NFL
By Jalen Willingham
After another slow start, the Bengals are once again primed to make another run after three straight wins to get to 4-3. Cincinnati beat a very good San Francisco 49ers team, and Joe Burrow is finally back healthy. Here are five takeaways from what the Cincinnati Bengals have shown us so far in 2023.
Joe Burrow is still that guy
When healthy, Joe Burrow has proven yet again that he is a top quarterback in the NFL. Many people jumped the gun saying that he fell off while not even factoring his calf injury into his play. I wonder what they have to say now. In the past three weeks, Burrow has thrown for 785 yards and eight touchdowns with an average completion percentage of 77.8% and a rating of 110.4. Safe to say that the Joe Burrow we know is back. He’s also been very good against pressure in the past few weeks. Teams weren’t afraid of pressuring Burrow while he was still injured and he is making them pay for it once again.
Joe Burrow under pressure during 3-game win streak:
🔸 93.0 PFF Grade (1st)
🔸 84.2% completion percentage (1st)
🔸 4 TDs (T-1st)
🔸 119.2 passer rating (2nd)He's back 👀 pic.twitter.com/2lsv5rO3jx
— PFF (@PFF) November 1, 2023
Tight End is a dire need
The Cincinnati Bengals simply do not value the Tight End position. Before the draft, I was hoping they’d change their stance and draft Michael Mayer out of Notre Dame to replace Hayden Hurst. They went in another direction. They signed Irv Smith Jr. who previously spent three seasons in Minnesota. Irv Smith Jr. has had a lackluster campaign with the Bengals so far in 2023. Through seven games, he has 10 catches for 57 yards. In the Bengals most recent game in San Francisco, Smith Jr. had a terrible fumble that could’ve led to another Bengals touchdown to build momentum going into halftime.
Irv Smith Jr. fumble. Costly Bengals mistake to close the first half.
14-10 at the break. Should likely be at least 20-10 CIN. pic.twitter.com/sHpv4GxcR9
— Charlie Clifford (@char_cliff) October 29, 2023
Smith Jr. is on pace for under 200 yards receiving. The Bengals have elevated tight end Tanner Hudson from the practice squad. While only appearing in two games, Hudson has nearly the same number of receiving yards as Irv Smith Jr. Drew Sample has been solid when used in blocking situations, but he’s never really been a receiving threat. It would’ve been nice to see the Bengals try to go after a tight end before the trade deadline but it wasn’t surprising to see them do nothing. For the time being, Cincinnati’s best option may in fact be seeing what Hudson can do in an increased role while hoping that Smith Jr. can turn things around. In the future, they will seriously need to address the position.
The rushing attack has to take a step forward
Joe Mixon had a great game vs the 49ers but the rushing offense overall has been subpar. Mixon has 453 rushing yards and two touchdowns while averaging four yards a carry. The next leading rusher is Joe Burrow with 57 yards. Rookie running back Chase Brown has disappointed so far with just two attempts for six yards. Cincinnati overall is 29th in the league in total yards rushing. They are also averaging 3.7 yards a carry. This is just unacceptable. The Bengals were also 29th in rushing last year.
The truth is that the Bengals get away from running the ball too much at times which of course puts a ton of pressure on Burrow to make things happen through the air. Nothing wrong with relying on a top-three quarterback to make things happen offensively. The problem is that it makes the offense one-dimensional in the eyes of opposing defenses. This plays a factor in why the Bengals offense looked so bad to start the year.
I also would like to see the other running backs on the team get more carries and time on the field in general. Chase Brown is on Injured Reserve at the moment but what about Trayveon Williams? Did Chris Evans die? The rushing attack is at the bottom of the NFL. They are playing it too safe relying so much on Joe Mixon. Lets see more of what the other guys can do.
Offensive Tackles have improved
The addition of Orlando Brown Jr. through free agency has proven to be good so far. He has raised the ceiling of the entire offensive line. Burrow has more room to breathe and work within the pocket. Jonah Williams has also made a very smooth transition to right tackle after requesting a trade early on in the offseason. After giving up 13 sacks in 2022, there has been much more stability in pass protection wherever he has been. He held his own against Nick Bosa in the Bengals 31-17 win over the 49ers. He’s in a contract year and could very well be done for a handsome payday from Cincinnati in 2024 if his play holds up. Even if the Bengals don’t decide to bring him back, there are many teams that would want to bring in a 26-year-old to play left tackle.
Jonah Williams one on one with Nick Bosa with minimal help. About as good of a rep as you can ask for in that situation. pic.twitter.com/NnmTVVJDwO
— mike (@bengals_sans) October 31, 2023
The defense is still making a huge impact
Defensive Coordinator Lou Anarumo has worked wonders during his time with the Bengals. Time and time again, the Bengals defense is stepping up and making big plays when the team needs it. The pass rush is a few steps above what was last year as the defense is on pace to have 51 sacks. This was very apparent when the pass rush exploded for six sacks versus the Rams while also completely shutting down their passing attack. Trey Hendrickson has the potential to be an all-pro. The young secondary is also getting better by the week. Safety Daxton Hill has filled in very well as the replacement for Jessie Bates while rookie DJ Turner has exceeded expectations so far.
When the Bengals needed multiple redone stops versus the Seahawks, the defense stood tall while also causing Geno Smith to make plenty of mistakes which resulted in turnovers. They then caused Brock Purdy of the 49ers to turn the ball over three times in their best win of the season so far. The Bengals defense is currently fourth in turnovers. Cincinnati’s defense will once again have a tall task ahead of them facing Josh Allen on Sunday Night.
Brock Purdy dropping dimes to the Bengals defense pic.twitter.com/JMHXyZg6VT
— Shane Haff (@ShaneHaffNFL) October 29, 2023
Still a ways to go
The Bengals have rattled out three straight quality wins on their way to 4-3. They are still in last place in the AFC North though. There is much more football left to be played. Cincinnati has the toughest remaining schedule in the NFL. The rest of their schedule includes primetime games versus the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, and Jacksonville Jaguars. They also have to play the Steelers twice, Kansas City in a highly anticipated rematch and the Browns for the season finale. The Bengals are also currently winless versus all AFC opponents so far this year. I expect that to change very soon. Things are looking up for the Bengals, but it’s definitely not a time to get comfortable. Let’s see if they can dominate once again.
Rule The Jungle needs to win our over the Steelers Browns and the Ravens. Won’t be easy.