A welcome sign for a team that has struggled blocking for ball carriers in the past.
The Cincinnati Bengals seem to have finally found the combination of talent and scheme for an efficient ground attack.
Chase Brown is averaging an eye-popping 7.4 yards per carry on the season. Zack Moss has also had a solid start with over four yards per carry. As a team, the Bengals are averaging 4.6 yards per carry.
And the analytics are even more impressive.
As you can see in the chart below, Bengals ballcarriers are just behind those of the Baltimore Ravens in rushing offense EPA.
You may not like it, but it’s Zack Moss szn. pic.twitter.com/ncXMhnx31R
— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) September 25, 2024
The team is also fifth in explosive run rate, while Brown has near-elite production in limited snaps.
Its genuinely impossible to find an offensive category the Bengals aren’t ranked first in weeks 2-3.
Success rate
EPA/play
Conversion rateFor goodness sakes they’re 5th in explosive run rate!
— Andrew Russell (@Andrew_Russell7) September 24, 2024
#Bengals RB Chase Brown through three weeks:
T-1st* in Yards Per Attempt (7.4)
2nd in PFF Rushing Grade (87.4)
2nd in Yards After Contact/Att (4.71)
9th in elusive rating (99.2)*Among 54 RBs with >13 carries https://t.co/kQmi6ALoEV
— Evan McPhillips (@emcphil) September 25, 2024
These are all very encouraging signs for a team that hopes to make a deep playoff run, if they can just take care of business the next few games and crawl back into the postseason picture.
So will they be able to get win number one in Carolina against Andy Dalton and the Panthers? We discuss with ESPN’s Ben Baby in the video below.
You can also listen on iTunes or using the player below.
