Game Thread: Bengals vs. Jags - MNF

[Cincyfan78]

Well, you have to be successful on some runs for the coach to call them too. When you run the ball 8 times for 16 yards, well, doesn't make the coach want to take that many 3 and outs consistently, so you try to get higher percentage plays in the passing game. Pittsburgh was stonewalling our run game. Whether it be our play calls, the blocking of the offensive line, or the vision or strength of the RB, it was not working against Pitt.

I mean...you're not completely wrong but that's 8 times in the entire GAME...you're not going to hit a HR every single time. Arizona beat Pitt and rushed similarly to start the game...and ended up with a ton of yards because they kept at it. Think they were really afraid of Murray? Not likely. They just wore down that defense.

In the pitt game, this is how it worked out:

Mixon - 1st drive - 1 carry. 3 yards. Not great, not bad.
Mixon - 2nd rive - 2 carries. 5 yards. Again, not great, but not terrible.
Mixon - No carries 3rd drive
Mixon - 4th drive - 1 carry 4 yards. That's average, again...not great, but certainly not terrible.
Mixon - 5th drive - 1 carry 1 yard. Sucks. But his only truly poor run of the half.

He had 5 of his 8 carries in the 1st half. So, while 5 carries for 13 yards isn't great...it's not like he was getting stoned on every run. I do think there is a bigger issue here, and that is Mixon just can't take advantage of the runs that are there...but that's another discussion.

For comparison - James Conner had just 2 yards after his first 5 carries....He went on to collect 88 yards on 15 more carries after the half. They stuck with the run and kept things balanced. Would that have worked for the Bengals - I don't know, but it shows that after 2 quarters and 1 drive, they gave up completely on the run game.

This just goes back to my overall concern with Taylor's play calling in general...he just wants to pass pass pass...and even with Burrow, we are seeing that it doesn't work that way. You have to have an effective run game to keep the defense from loading up. Maybe part of that is what I said - Mixon just can't take advantage, and now with Brown showing some signs of life...maybe things will change a bit...but the Bengals have had really good running games in the past...and the next game they are back to 9-10-11 attempts while the QB throws it 33-36-40 times. You just can't sustain an offense with that kind of balance, or lack thereof.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

I mean...you're not completely wrong but that's 8 times in the entire GAME...you're not going to hit a HR every single time. Arizona beat Pitt and rushed similarly to start the game...and ended up with a ton of yards because they kept at it. Think they were really afraid of Murray? Not likely. They just wore down that defense.

In the pitt game, this is how it worked out:

Mixon - 1st drive - 1 carry. 3 yards. Not great, not bad.
Mixon - 2nd rive - 2 carries. 5 yards. Again, not great, but not terrible.
Mixon - No carries 3rd drive
Mixon - 4th drive - 1 carry 4 yards. That's average, again...not great, but certainly not terrible.
Mixon - 5th drive - 1 carry 1 yard. Sucks. But his only truly poor run of the half.

He had 5 of his 8 carries in the 1st half. So, while 5 carries for 13 yards isn't great...it's not like he was getting stoned on every run. I do think there is a bigger issue here, and that is Mixon just can't take advantage of the runs that are there...but that's another discussion.

For comparison - James Conner had just 2 yards after his first 5 carries....He went on to collect 88 yards on 15 more carries after the half. They stuck with the run and kept things balanced. Would that have worked for the Bengals - I don't know, but it shows that after 2 quarters and 1 drive, they gave up completely on the run game.

This just goes back to my overall concern with Taylor's play calling in general...he just wants to pass pass pass...and even with Burrow, we are seeing that it doesn't work that way. You have to have an effective run game to keep the defense from loading up. Maybe part of that is what I said - Mixon just can't take advantage, and now with Brown showing some signs of life...maybe things will change a bit...but the Bengals have had really good running games in the past...and the next game they are back to 9-10-11 attempts while the QB throws it 33-36-40 times. You just can't sustain an offense with that kind of balance, or lack thereof.

I mean, you're not wrong. The score was even some what close, so it isn't like we were getting blown out. I just wonder if during that game Taylor was calling the game plan as if Burrow was behind center and not Browning. During film week after the Steelers game, they realized that Browning is not Burrow and went a little more traditional? I don't know. I mean you are right, they probably gave up way too early or didn't integrate the run very well in the first half to get a rhythm going. I think that the run offense is way too inconsistent though, and it seems to be all parts of it, not just the playcalling all the time.

Mixon seems to have lost his vision, doesn't hit the hole hard on a regular basis, when he does, he seems to be successful. Then you have how poorly the oline blocks at times. The alignment. The playcalling. The frquency, etc. Just seems to be a complete team effort on the shitty run offense to me.

 

[Cincyfan78]

I mean, you're not wrong. The score was even some what close, so it isn't like we were getting blown out. I just wonder if during that game Taylor was calling the game plan as if Burrow was behind center and not Browning. During film week after the Steelers game, they realized that Browning is not Burrow and went a little more traditional? I don't know. I mean you are right, they probably gave up way too early or didn't integrate the run very well in the first half to get a rhythm going. I think that the run offense is way too inconsistent though, and it seems to be all parts of it, not just the playcalling all the time.

Mixon seems to have lost his vision, doesn't hit the hole hard on a regular basis, when he does, he seems to be successful. Then you have how poorly the oline blocks at times. The alignment. The playcalling. The frquency, etc. Just seems to be a complete team effort on the shitty run offense to me.

I mean...yes. Taylor has had games where Mixon gets 9 carries or 12. Not much more than 8...and that's likely because Burrow extends a few more drives here or there, but the end result (consistency, or lack thereof) has been very similar. I mean, in games 1 and 2 of the season, when Burrow was at his worst in terms of limited movement...Mixon got just 13 runs attempts each game. With Burrow dropping back (or standing still) a whopping 31 times in game 1 and a mindboggling 41 times in game 2?! While Mixon got 12 and 12....KNOWING Burrow was limited...

Now, as for Mixon. I couldn't agree more. It's clear, Mixon is a real issue with the run game. Mixon has lost his burst. He doesn't make guys miss, and doesn't break through tackles. Cincinnati is one of the worst running teams in the NFL this season (75.8 YPG, worst in NFL by six yards)—despite ranking sixth in cumulative run-blocking rankings. Among 41 qualified backs, Mixon ranks 31st in missed tackles forced per attempt, 28th in yards per carry, 36th in yards after contact per attempt, and 30th in breakaway percentage. Now remember, that this comes with a run block ranking of 6th. He's slow through the hole, when given 1-1 opportunities, he can't take advantage any longer, and when the hole is there, with no defender, he can't get through fast enough to make a large gain, turning 10+ yard potential runs into 4-5 yard gains.

Maybe Taylor would call more runs if Mixon was more successful, but even as things have been rough, that is a decision Taylor has made. If he's going to ride Mixon, then he has to stick with the run game and live with the meager results. If he's wanting more out of the run game before calling more runs - then he has to make the move we all knew needed to be made this past off-season: Mixon has to go.