CINCINNATI — As the Cincinnati Bengals move forward with backup quarterback Jake Browning in the place of injured starter Joe Burrow, they have made an effort to lean on the running game more than they typically would.
But during Sunday’s 48-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, starting running back Chase Brown totaled 3 yards on 10 carries.
Brown is averaging a mere 2 yards per carry going into Monday night's game at Denver.
“I think it’s everybody involved in that,” coach Zac Taylor said. “It’s not the running back. It’s not just the line, it’s not just the tight ends.”
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Brown has rushed for 93 yards this season, with 147 of them coming after contact. His minus-54 rushing yards before contact are 24 fewer than any other running back in a season in the Next Gen Stats era (since 2018).
The numbers show that Brown has nowhere to run. Brown has been hit before the line of scrimmage on 76.6% of his carries, the highest rate since 2018.
“We did not execute our (plan) well enough,” Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said. “So at the end of the day, that’s my responsibility as the offensive coordinator to make sure that we can put together a running game that, at the very least, can complement our passing attack, and hopefully is more than that, something that can stand on its own as a weapon.”
As the Bengals played their first full game without Burrow during their matchup against the Vikings, Taylor and Pitcher deployed some different ideas in the run game.
The Bengals used more under-center runs and more outside runs. They also used more two-tight end sets. But while they made changes, the running game was still ineffective.
Pitcher said that the coaching staff is looking for solutions.
“We just have to go back and really analyze. What is it?” Pitcher said. “Every week has got to be a blend of, what can our guys do well, married with what do we need to do to beat the opponent and make sure we’re not drifting too far in either direction, if that makes sense. There’s no easy answers. There’s no, ‘Hey, we just get to flip this switch and it’s fixed.’ That ain’t the case. So we go to work, that’s the only way I know how, and we just try like hell to make it better.”
The Bengals’ lack of a run game has made Browning’s role much more difficult. Since the Bengals run game was poor, the Bengals ended up in a lot of third-and-long situations.
The Bengals finished the game 3 for 11 on third downs, and the Vikings were able to send aggressive blitzes on the third-and-long situations.
The struggles against those blitzes as well as the struggles in the run game are heavily connected to the Bengals offensive line. The unit has underperformed this season, and there continue to be moving pieces.
Last Sunday, the Bengals gave a long look at rookie Jalen Rivers at right guard. Dalton Risner was listed as questionable because of a calf injury, but Risner said that he was healthy enough to play.
As a whole, Risner said that the offensive line has to block better.
“There was obviously a lot of frustration,” Risner said. “This is our job 365 days out of the year. We do this so that we can win and dominate and establish the run game and pass game. Whenever you’re not able to do that, it’s super frustrating. Very frustrating day. We have no choice but to continue to grind and look ourselves in the mirror for how we can be better.”
