Cincinnati Bengals: Why Tyler Boyd will breakout in Week 11
The Cincinnati Bengals head to Las Vegas to take on the 5-4 Las Vegas Raiders. Both teams are looking to end two-game skids and get back in the win column in the competitive AFC.
It’s safe to say through the first half of the season, wide receiver Tyler Boyd has not seen the targets he is used to seeing in the past season with the Bengals.
It was expected that Ja’Marr Chase in the wide receiver room and Tee Higgins improving that his targets would decrease because of the talent on the offensive end. Still, in the last game against the Cleveland Browns, Boyd only saw one target throughout the entire game so he has had some games where the target is there, but the production is not.
Although the consistency hasn’t been there all season, Zac Taylor took the blame following the loss to the Browns when asked about Boyd’s minimal looks within the offense, but it comes down to the offense as a whole.
Boyd himself needs to find ways to create space to get open, Joe Burrow needs not to force passes to Chase and look elsewhere, and Taylor and offensive coordinator Brian Callahan need to put Boyd in a position to succeed with their play calling.
Tyler Boyd is poised to breakout in Week 11 against the Raiders.
The Bengals offense is exceptionally talented, but if Boyd isn’t a vocal point alongside Chase, Higgins, and Mixon, then this offense will never reach its full potential. This could hurt their chances down the stretch of the season when they will have some highly competitive games where the offense is going to need to score points and produce throughout four quarters.
However, this week against the Las Vegas Raiders, I expect the Bengals to get Tyler Boyd involved in the offense, especially after a BYE week to prepare for this team and the defense. The Raiders, a lot like the Bengals, have lacked consistent play this season and sit with a 5-4 record, as do the Bengals, so this is a very critical AFC matchup and one that could be a key contributor to a tiebreaker later in the season when the playoff race is shaking itself out.
Next. 3 Bold Predictions vs Raiders. dark
On the season, Boyd currently has 38 receptions, 408 yards, and three touchdowns. He is on pace to set career lows while not missing a single game yet this year. Boyd could see a lot of coverage by rookie Nate Hobbs who has been highly productive this year but still has many holes in his game that can be exploited like a receiver like Boyd.