A week 14 matchup against a bad Dallas Cowboys defense will tell us just how poor a Zac Taylor led offense is for the Cincinnati Bengals.
It’s no secret the Cincinnati Bengals’ offense has been horrific without star quarterback Joe Burrow under center. In week one without the tremendous talent, Zac Taylor’s unit managed to put up only 10 points. The following contest was even worse, as the team only found the end-zone once and was held to negative yardage in the second half until the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
WhoDey nation already knows this offense is hopeless without Burrow. That’s a given. However, this week’s matchup against a horrendous Dallas Cowboys defense will tell the fanbase just how bad the unit is. Ultimately, it could have implications for Taylor’s future.
The Cowboys’ defense is bad according to every metric
In the minds of many, America’s team is thought to field the worst defense in the league. On average, they’re giving up 32.75 points per game. They rank dead last in run defense. They’re tied for the most touchdowns allowed through the air. Their sack total puts them in the back-half of the league.
Simply put, the Cowboys defense has been unable to get it done against any opponent, at any time, in any aspect. Even with a backup quarterback, the Bengals have no excuse to not continue that trend and piece together a solid offensive performance.
It starts with the ground game which, as previously mentioned, is a weakness in Dallas. Joe Mixon is eligible to return this week but even if he’s not ready to go, the club has savvy veteran Giovani Bernard to lean on. Cincinnati hasn’t been able to generate much in terms of rushing this year, but this is the week to do it.
Once the box is stacked and the linebackers are being sucked into the line of scrimmage, Brandon Allen, with significantly less pressure on him than in previous weeks, should be free to exploit a secondary that gives up so many scoring plays through the air. Tee Higgins could have the best performance of his young career and it’d be a fair bet that Tyler Boyd feasts too.
At least, that’s how week 14 should go for the Bengals. However, recent performances have done little to inspire confidence that an outcome like the one outlined above will ever come to fruition.
If Cincinnati has another underwhelming offensive performance against the Cowboys, it’s a clear indicator that without Joe Burrow, they have the worst offense in the league. At that point, it’d become fair to argue that the Queen City has seen everything they’ve needed to from Taylor.
As the Bengals fight to get back in the win column, they prepare for a kickoff that is slated for the standard 1:00 pm ET at Paul Brown Stadium.