Bengals fans miss Joe Mixon after his stellar Texans debut, but should they?

Watching former players for your favorite franchise succeed with another team isn't fun. You might be happy for them, but you might also think to yourself, "If only he were here to do that for us." After seeing Joe Mixon’s first game with the Houston Texans, Cincinnati Bengals fans are having second thoughts about losing him.

In his first professional game not as a Bengal, Mixon rushed for 159 yards and one touchdown. After one week, Mixon is the NFL’s rushing leader. He also had 19 yards on three receptions.

Mixon’s spectacular debut for the Texans has Bengals fans in their feelings. But should they be? Of course not. That is unless those feelings are happiness for his success and appreciation for his time in Cincinnati. 

Mixon is very good at football

Mixon's performance against the Colts has Bengals fans talking about and longing for what might have been. However, they should not be.

Mixon was a fantastic player with the Bengals. He finished as one of the best running backs in team history. That is an impressive feat for a franchise with a long lineage of great running backs. 

Mixon was a great running back for Cincinnati. However, there is no way that he would have a 30-carry game with this incarnation of the Bengals. But that isn’t on him. The last time Mixon had 30 carries in a game was on November 21st, 2021, in a 32-13 blowout win against the Raiders.

We lamented him not getting more carries in his final year in the Queen City. There were only three games in the 2023 season in which Mixon carried the ball 20 times or more. There is a zero percent chance that in 2024 that the Bengals would give him 30 carries in a single game to get to 159 yards. 

How Week 1 would have gone for Mixon in Cincinnati

Cincinnati played New England in their first game this year. One of the main takeaways from the matchup is Rhamondre Stevenson rushing for 120 yards on 25 attempts. It was the first time in 21 games that a Patriots running back ran for over 100 yards. He averaged 4.8 yards per carry.

On the other sideline, Bengals running back Zack Moss averaged 4.9 yards per attempt. He got nine carries. Moss's rushing attempts are closer to how it would have played out for Mixon if he were still here. Even if he were to find success rushing the ball, the offensive staff would have gone away from the run.

Furthermore, Mixon gave voice to Houston's use of a fullback on some of his rushing attempts. The use of an extra run blocker is not something he would benefit from in Cincinnati. The Bengals use tight ends as fullbacks to pass block.

There is no need to be upset that Mixon is no longer with the Bengals. Instead, be happy Mixon is ecstatic about playing for a team that allows him to play a substantial role in his team’s success. Appreciate that he is somewhere he can have more than 20 carries a game. Enjoy an offensive coaching staff that will keep feeding him, even if it wasn’t their initial game plan.

We know he would not have 30 carries in a game with the 2024 Bengals. But who knows? Maybe one day, if Moss or Chase Brown is having a good rushing game, the offensive play callers for Cincinnati will allow them to reach 30 carries. But, don't hold your breath.