And no, this is not excusing the coaching.
Play-calling.
We love to blame everything that goes wrong on play-calling, particularly since it’s been hard to blame the right tackle this season.
While the play calling has not always been great (4th and 1 this week, I’m looking at you), that is far from the biggest reason that the Cincinnati Bengals are losing games. For now, we are going to live in the present and not focus on scouting, drafting, and free agent acquisition and retention. Let’s look at what is actually happening on the field.
Here are nine bigger problems than play-calling that are holding the Bengals in 2024.
1. Physical Toughness
There is a reason they struggle in short yardage on both sides of the ball. They just aren’t very tough. Now, don’t get me wrong. Every individual on that team is a hell of a lot tougher than I am, but they aren’t tougher than the guy they are lining up against. Running the ball and stopping the run is about attitude, and they just aren’t bringing it. That is why they were missing tackles earlier in the year, and although that has leveled out, they are still getting pushed around.
2. Mental Toughness
This team has all the talent they need to overcome difficult situations, but time and time again, we see them not having the resiliency to overcome even the smallest obstacle. It was one thing when they didn’t have a good enough offensive line to convert 3rd and forever after a sack, but this group has the talent to do it, but getting behind the chains still derails drives.
3. Lack of Leadership (Coaching)
Toughness.
Identity.
Missed assignments.
Not learning the playbook.
Missed communication.
Yes, some of it falls on the players, but these are all correctable issues if you have leadership on the sidelines that will hold you accountable.
4. Lack of Leadership on the Field
Honestly, I’m talking to you, Joe Burrow. You can spin it, but if you can’t light a fire under the other 52 guys out there, it doesn’t matter. You need to be a vocal leader on the field and hold your teammates accountable. You are the guy they will follow. Step up and be the leader they need.
5. Missed Assignments/Mental Errors/Miscommunication on Defense
Vonn Bell was supposed to be the answer to this problem, wasn’t he? He was supposed to be the vocal leader fixing the communication breakdowns and making this unit tougher.
Instead, we see a defense that continues to have mental errors, assignment breakdowns, open gaps, and blow coverages through October. This cannot happen.
6. Lack of Identity
Who is this team, really?
Do they have any plays they can really hang their hat on?
Do they give a lasting impression to their opponents, such as “Man, they were physical” or “They were all over the field?”
I don’t think so. It is too late in the season to have no idea who you are.
7. Pass Rush
And finally, we get to the one thing that is mentioned at least as often as play calling. The Bengals pass rush is Trey Hendrickson and that’s about it. He is one of the best in the business, yet as a unit, they are still objectively bad.
8. Run D
*See #1 and #5.
9. Pass D
*See #5 and #7.
Given that I am a coach by trade and my Twitter is @CoachMinich, I am sometimes accused of letting coaches off the hook, but that is not true. I simply believe that play-calling is a widely overrated aspect of coaching. All of these problems are related to coaching, and for the majority of them, coaching is the biggest factor.
These are largely issues that could have been fixed in the early part of the season, but they were not, and yes, that falls on coaching.
