Why there’s no cause for concern for the Bengals after Week 8

Level of Concern with Cincinnati Bengals Offense — 2

It’s hard to complain about an offense that boasts the AFC’s top-rated quarterback, one of the top receivers in the league,and a running back in Joe Mixon that is well on his way to over 1,000 yards and double-digit touchdowns, but something feels a bit off. Am I missing something here?

The Bengals have scored over 30 points in three straight games, that much is true. However the offense still feels stale and predictable at times. There still seems to be too much reliance on first down runs and hoping to hit shot plays with Chase.

That recipe has worked to an extent thus far, however the offense is going to have to sustain more long drives and keep the defense off the field the deeper into the season we get. Currently Cincinnati is losing the time of possession battle on the season by almost two full minutes. The offense has also run 71 fewer plays than their opponents on the season.

Considering the offense should be the strength of this team, it would be ideal to find a way to sustain more long drives and keep the defense fresh as the key months of November and December loom.

By no means am I complaining about the role Chase has played, but if Sunday was any indication, the Bengals are going to need to force-feed him the ball. The chemistry seems to be just a touch off between Burrow/Higgins and Burrow/Boyd, so when things aren’t necessarily clicking offensively, as has been the case in the first half of many of the games, perhaps Zac Taylor needs to force the issue and feed Chase the ball.

This would take some of the pressure off of Boyd and Higgins. After all, it’s evident around the league that the alpha receivers will get the targets. Chase is the alpha for Cincinnati, so he should have more than the seven target lead he has over Boyd.

A strong outing and complete game against the Browns in Cincinnati will go a long way to taking this down to a 1.