Three things the eye test says about the Cincinnati Bengals

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BALTIMORE, MD – OCTOBER 13: Andy Dalton #14 of the Cincinnati Bengals hands the ball off to Joe Mixon #28 during the first half against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on October 13, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) /

It’s not just a bad offensive line that is failing the Bengals, it’s injuries, an anemic running game, a so-so game plan, and a quarterback in Andy Dalton who hasn’t been terribly impressive.

That said, it’s not just the quarterback position gone stale. The offensive line is patchwork at best. Protection for Dalton is hard to come by, and I don’t care about the “quick release” every Dalton sycophant wants to protect him with, he hasn’t played well. He’s missed open passes and is way too susceptible to the head-scratching interception.

The run game is another story. Running back Joe Mixon accounted for 10 yards in Week 6 against the Baltimore Ravens. His efforts were part of a 33 yard effort by the Bengals rushing attack overall.

That’s right-
10 yards for Mixon.
33 yards total for the team.

What exactly is the offensive game plan for the Bengals? Sure, Green being out doesn’t help but Green only catches the football. Is it run centric or pass centric? Is 50-50, 60-40, pick a percentage of which you prefer, but when you watch Cincinnati, the only thing you can count on is some production under two minutes when they are trying to play catch-up, which the opposing team already knows.