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Wondering how the Cincinnati Bengals got the ground game and Joe Mixon going?
It wasn’t all luck, consistency of reps or health or a few exploitable opponents.
Heck, it wasn’t even a meeting with more “edge” than usual from offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, even though Mixon brought it up as a factor in his franchise-record five-touchdown day against the Panthers before the bye.
Rather, it was a schematic mixup in the approach on the ground, dramatically going from a zone scheme to attacking gaps in the opposition.
Marcus Whitman was one of a few to point this out when examining how the Bengals had overhauled the plan of attack on the ground:
A great note here is that both Ted Karras and Alex Cappa, while great signings, are not great athletes. Makes total sense that things are opening up going with more pin & pull type of runs of front as opposed to stretch runs.
— Marcus Whitman (@TFG_Football) November 9, 2022
Some could understandably argue the zone approach didn’t necessarily fit the personnel the team has up front. But it’s a credit to the coaching staff, including head coach Zac Taylor and line coach Frank Pollack, that a transition was made so quickly and with such solid success.
Hindsight chatter aside, the good news is the offense has seemed to find an identity on the ground, which should open up an overall offense that still doesn’t have Ja’Marr Chase back.
If nothing else, that’s something of a positive mark coming out of the bye.
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