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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.

Game 4 Recap: Cincinnati Bengals @ Cleveland Browns

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Woulda been nice if the Cincinnati Bengals had played like this before Week 4 – but we’ll take it.

Cincy looked like we thought they would against overmatched division rival Cleveland on Sunday in a 31-7 win. We’re not sure if this means the Bengals are rebounding or the Browns are that bad (probably both). What’s sure is this – the Bengals played a complete game.

How Things Went

Cincinnati Bengals’ quarterback Andy Dalton was so on that his fumble and three sacks were barely noticed. He completed 83% of his passes (no, that’s not a typo) and threw 4 touchdowns to three different receivers. Backup tight end Tyler Kroft caught two of those scoring passes. That’s a reason for smiling and frowning. We’re smiling because another receiving weapon has emerged. Opponents are frowning because it’s one more guy they’ll need to keep an eye on.

Linebacker Vontaze Burfict was a welcome sight back in the defensive lineup after serving a three-game suspension. He only recorded six tackles, but with the offense playing like it did, Burfict didn’t exactly need to shut down the Browns’ O like a bar with an expired liquor license. The Cincinnati Bengals almost pitched a shutout though until Cleveland running back Duke Johnson ran it in with 1:54 left in the game. Other than that, the D showed out, yo. They held Cleveland to 215 yards of total offense, picked off a pass, and logged two sacks. The Browns are now ranked 24th in the NFL with only 87 rushing yards per game.

Cincinnati Bengals Player of the Game

Dalton. No question. Mr. Fire Hair was on fire, going 25 for 30 for 286 yards and four touchdowns. He and Joe Mixon even led the team in rushing (again, no typo) with 29 yards each. Dalton finished with a 146 QB rating. Think that’s impressive? Check out AD’s all-time stats against Cleveland in 13 games: 2,780 yards, 24 touchdowns, and a record of 10-3. He’s got the deed to the team in his locker.

What This Means Going Forward

Cincinnati now has a win under its belt, and a dominating one at that. Victories where you thrash your rival arguably give you a bigger confidence boost than grind-it-out wins against tough opponents. And let’s not forget new offensive playcaller Bill Lazor. He took over after Marvin Lewis fired offensive coordinator Ken Zampese after the first two games of the season. Based on the past two performances, the Bengals’ offense may be taking over some upcoming football games.