I have some interest in Joe Mixon. He’s a talented back, and I think the Bengals will use him a lot more this year.
Even last year, they started to figure things out as the year progressed, moving to more of a run-oriented offense.
In the first half of last year, the Bengals were trying to pass too much, and the results were disastrous. They ran for a league-low 476 yards in the first eight games, averaging just 3.2 yards per attempt.
| RUSHING: first eight games | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | Att | Yards | Avg | TD |
| Baltimore | 299 | 1,639 | 5.5 | 13 |
| San Francisco | 303 | 1,369 | 4.5 | 13 |
| Minnesota | 263 | 1,281 | 4.9 | 12 |
| Dallas | 239 | 1,194 | 5.0 | 11 |
| Jacksonville | 228 | 1,092 | 4.8 | 1 |
| Oakland | 228 | 1,091 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Houston | 225 | 1,069 | 4.8 | 9 |
| Carolina | 209 | 1,063 | 5.1 | 13 |
| Seattle | 251 | 1,040 | 4.1 | 8 |
| Indianapolis | 245 | 1,038 | 4.2 | 4 |
| Buffalo | 226 | 1,035 | 4.6 | 8 |
| Philadelphia | 235 | 1,000 | 4.3 | 9 |
| Cleveland | 187 | 968 | 5.2 | 9 |
| Arizona | 195 | 932 | 4.8 | 8 |
| New Orleans | 212 | 914 | 4.3 | 5 |
| Denver | 212 | 880 | 4.2 | 6 |
| NY Giants | 175 | 819 | 4.7 | 6 |
| Green Bay | 205 | 813 | 4.0 | 10 |
| Tampa Bay | 211 | 794 | 3.8 | 8 |
| Tennessee | 210 | 786 | 3.7 | 5 |
| LA Rams | 199 | 778 | 3.9 | 11 |
| Detroit | 208 | 768 | 3.7 | 2 |
| New England | 236 | 762 | 3.2 | 12 |
| Pittsburgh | 185 | 707 | 3.8 | 5 |
| Washington | 163 | 678 | 4.2 | 2 |
| Kansas City | 170 | 664 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Chicago | 181 | 644 | 3.6 | 5 |
| LA Chargers | 160 | 556 | 3.5 | 4 |
| Atlanta | 148 | 548 | 3.7 | 3 |
| NY Jets | 159 | 530 | 3.3 | 2 |
| Miami | 163 | 510 | 3.1 | 3 |
| Cincinnati | 150 | 476 | 3.2 | 3 |
The running game got a lot better in the second half of the season. They made more of an effort to run the ball, and their effectiveness went way up. The team averaged 11 more carries per week during their final eight games, running for over twice as many yards, with twice as many rushing touchdowns.
Mixon led the way, with four games over 100 yards.
Cincinnati ranked last in rushing in its first eight games, but only five teams ran for more yards in the second half of the season.
| RUSHING: last eight games | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | Att | Yards | Avg | TD |
| Baltimore | 297 | 1,657 | 5.6 | 8 |
| Tennessee | 235 | 1,437 | 6.1 | 16 |
| Seattle | 230 | 1,160 | 5.0 | 7 |
| Indianapolis | 226 | 1,092 | 4.8 | 13 |
| Arizona | 201 | 1,058 | 5.3 | 10 |
| Cincinnati | 235 | 1,041 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Buffalo | 239 | 1,019 | 4.3 | 5 |
| Green Bay | 206 | 982 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Dallas | 210 | 959 | 4.6 | 7 |
| New England | 211 | 941 | 4.5 | 5 |
| Houston | 209 | 940 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Philadelphia | 219 | 939 | 4.3 | 7 |
| San Francisco | 195 | 936 | 4.8 | 10 |
| Cleveland | 206 | 933 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Kansas City | 205 | 905 | 4.4 | 10 |
| Washington | 193 | 905 | 4.7 | 7 |
| LA Chargers | 206 | 897 | 4.4 | 8 |
| Detroit | 199 | 881 | 4.4 | 5 |
| NY Giants | 187 | 866 | 4.6 | 5 |
| Minnesota | 213 | 852 | 4.0 | 7 |
| New Orleans | 193 | 824 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Chicago | 214 | 814 | 3.8 | 3 |
| Atlanta | 214 | 813 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Oakland | 209 | 802 | 3.8 | 5 |
| Denver | 197 | 782 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Carolina | 177 | 756 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Pittsburgh | 210 | 740 | 3.5 | 2 |
| Tampa Bay | 198 | 727 | 3.7 | 7 |
| NY Jets | 224 | 727 | 3.2 | 4 |
| LA Rams | 202 | 721 | 3.6 | 9 |
| Miami | 186 | 646 | 3.5 | 7 |
| Jacksonville | 161 | 616 | 3.8 | 2 |
Mixon is also a good pass catcher, and the team’s offensive line will be better. Many were hoping for top-10 numbers last year, and that kind of production could come a season late.
—Ian Allan