Prior to the Cincinnati Bengals’ season-opener against the Minnesota Vikings, there were two main storylines discussed more than any others.
How would the Bengals slow down running back Dalvin Cook? And will Cincinnati’s offense with a healthy Joe Burrow and his wide receiving corps be too much for Minnesota’s secondary?
It was almost as if running back Joe Mixon was the forgotten man to some degree. But as the game unfolded at Paul Brown Stadium, it wasn’t Cook who left as the best running back on the field. It was Mixon.
"It was fun to watch,” head coach Zac Taylor said on Monday. “(He’s) just such a great weapon to have.”
With all the Week 1 games now complete, Mixon leads the NFL in rushing yards with 127. Denver Broncos running back Melvin Gordon ranks No. 2 behind Mixon with 101 yards. Only four other running backs in the league rushed for 100 yards or more.
While it’s only a one-week sample size, it’s noteworthy for several reasons. Mixon’s longest run on Sunday was a 19-yard run. He didn’t have one long, eye-popping run that stood out above all. What he showed was consistency. Rushing for over 100 yards in the NFL is hard to do and Mixon made it look easy with his violent running style. Seventy-eight of his 127 yards came after contact.
As Mixon and the Bengals kept chipping away on offense, Minnesota’s coaching staff had to make a choice: Sell out to stop Mixon and the run or focus on allocating enough resources in the secondary to make sure they don't get beat over the top.
The Bengals magnified what their passing offense can be against the Vikings, and the rest of the NFL for that matter, on one particular drive in Sunday’s game. Burrow took the field with 1:11 to play in the second half and connected with Tyler Boyd, Tee Higgins and Mixon for three straight completions before the 50-yard touchdown play to Ja’Marr Chase. This score put Cincinnati up 14-7 heading into the half.
This is the conversation opposing defensive coordinators will debate at nauseum when game-planning for the Bengals this season.
It’s exactly what Taylor hoped his offense could be with all of his weapons healthy. After the 2020 season, it became clear for Cincinnati’s run game to reach its potential two things needed to happen. The Bengals needed to add a vertical threat at wide receiver to stretch the field – they did so in drafting Chase. Next, they needed better offensive line play and so they hired Frank Pollack to coach the unit and signed tackle Riley Reiff in free agency.
The latter of those two will be the biggest component to if the Bengals are able to replicate the success they had in Week 1 throughout the season. Taylor decided to go with veteran guards Xavier Su’a-Filo and Quinton Spain on the interior to start the season.
Mixon also will be on the field more this season. Challenged to become a better pass-catcher by his coaches this offseason, Mixon did so and will be given more opportunities to stay on the field because of it. He was the highest graded offensive player on the field (80.6) for the Bengals in Week 1, according to Pro Football Focus.
The former second-round pick caught four passes for 23 yards in the 27-24 win over the Vikings.
This season is a big one for the Bengals across the board. The team believes they have the pieces to win and Mixon is welcoming his role in those expectations.
“By me being the best (version of myself) out there, that’s what our team needs,” Mixon said. “I just have to keep leading by example, keep getting those yards and keep helping out the run. And our receivers, because they’re going to deliver for me, I’ve got to deliver for them.”
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