Zac Taylor and the Cincinnati Bengals must improve their red-zone offensive performances if they are to turn things around.
The bad news is that the Cincinnati Bengals are 0-2 on the season. The good news is that both games were decided by less than a touchdown and the club had chances in both contests to come away with a win.
If the franchise is going to come away with their first victory of 2020 this week, Zac Taylor has to make several adjustments for their game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Chief among them is putting Joe Burrow in better situations in the red-zone.
Currently, the Bengals are converting their red-zone possessions into touchdowns just 40% of the time. This is good for the third-worst percentage in the NFL, and one of the biggest contributors to leaving points on the field.
The offense was 0-1 against the Chargers in what resulted in a frustrating loss and was 2-4 against the Browns. This kind of percentage will make life more difficult for Burrow, especially when the defense is struggling to stop the rush. This is not a new issue for Cincinnati, but it is one that the offensive coaching staff could have some solutions for.
Getting Joe Burrow out of the pocket will be key for the Bengals
One design scheme that could help the situation is to roll Joe Burrow out of the pocket when they get closer to the goal line. As passing lanes get tighter, the defense can bring more pressure and impact the young signal-caller’s ability to read the defense.
Rolling him away from pressure will not only give him more time, but it increases the probability that he will be able to use his legs. Burrow showed in the opening touchdown of his career that he can run effectively and Zac Taylor needs to utilize that more.
The other thing that rolling him out of the pocket will do is cause the defense to pause knowing that he is more of a threat to run the ball. A slight delay is all A.J. Green or Tyler Boyd will need to create separation and get open in the endzone.
With an offensive line that is struggling, the Bengals cannot count on Burrow having the time he needs, but instead need to get more creative when points are so close. If Taylor can minimize the offensive line’s impact by rolling Burrow out, Cincinnati should get more touchdowns and end on the right side of the scoreboard.