Maintaining momentum is a difficult task in professional football, but it sure helps when you win the season opener, which the Cincinnati Bengals did for the first time since 2021.
The question is, for a team that typically plays catch-up after rough starts, how will they handle their early success? Joe Burrow and the offense were sluggish to put it kindly in a 17-16 win in Cleveland, as the oft-maligned Bengals defense really picked up the slack.
Burrow and the passing attack aren't what Cincinnati fans should be worried most about entering Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, though.
Bengals' run blocking must improve for Chase Brown in Week 2 after rough season opener
Chase Brown is among the most underrated running backs in the NFL. His acceleration and ability to hit the hole in a hurry are elite. The problem is, any back needs sound blocking in front of him to maximize his production. When there's a failure to execute up front, the run game is in trouble.
That's precisely what happened versus the Browns last week. Brown faced a swarm of defenders right at the line of scrimmage more often than not, resulting in just 43 yards on 21 carries. The second half was particularly ugly, as the Bengals did their best to bleed the clock and not make any critical errors to gift Cleveland a victory.
Some interesting data on this storyline is fresh in from The Ringer. Their key stat: Brown averaged -0.33 yards per carry before contact in Week 1. In other words, odds are, on any given carry Brown had, he was hit before he could gain a single positive inch.
Overreacting to what transpires through 60 whole minutes of football is often unfounded. The NFL is a week-to-week league where narratives can change on a dime. However, we're talking about a historically bad showing from the Bengals in the trenches.
Chase Brown may have had the most impressive game with less than 2 yards per carry we've ever seen 😅
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) September 10, 2025
Per @NextGenStats, Brown had -43 rushing yards before contact, the lowest single-game mark in the NGS era — and finished the day with +43 yards on 21 attempts pic.twitter.com/Sxck8n8uhy
There are two big-picture ways to frame this underwhelming effort by the Bengals' ground game. Either it's similar to Burrow and the passing attack, where improvement is the only feasible direction things can trend, or it means Brown will have to make any aspirations for offensive balance happen almost on his own.
I'm going to take the optimistic angle and say the Browns are so familiar with Cincinnati's scheme at this point that they know what's coming. The lack of diversity in the Bengals' run plan nevertheless remains a glaring issue.
In watching back some of the all-22 from Sunday, it sure looked like every first-half run play was either Inside Zone or Split Flow Inside Zone, with maybe one Duo run thrown into the mix. My schematic knowledge is still progressing, so I'm not 100% certain that's an accurate statement, yet it's close enough to deduce that Zac Taylor desperately needs to add some new wrinkles to the game plan. And no, whatever's in the halfback draw package isn't good enough.
Like would it kill Taylor to, I don't know, dial up some more jet sweeps/end-around runs to somebody like Ja'Marr Chase? The man is arguably the best wide receiver in the sport at gaining yards after the catch. Any way you can manufacture touches for Chase without overworking him, the better off the offense is going to be.
This also isn't to suggest Chase should be deployed in a hybrid tailback role in the vein of Deebo Samuel. Just two to three touches of that variety would go such a long way in stressing the defense horizontally. Taylor needs to give front sevens another dangerous element to account for.
The Jags surrendered less than four yards per carry to running backs in their 26-10 romp over Carolina. They struggled more to contain Bryce Young, who piled up 40 yards on five carries. Perhaps Burrow can use his legs a little more on scrambles to take some pressure off Cincinnati's o-line, who'll have its work cut out against the edge rushing duo of Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen.
Chase Brown can't do it on his own. Not even Saquon Barkley can. We've seen how his career took off once he got away from the Giants' awful line and got to run wild in Philly. The Bengals just need Brown to produce at a league-average level; Joe Brrr can take care of the rest.
No time to hit the panic button as of now. That said, if Brown and his blockers can't team together for a big bounce-back in Week 2, this is the type of issue that could derail the Bengals' promising start.