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4 Reasons Why The Cincinnati Bengals Offense Improves in 2018

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What does the Cincinnati Bengals offense have in common with a human buttocks?

They’re both at the bottom, and they both stink. (thanks, folks … we’ll be here all week!)

The Cincinnati Bengals logged 4,488 yards of offense in 2017, which was dead last in the National Football League. Seriously … Tom Brady and Phillip Rivers had more passing yards last year. Forget commercials – the best time to get a beer or use the john was when Cincinnati had the ball. Better move quick, though – you’ve only got 3 downs.

Despite all that, there’s reason for optimism in 2018. Actually, there are four reasons. Here is why we’re excited about how the Bengals’ O will look in 2018.

Why The Cincinnati Bengals Offense Will Be Better

1. Lazor focused. Bill Lazor took over the offensive coordinator duties last year after two games when Ken Zampese’ offense failed to produce a touchdown. It provided a spark. The Cincinnati Bengals won two of the next three games, with the only loss being in overtime to Green Bay. The offense exceeded 350 yards in those two victories. That’s a start. Head coach Marvin Lewis cleaned house after the season was over and brought in a good staff, including offensive line coach Frank Pollack, QB coach Alex Van Pelt, and Bob Bicknell to coach the wide receivers. Our hope is that Lazor’s presence will make Cincy’s offense potent. Very potent. Kramer-after-the-botched-vasectomy-“I’m-even-more-potent-now”-potent.

2. The return of Ross. We’ll be the first to admit that we had doubts about John Ross after his rookie year. Then we took another look at the injury report. Ross was recovering from shoulder surgery and sprained a knee before the season even began which caused him to miss Week 1 and he received minimal playing time after that. A tear in his labrum cause him to go on season ending IR following Week 13. This off-season has gone much better. A healthy Ross and his 4.22 speed will do wonders to take the top off a defense and free up A.J. Green on the other side and Tyler Eifert down the middle.

3. O-line improvements. We’ve talked about this before, at length. The big reason we’re high(er) on the offensive line is the nabbing of tackle Cordy Glenn from Buffalo. The trade deal attached to Glenn also enabled the Cincinnati Bengals to draft All-American center Billy Price from Ohio State. It will take some time for him to get used to the speed of the NFL, but the potential is there. Plus, the line is Russell Bodine-less now, so there’s that.

4. Mixon it up. Joe Mixon gained more than 900 yards from scrimmage in his rookie year. He also scored four rushing TDs. With his first pro year under his belt, it’s not unreasonable to think he could become a 1,000-yard runner in 2018. He will also be working with a good depth chart that features Giovani Bernard and rookie Mark Walton. Bernard totaled more than 800 yards of offense in 2017, and Walton averaged 7.6 yards per carry at Miami before a November injury.

Have the Cincinnati Bengals Fixed the O-Line for 2018?

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Good news first: if the offensive line of the Cincinnati Bengals had played at the college level in 2017, they’d have been first-team All Americans.

Bad news: they played in the NFL and like players fresh out of college, and that led to the team being dead last in the league in total offense. The Bengals averaged only 280.5 yards of offense per game.

It’s a painful reminder of how the line struggled in recent years under long time O-line coach Paul Alexander. He was let go in the off-season by coach Marvin Lewis and subsequently hired for the same position by the Dallas Cowboys.

Which is funny, because Cincy did the same thing in reverse. They hired Frank Pollack, who was fired by Dallas. We call it the Circle of Life – except it has nothing to do with either a circle or life. (awkward pause ……) Let’s move on, shall we?

Here are some other moves that will hopefully get the Cincinnati Bengals’ ability to move the ball off the NFLoor.

What Have the Cincinnati Bengals Done?

Going for Glenn. Cincinnati swapped first-round draft picks with the Bills to get offensive tackle Cordy Glenn. The 6-6, 345 lb Buffalo Boulder (okay, we made that up) has started 77 games in his pro career. He was good enough in Buffalo to earn a 5-year, $65 million contract extension in 2016. Although he battled foot and ankle problems last year, he’s only 28 years old. He’s got plenty of time left.

What going for Glenn gets you. As part of the Glenn deal, the Cincinnati Bengals went from having the 12th pick in the draft to the 21st. And they still nabbed a promising prospect in Ohio State center Billy Price. Price won the Rimington Award (best center in college football) and was the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2017.

Adding more OTs. Bobby Hart came in from the Giants, which will hopefully provide some motivation for Jake Fisher and Cedric Ogbuehi. The three will battle for the right tackle spot. The team did lose Andre Smith, but drafted Rod Taylor out of Mississippi in the seventh round.

Losing Bodine, gaining better. Ever hear the one about the Cincinnati Bengals losing Russell Bodine and becoming a worse football team? Yeah, neither have we. Plus, with the drafting of Price, there’s more potential for the line as a unit. Give Price a year or two to hit his stride and watch out for guards Christian Westerman and Alex Redmon, who played well toward the end of last season.

Getchu some Frank! The decision to hire Pollack was, no surprise, the most crucial move. He’s got plenty of young talent to work with. He’s brings the goods, as evidenced by his 2015 line in Dallas, which was very productive and had the fewest penalties in the league. If Pollack can bring the same production and discipline to the Bengals, look out.

5 Musts for the Cincinnati Bengals to Make the Playoffs

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At 3-6, the Cincinnati Bengals face an uphill climb if they want to reach the postseason. OK, maybe not so much an uphill climb as scaling Mount Suribachi while wearing flip flops. The combination of early-season losses and certain units not developing means they have little wiggle room. Very little. “Before”-Mike-Golic-trying-to-fit-into-the-“after”-Mike-Golic-pants-on-those-old-Nutri-System-commercials wiggle room.

The way we see it, there are five things that must happen for Cincy to reach the postseason. Let’s tick ’em off, one by one.

5 Musts for the Cincinnati Bengals to Reach the Playoffs

1. They must start winning. We know, we know … we’re geniuses. But going on a winning streak now will restore the team’s confidence as well as put them back on a level playing field with divisional rivals Pittsburgh and Baltimore, both of whom have beaten the Bengals in 2017.

2. The O-line must gel. Right now, they are more like gelatin. Cincinnati ranks dead last in rushing yards with 631. That kind of one-dimensional offense puts a lot of pressure on the passing game, with predicable results. The offensive line has been pushed around this year and it’s time to turn the tables.

3. John Ross must step up. You heard us talk throughout the off-season that John Ross’ speed would be essential to taking the top off of an opposing defense. Through nine games, he has been targeted twice … that’s not a misprint. We know he’s been injured and we know he’s a rookie. But if those kinds of numbers hold up, the only speed you’ll notice on him is how quickly he’s run out of town.

4. Many other teams must have a slip up. Of the 16 AFC teams, 11 are ahead of Cincinnati in terms of a playoff spot. The Bengals have already lost to five of them. It’s too big a task to break down what needs to happen for Cincinnati to make the postseason, so we’ll just say this – the team doesn’t control its own destiny.

5. Cincinnati Bengals must be more dependable in close games. Cincy is 2-5 in one-possession games this year. The kicking game has been more reliable than the Nugent nightmare of 2016. But what’s the point of gaining three if other factors (the o-line, lack of playmakers) are going to cost you six on the final drive? The Bengals need to learn how to get a late lead and keep it.

3 Keys to the Game: Cincinnati Bengals @ Green Bay Packers

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On paper, this Sunday’s match-up between the Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers has some things that fall in Cincy’s favor.

Pro Bowl QB Aaron Rodgers is going against the top passing defense in the NFL (allowing 104.5 yards per game). The Packers’ offensive line has surrendered seven sacks in two games and the Bengals found some edge rushers in the preseason. Green Bay is averaging just 20 points a game.

If only the game were played on a piece of paper.

The truth is, the Cincinnati Bengals haven’t looked too hot in losses to Baltimore and Houston. But given the above numbers, it’s reasonable to think they could pull off an upset against the Packers, who are favored by 7.5 points. It’s all about finding and exploiting the other team’s weaknesses. The Packers certainly have some. If the Bengals want to avoid an 0-3 start, they better do the smart thing – read this blog and plan their entire game strategy around it.

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Let’s take a look at three areas where the Bengals can tip the game in their favor.

 

3 Keys to a Cincinnati Bengals Win

  1. Make Aaron Rodgers beat you. This one is probably a no-brainer. Really, name a team with Rodgers at QB who wouldn’t use him to try and beat you. But here’s the thing: Green Bay has no rushing attack. Their 71.5-yards-per-game average puts them at 27th in the league. Even the best offenses have limited effectiveness if they are one-dimensional. To boot, two of Green Bay’s wide receivers are listed as questionable (Jordy Nelson) and doubtful (Randall Cobb). Left tackle David Bakhtiari is also doubtful. Rodgers can certainly carry the load. But will he have no other option?
  2. Solid offensive line play. The Cincinnati Bengals O-line has been ungood so far in 2017. Their rushing totals are only marginally better than Green Bay (79.5 yards per game), and quarterback Andy Dalton took such a beating in Week 1 against Baltimore that he’s still seeing shades of purple every time he wipes. If the line can firm up and give Dalton time to throw, it will boost his confidence and keep Cincinnati in the game.
  3. Shake off the last two weeks. The most surefire way the Cincinnati players can lose this game is to go into it with their two losses in the backs of their minds. If they are thinking about the numbers 0 and 3, they’ll be beaten before they get a chance to call the opening coin toss. Snap and clear. Pull a Taylor Swift and shake it off. Catch a weak offensive team at a bad moment and put them in the hole.

Game 1 Recap: Baltimore Ravens @ Cincinnati Bengals

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Aaaaaaaand the jets …….. are cooling.

The Baltimore Ravens took a leg up over division rival Cincinnati (and by “leg up”, think about when a dog does it) with a 20-0 shutout at Paul Brown Stadium. The story of the game was Cincinnati Bengals’ QB Andy Dalton. He committed five turnovers, including two in the red zone. Cincinnati was held to a paltry 221 yards of total offense. It was about as disappointing as you could get, especially with all the off-season hype. The team motto for this year is “Run On Your Own Gas”. Today, it already looked like Cincy was running on fumes.

How Things Went

The Ravens broke the game open with two 2nd-quarter touchdowns in 24 seconds. After they went 76 yards in seven plays (capped by a 48-yard scoring pass from Joe Flacco to Jeremy Maclin), Cincinnati started the ensuing drive at their own 13-yard line. Dalton bounced a ball off of Terrell Suggs’ facemask (and yes, we know how that sounds … pervs) that Ladarius Webb picked off and returned to the 2-yard line. Terrance West took it in on the next play. For all intents and purposes – ball game.

Cincinnati Bengals Player of the Game

This game doesn’t really justify this section, so we’ll do a drive-by: AJ Green had 74 yards on five catches.

What This Means Going Forward

Turnovers cost the Cincinnati Bengals this game, plain and simple. What worries us is who was responsible for said turnovers. Dalton is normally reliable with the pigskin. But today, he threw half as many interceptions (four) as he did all of last season. We hope this isn’t a sign of things to come in 2017. In the meantime, the Bengals can only hope to split with the Ravens this year and hope that the two teams aren’t contending for the same playoff spot.

Now Cincinnati has a short week before a Thursday-night game against the Houston Texans. Fortunately, Houston looked shabby in a 29-7 loss to the Jaguars. That makes us hopeful. And after today, we could use some hope.