Very few would stump for Zac Taylor as an elite NFL head coach. For what it's worth, though, the Cincinnati Bengals are 2-0 for the first time in Taylor's tenure entering Week 3's duel with the Minnesota Vikings.
Taylor held the team together this past Sunday when Joe Burrow suffered a turf toe injury. Jake Browning was thrust into duty, and Taylor didn't waver or lose any faith in the Bengals' QB2 even after he threw his third interception of the afternoon.
We have to give credit to Taylor's leadership and the plays he and offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher dialed up on the game-winning drive. However, in order for Browning and the Cincinnati offense to achieve sustained success and produce in Minneapolis, there's a glaring flaw that must be fixed.
Zac Taylor needs to exploit Vikings' suspect run defense in Week 3
I wrote something adjacent to this narrative about the Bengals' running game last week, because in the season opener, Chase Brown had -43 yards before contact in Cleveland. That's right. There is indeed a minus sign before that integer. Brown finished Week 1 with 43 positive yards on 21 carries. Against the Jaguars, he managed only 47 yards on 16 totes.
Hat tip to my guy Willie Lutz on Elon Musk's X/Twitter for the following data, which gives Cincinnati some hope of bouncing back and balancing out the offense a bit. Minnesota is allowing 5.2 yards per carry in addition to ranking 31st in PFF's run defense grading and 25th in run defense EPA (Expected Points Added).
Watching the Bengals' all-22 film and their rushing attack in particular is a twisted pastime. It's a monotonous procession of inside zone runs, draw plays from single-back shotgun sidecar formations, and only the slightest variations on those concepts. You'll see an occasional change-up at times, but that's the bulk of all their runs.
I don't know how many different ways I can say this. Cincinnati must diversify its run scheme. The odds of doing that have improved in the wake of Burrow's injury, as Browning can't be relied on to play in the specific style of Joe Brrr.
The more the Bengals can control possession via Brown and the ground game, the more pressure it'll put on the Carson Wentz-led Vikings to be in obvious passing situations. That'd bode well for a Cincinnati pass rush that's near-nonexistent beyond Trey Hendrickson.
Brown is an ultra-talented back who deserves better blocking. His role as a receiver was hyped all through training camp, yet Taylor has seldom dialed up any screens through two weeks. Those can function as an effective extension of the running game, too.
I'm bullish on what Browning can do with weapons like Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins at his disposal. Taylor has proven he can call the shots for an elite offensive unit. It's just a matter of finding a more physical identity, committing to a more robust rushing call sheet, and capitalizing on the Vikings' most self-evident area of weakness.