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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.

Cincinnati Bengals vs NE Patriots – Week 6 Recap

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Tom Brady didn’t have to shake off much rust – and as a result, the Cincinnati Bengals must shake off their fourth loss of the year after falling 35-17 to the New England Patriots on Sunday.

Brady completed 29 of 35 passes for 376 yards and 3 touchdowns. Despite those jaw-dropping numbers, it was still a game in the 2nd half. The Bengals led 14-10 with 11 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter after a 5-yard TD pass from Andy Dalton to Brandon LaFell. It was still a one-possession game until Stephen Gotkowski booted a 31-yard field goal with just over 6 minutes remaining to put the Pats up 28-17.

Still, a loss is a loss. The Cincinnati Bengals now stand at 2-4 on the season. They seriously need to get back into the win column. And a visit from the little brother Browns next weekend should do the trick. Let’s hope.

3 Things About the Cincinnati Bengals-New England Patriots Game

Officials. You probably read that and rolled your eyes, thinking “Here we go again.” Well, we did too. There were several bad or missed calls that stalled the Cincinnati Bengals’ drives in this game. Most notable was a missed holding call that prevented an AJ Green touchdown. The boys who wear stripes on their backs are quickly falling out of favor with the boys who wear stripes on their helmets.

Cool running. Cincinnati had a decent day on the ground, rushing for 120 yards and only allowing 2 sacks. That offsets some bad news for the offensive line, as center Russell Bodine left the game with an injury and right tackle Cedric Ogbuehi was benched.

Playing the tight ends too loosely. The Bengals couldn’t cover the Patriots TE’s in the 2nd half. Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennet combined for 12 receptions, 210 yards and a 3rd quarter touchdown that put the Patriots ahead to stay.

Week 6: Cincinnati Bengals vs NE Patriots – 3 Things to Watch

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In the past 4 weeks, the Cincinnati Bengals have played 2 division-leading teams and a third (Denver Broncos) that has won 4 games so far this year. So what’s one more brick wall to run through? The Bengals take on the New England Patriots this Sunday in Foxboro. The New England QB (Brady something-er-other) will be making his 2016 home debut after finishing a 4-game suspension. We don’t know how much rust he’ll have to shake off, but it will present yet another challenge for the boys in stripes.

3 Things to Watch in the Cincinnati Bengals vs NE Patriots Game

1. It’s Tom Brady’s home opener. We’ll stick with this for a moment, since it’s obviously the storyline of the game. The Cincinnati Bengals are ranked 13th in the league in passing defense heading into Week 6 (giving up 225 yards per game). That coupled with a 2016-debuting Brady could present a level playing field that will boil down to who wants it more. Let’s hope the Bengals can spoil the homecoming party.

2. Time for a big win against a big team. A win is a win – we get that. But the Bengals’ two wins this year are against teams with a combined record of 2-8. You won’t get into the playoffs by whipping cellar dwellers. Cincy needs to come out, make a statement, and show that they can roll with a good team … and beat them, too.

3. Lots of chances for a step-up. New England brings the NFL’s 4th-rated rushing attack into this game, and Cincinnati is ranked 21st in that category. The rushing D needs to step up. AJ Green is a proven threat, but we need another one. Brandon LaFell and Tyler Boyd need to step up. The offensive has surrendered 17 sacks this year. The O-line … see a pattern here?

Bengals Hope To Right The Ship Against The Pats

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Welp, it’s Week 5 already and to put it bluntly, last week in Cleveland was super ugly for the Bengals offense. Offensively they looked absolutely anemic as they could only muster 6 points against a good Cleveland defense. Whether it be too many penalties, too many turnovers, a quarterback struggling to find consistency, or questionable play calling, the Bengals offense must improve as they attempt to right the ship and make it to the post season for a third straight season. There is just too much talent and depth on this team for them not to improve on last seasons 10-6 record and one and done post season outcome.

Many are calling this weeks matchup a potential statement game for the Bengals as they go against an undefeated Patriots team that simply finds a way to win week in and week out. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is a future hall-of-famer who has a 4-0 career record against the Bengals. The last time they faced each other was in 2010 when the Patriots won 38-24 in New England. The last time the two teams played each other in Cincinnati was back in 2007 when the Patriots crushed the Bengals 34-13 and the last time the Bengals beat the Patriots was at home back in 2001 when QB Jon Kitna lead the Bengals to a 23-17 win. The Bengals are a 1.5 pt favorite heading into the game but most of the national media are picking the Patriots to come out on top.

The weather forecast in Cincinnati tomorrow calls for thunderstorms and an 80% chance of rain. With that being said Bengals fans hope they will see a heavy dose of runs from Giovani Bernard and former Patriot Benjarvus Green-Ellis and hopefully a consistent run game will open up the middle of the field for high percentage completions from Andy Dalton to his receivers and tight ends. The phrase “a good running game is a quarterbacks best friend” has definitely been true thus far when it comes to the quality of play we see from Andy Dalton.

Tom Brady

So far this season it appears that the Bengals have tended to play up to the more hyped up opponent and play down a bit against teams where they are supposed to win based on media perception heading into the game. Regardless, they will need to raise their level of effort and execution and clean up many of the mistakes that have plagued them during the first 4 games of the season thus far.

My Prediction: Patriots 27, Bengals 21