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Pacing Bengals Stats After 4 Games

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The Bengals have finished the first quarter of the regular season with a 1-3 record after struggling offensively during the first few games against the Ravens and Texans, but after making a change at offensive coordinator from Ken Zampese to Bill Lazor, the offense has played much better the past 2 games against the Packers and Browns.

Below are player stats after 4 games and the pace they are currently on for the season.

Andy Dalton has currently thrown for 892 yards, 6 TD’s and 4 INT’s while completing over 66% of his passes, he has also been sacked 14 times through 4 games. Dalton is currently on pace to finish the season with 3,568 yards, 24 TD’s and 16 INT’s. Let’s hope the Bengals offensive line shows improvement with regards to pass protection as they are on pace to give up 56 sacks this season, that would be 15 more than they allowed in 2016.

The Bengals have 3 running backs with more than 80 yards rushing. Joe Mixon leads the team with 136 yards rushing on 52 carries, Giovani Bernard has 89 yards on 18 carries and Jeremy Hill rounds out the trio with 82 yards on 25 attempts. Mixon is on pace to finish the season with 544 yards rushing on 208 carries but I expect to see improvement on his current average of 2.6 yards per carry. Bernard is on pace to finish with 356 yards on 72 carries and Hill is on pace to finish with 332 yards on 100 attempts. Bernard also has 8 receptions for 134 yards along with 2 receiving TD’s and Mixon has 11 receptions for another 78 yards.

The best offensive player on the team is without a doubt WR A.J. Green. Green currently leads the team 25 receptions for 315 yards receiving and 2 TD’s which would put him on pace to finish the season with 100 receptions, 1,260 yards and 8 TD’s. Bernard and Mixon are the 2nd and 4th leading receivers on the team at the moment but TE Tyler Kroft has displayed a Tyler Eifert-like presence at times and has 10 receptions, 101 yards and 2 TD’s. Brandon Lafell has also had 10 catches for 76 yards.

When it comes to the defense 2nd year LB Nick Vigil is currently leading the Bengals with 34 tackles, he also has 1 sack and 1 INT. The Bengals pass rush has shown improvement this season so far and veteran DT Geno Atkins has 3 of the teams 12 sacks so far. Rookie LB Carl Lawson has 2.5 sacks and has shown the ability to provide consistent pressure on opposing QB’s when on the field. CB Darqueze Dennard also has 2 sacks and backup DE Chris Smith who the Bengals traded for in the offseason from the Jacksonville Jaguars has 1.5 QB sacks.

3 Things We’re Excited About for Bengals Training Camp

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We’re less than a week away from the start of the Cincinnati Bengals training camp. This is a golden time for any football fan. The hope for a new season. Arguing with your buddies about who should start, or which player will have the biggest season. A chance to get revenge on your fiercest rivals. The time is here, and it is GLORIOUS!

But that’s not the only reason to get excited.

The Bengals have plenty of reasons to think they’ll be back in the playoffs in 2017. From the offense that should blow up like a bottle of shaken-up soda to seeing what a bunch of motivated players will do to get last year’s sour taste out of their mouths, 2017 will be a year to remember. Here are the top three things that get us jazzed ahead of Bengals training camp.

Bengals Training Camp: 3 Reasons to be Revved Up

1. Offensive weapons. The Bengals are loaded this year. Armed to the teeth. Remember that scene in the movie Commando when Schwarzenegger paddles to the beach and then spends the next couple of minutes gearing up for the big gun battle? That’s how fans should feel when reading Cincinnati’s offensive depth chart.

Andy Dalton is ready to follow up on his 4,206-yard performance from last year. And for the first time in what seems like forever, he’ll have to make up his mind about who to chuck the pigskin to. All-Pro wide receiver AJ Green returns after being painfully close to a 1,000-yard receiving season despite only starting 10 games. Tyler Boyd, Brandon LaFell, Cody Core, rookies John Ross and Josh Malone … the WR list goes on. Don’t forget about tight end Tyler Eifert (more on him in a minute).

With defenses being so busy trying to stop Dalton and Co., it will open up the running game. If the O-line can gel – and that’s a big if – then Jeremy Hill should build upon his 839-yard campaign from last year. Giovani Bernard collected 673 yards from scrimmage. Draft pick Joe Mixon gained 1,812 total yards and scored 15 touchdowns last year at Oklahoma. The firepower’s there.

2. Jordan Willis. Cincy averaged 2.1 sacks per game last year. That tied them for 19th in the NFL. They need a boost, and third-round draft pick Jordan Willis could be the one that gives it to them. He racked up 11.5 sacks for the Wildcats in 2016 and was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the year. He has good burst and plays at a position of need. The Bengals had plenty of close games last season. If Willis’ rush can stop even one 3rd-and-long, it could flip the game in the Bengals’ favor. We say he’ll stop a lot more than one.

3. Contract years for Burfict and Eifert. It’s the perfect storm for these two players. Eifert and linebacker Vontaze Burfict spent big chunks of last season banged up and suspended, respectively. Now they are healthy, ready to prove something, and in the final year of their contracts. If that doesn’t motivate you to hit, catch, tackle and score, what will?

Bengals’ Biggest 2017 NFL Draft Needs, Part II: Running Backs

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Before you see our analysis of the running backs, make sure you catch our recent post on the top 3 choices for Cincinnati at defensive end. Check it out here!

There’s more buzz surrounding the running backs than any other position in the 2017 NFL Draft. The number of quality guys is so impressive, it’s like reading the name of a law firm with an irritatingly long list of partners. The Cincinnati Bengals could use some of those fresh legs in the backfield to take pressure off QB Andy Dalton.

Cedric Peerman sustained an arm injury in the preseason that basically wiped out his 2016. Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard led a rushing attack that averaged 4.0 yards per carry, good (or bad) for 23rd in the league. Now’s the time for the Bengals to cash in and get a franchise-caliber RB.

 

TOP RUNNING BACKS FOR THE CINCINNATI BENGALS

1. Leonard Fournette – Fournette came to LSU with ridiculous expectations and did not disappoint. His junior campaign was limited by an ankle injury, but Fournette showed as a sophomore what he can do when healthy. In 2015, he rushed for 1,953 yards, scored 22 TDs (in the SEC, mind you), and was a unanimous All-American. It’s tough to catch the 4.51 speedster. It’s even tougher to bring him down. He weighs 240 pounds, plays with low pads, and has little fear of defensive backs.

2. Dalvin Cook – Florida State couldn’t get enough of Cook’s performance over the last few years. Cook put up three straight 1,000-yard seasons for the Seminoles. He finished off his college career by rushing for 1,765 yards and 19 touchdowns. This two-time All-American used his sub-4.5 speed to earn Orange Bowl MVP honors (207 total yards) in a 33-32 win over Michigan. He tends to fumble too much, though (13 career cough-ups) and has had some run-ins with the law. That could make him a distraction in the locker room.

3. Joe Mixon – This Oklahoma back caught the eyes of college football fans everywhere when he gained 1,812 yards from scrimmage in 2016. He caught the eyes of NFL coaches by displaying his burst of speed and quick feet at the NFL Combine. He caught the eyes of the rest of America when a video surfaced of him punching a lady in a Norman, OK cafe in July 2014. Mixon has the physical tools to be a first-rounder, but the off-the-field behavior may have cost him. He could still be a steal if he slides in the draft and it will be interesting to see if Cincy is willing to take a risk.

Who Stays and Who Goes for Who Dey – Part V

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We just finished Valentine’s Day, and love is still in the air. When your favorite pro football team has free agents who may be staying or leaving, the question invariably comes up … how much do you love them?

That’s the question the Cincinnati Bengals organization is asking itself. We’ve already discussed names like Andrew Whitworth and Dre Kirkpatrick and how we think Cincinnati will try to hold onto them tightly. Others on the free agent list, though, may get the ‘just-friend’ treatment come contract time.

Here are the next two guys on the Cincinnati Bengals’ free agency block. Is Cincy ever gonna give them up, or ever gonna let them down?

10. Rex Burkhead (running back) – Burkhead was a 2013 6th-round draft choice out of Nebraska. He logged, by far, the most activity of his 3-year Cincinnati career in 2016 with 74 rushes for 344 yards and 2 rushing TDs. Add to that 17 receptions for 145 yards. Burkhead runs hard and plays hard. The question isn’t whether he’s capable (he is), but whether the Cincinnati Bengals have someone better, or can get them in a running-back rich NFL draft. Since the team still has Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill under contract (and more money invested there), we doubt they bring Rex back. But he’ll land somewhere, get a nice raise, and make the most of the opportunity. Re-sign (yep or nope): Nope

11. Chykie Brown (cornerback) – Brown spent his first 3.5 seasons in Baltimore and had a cameo appearance for the New York Giants before suiting up for Cincinnati in 2016. This 5th-round pick out of Texas was only active for 5 games for the Bengals and made 2 tackles. Not head-turning numbers, but with the possibility of losing Dre Kirkpatrick to another team and Adam Jones to the prison shower room (don’t drop the soap), the Bengals might want to have some depth on their roster, at least for this year.  Re-sign (yep or nope): Yep

Cincinnati Bengals beat Baltimore Ravens 27-10

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The Cincinnati Bengals won’t be one of the 12 NFL teams to still be playing next week. But unlike 11 of those teams, they’ll know their last game of the season was a win.

Cincy downed the Baltimore Ravens 27-10 on Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium. The victory brings the Cincinnati Bengals to 6-9-1 on the year. Both teams were playing for pride, as neither is going to the postseason. But the Bengals claimed their fifth straight home win by scoring on their first four possessions, holding the Ravens to 72 yards rushing, and logging three sacks. All in all, it makes for some good vibes for the players as they clean out their lockers.

Now we can officially start looking at – and getting our hopes up for – 2017. For our part, we’ll be brimming with optimism. Why? Glad you asked! Here are a few reasons why we’re feeling good as we pull away from 2016.

3 Good Things About the Cincinnati Bengals to Take to the Offseason

1. The 2017 offense gon be guuud. Bengals Talk’s church choir has been singing about Andy Dalton all year. The two-time Pro-Bowler threw for 4,206 yards in 2016. The offense got better late in the year as some shuffles were made along the offensive line. Wide receiver A.J. Green made defensive backs see red until his hamstring injury a few weeks ago. Throw in tight end Tyler Eifert and we’ll be watching the points pile up.

2. Injuries, bad luck won’t hit as hard next year. From Cedric Peerman in the preseason to Tyler Eifert and A.J. Green, the Cincinnati Bengals’ offense struggled this year because good players were injured and proven backups weren’t available. Mike Nugent struggled with extra points, which affected the outcome of games – or at least the offensive strategy in close ones. We won’t see such bad luck in 2017 … right?

3. The team will want to rectify. Cincinnati had made the playoffs for 5 straight years. They were itching to finally notch a postseason win – which is fine if you make it to the postseason. They didn’t. And that’s a bad taste they’ll gladly want to wash out come next fall.