting more than 100 fewer rushing yards than Derrick Henry by himself. But, as running back Chase Brown said following the Eagles’ loss, the Bengals are a pass-first team, a fact evident in Ja’Marr Chase’s current receiving yardage total (620) is second to only fellow LSU alum Justin Jefferson
And if the Bengals know that, that means all their opponents do, too, right? You don’t have to be Arsenio Hall or C&C Music Factory to realize that might be a problem.
But let’s not just pile on the offense. The defense has let Bengals’ fans down enough to deserve their own time in the sun, with Jalen Hurts’ three rushing TDs on Sunday being the latest evidence. While Cam Taylor-Britt continues to be the best member of a very young secondary, the Eagles got a 1st-and-3 gift during their first-half two-minute drill, courtesy of a costly penalty from the up-and-coming corner. Their situation at safety is shaky, despite the return of Von Bell and the addition of Geno Stone. Likewise, the Bengals’ pass rush might or might not show up in any given week. And while they are always active, Cincinnati’s linebackers have no chance of making the Pro Bowl this season.
If that weren’t confounding enough, the Bengals special teams — the kicking game in particular — has been trending downward since the season began. One week, the Bengals rookie punting sensation Ryan Rehkow is booming kicks… the next, he’s answering questions about a bad hold that resulted in a missed game-winning kick against the AFC North-leading rival Baltimore Ravens. However, one missed hold doesn’t explain all of the misses that have plagued Evan McPherson since signing his three-year, $16.5 million extension back in August.
It all adds up to create the one constant that has been present all year long for the Bengals: Inconsistency — and the reasons for it are fairly clear.
In sports, you can only blame so much on injury. Health is wealth, as they say, and the NFL is no exception. It’s Week 8 and several teams — Miami, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Carolina, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Washington, New England, Green Bay, New York, and Pittsburgh — have seen their franchise quarterback miss time due to injury. Likewise, several teams rested their starters during the preseason, so the rust from not playing together excuse is gone as well.
Now, many people have called for Zac Taylor to be on the proverbial “hot seat.” While the coach should be given a bit of grace for his accomplishments so early into his tenure, the pressure is on Taylor to fix things. Allow me to pinpoint three areas that need to be addressed ASAP.
Stop Hitting the Snooze Button
The Bengals have scored touchdowns on their opening drives two weeks in a row… And then stalled out the rest of the first half. The long, methodical drives that produced touchdowns were great for taking time off the clock. Unfortunately, once the Eagles got cooking like Minute Rice, the Bengals couldn’t keep up. The Bengals have to find a way to up their tempo and quit with the slow-burn offense.
Mike Gesicki had the most receiving yards by a Bengals tight end all season on Sunday against Philadelphia… and then he fumbled. But Cincinnati has fumbled play-calling for most of the season on both sides of the ball. While the Bengals have failed to exhibit an ability to run the ball off-tackle or utilize running back screen passes, their opponents have not.
Run the Damn Ball!
The Kansas City Chiefs have the best quarterback in the league, by almost anyone’s estimation. They’re also currently 11th in the NFL in rushing (1.048 yards). The Ravens have a two-time NFL MVP at quarterback… and they lead the league in rushing (1,600). Finding a way to run the ball will let Burrow be great as he was when he had Joe Mixon (who looks absolutely rejuvenated in Houston averaging 5.2 yards a clip to go with his five touchdowns) — in the backfield. Here are the Bengals rushing totals by week so far in 2024:
Week 1: 16 (loss, 16-10)
Week 2: 22 (loss, 26-25)
Week 3: 20 (loss, 38-33)
Week 4: 31 (win, 34-24)
Week 5: 23 (loss, 41-38)
Week 6: 20 (win, 17-7)
Week 7: 25 (win, 21-14)
Week 8: 20 (loss, 37-17)
Average in wins: 25.3
Average in losses: 20.2
The correlation seems pretty clear.
Up the Intensity
The Bengals, simply put, don’t look like they’re having fun. Given the results of the scoreboard this season, that’s understandable. But if they can’t find the level of intensity they need, nothing is going to change. “Things Fall Apart” isn’t just the name of Chinua Achebe’s famous novel, or the best album by The Roots; it’s what we’re watching happen to Cincinnati. Good teams fight through adversity. The Bengals are fighting… but they often seemed knocked out by the start of the fourth quarter. They’ve got to find a way to get past their struggles and rally — and it must start Week 9 against Las Vegas.
Otherwise, what happens against Vegas will stay in Cincinnati — and Paycor Stadium will continue to be a home without a winning football team.
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