The Bengals have lost the last two games in humiliating fashion, but are they really going to let themselves be embarrassed at home?
The Detroit Lions have been pretty good at beating up on bad football teams, defeating the Chicago Bears 52-21 and the Cleveland Browns 32-10. But what if, and I’m just throwing this out there, the Bengals aren’t a bad team.
Wild take, I know.
Here is what the Bengals need to do this weekend to prove they aren’t going away.
Distribution
The Bengals may be without Joe Burrow, but they still have the best wide receiver duo in the NFL in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. They have got to get those guys involved. The Bengals have too many weapons not to be more productive on offense, regardless of who is under center. They need to get the ball to their stars.
3rd Downs
The Bengals have converted just 5 of 22 3rd downs over the last two weeks. That is insanely bad and cannot continue.
They were completely unable to maintain a drive a week ago. After converting four first downs in the first drive before settling for three points on the first drive, the Bengals converted only 5 more the rest of the game. They need to protect Browning long enough for him to connect with the open man on third down.
Discipline
Whenever it looked like they might be able to get something going offensively, turnovers killed them. They need to play smart and not bury themselves in long yardage situations or negate positive plays. The biggest thing Joe Burrow takes away from their absence is their margin for error. They cannot afford these kinds of mistakes without him to work his magic and make up for them.
Turnovers
The Bengals need any advantage they can get. Without Joe Burrow under center, it is even more important that this offense has more opportunities. Al Golden’s crew needs to get the ball back for the offense. At the same time, the offense cannot turn the ball over. Not only did the Vikings score two defensive touchdowns against the Bengals in Week 3, but they also scored two more and a field goal after three other turnovers.
It is time for that pendulum to swing back into the Bengals’ favor.
Run the Ball
The run game has been non-existent, which is bad with a healthy Burrow and devastating without him. They need to find something they can be good at and make their bread and butter this season. They need a play/scheme that everyone understands and can execute regardless of the defensive look.
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