Bengals offense can improve in key area to unlock a whole new level

It must be a scary thought for the rest of the NFL that the Cincinnati Bengals dynamic offense has a major shortcoming that's easy to improve upon in 2026. Trust me, this goes beyond the standard boilerplate Joe Burrow is healthy at long last narrative.

If Cincinnati's defense doesn't just trip over its own feet for the most part, that alone is going to help Burrow's unit so much. That said, there are certain flaws with this offense from the past that are bound to be rectified.

We'll focus on one thing in particular for purposes of this exercise. Let's just say it bodes even better for the Bengals' season, which already has Super Bowl expectations attached to it.

Bengals' improvement around Joe Burrow should result in skyrocketing goal-to-go efficiency

Sharp Football's Rich Hribar ranked all 32 offenses from last season based on their goal-to-go efficiency. This was calculated by combining drives to the red zone and total red zone TDs, divided by total offensive possessions.

The Bengals ranked only 24th, yet their red-zone efficiency in terms of capitalizing on those trips was second-best in the NFL, with TDs on 36 of 54 trips.

That's awesome to know that Cincinnati can produce inside the 20-yard line, yet the major issue in this data is the team's inefficiency when a more explosive touchdown can't be had. In other words, running or throwing the ball in goal-to-go situations, per this data, leaves something to be desired.

Here's why this should change in a big way. First off, all five offensive linemen from last year's group are coming back. They helped deserving extension candidate Chase Brown achieve his first 1,000-yard rushing season, which came after a dreadful start in the early going and in spite of the fact that the Bengals had to throw the ball so much to keep up in shootout games thanks to their dreadful defense.

Oh, and having Burrow in the lineup for 16 or 17 games (clinching scenario, ya know) sure will help. As I intimated in the lede: Duh.

A lesser passing rate and the luxury of being able to pound the rock, as opposed to having to drop back 50 times a game and score 35 just to mask the defense's ineptitude, will keep adversaries off-balance more than usual. That should help Burrow to his most efficient season to date.

An improved rushing attack should only generate more explosive plays through the air for the likes of Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and the Bengals' other weapons.

Cincinnati's offense only ranked 18th in total red zone drives last year with 54. That was well behind the Rams' league-leading 76. Check out this data from Warren Sharp, which reveals the Bengals as having only the 20th-best explosive play rate to go with that:

Pretty sure, given these unprecedented, favorable circumstances Burrow finds himself in with this Bengals roster, the offense is going to take a leap well past those middling marks. And the elite red-zone execution will follow suit.

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