Right in the middle of the celebration at the end of the AFC Championship Game, Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor was looking for running back Joe Mixon.
On the field during the trophy ceremony, Taylor looked Mixon and told him, “You stayed patient.”
He was specifically referring to how Mixon bounced back from a few negative runs early in the game to run for some game-winning first downs. But the idea of staying patient represents Mixon’s entire career.
During the last two seasons, Mixon has navigated injuries and an evolving role in a rapidly changing offense. In December and January, Mixon’s responsibilities changed some more as the Bengals shifted toward a pass-first approach.
Throughout the whole process, Mixon has been the versatile, explosive running back the Bengals were looking for when they signed him to a contract extension in 2020. Mixon's role has taken a step back, but that hasn't impacted his reliability when the Bengals need to finish the game running the ball.
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“I’m definitely starting to get to that part where I’m starting to reach my prime,” Mixon said. “I know this is definitely the very beginning, and I’m comparing myself to myself, striving to be better than I was before.”
There were several moments along the way where playing in the Super Bowl looked like a distant dream to Mixon. No one on the Bengals has seen their role change as much as Mixon's has over the last two years, and Mixon played as many snaps on a bad Bengals team as anyone on the roster.
Mixon’s 2020 season ended abruptly after just six games when he tried to play through a foot injury. Against the Indianapolis Colts in October, Mixon was tackled by his shoestrings on a 6-yard gain. He remained in the game, ran for a touchdown and stayed in as the Bengals tried to mount a fourth quarter comeback.
Mixon missed the rest of the season, and he returned in 2021 to a running back room that looked completely different. The Bengals had hired offensive line coach Frank Pollack and were redesigning the entire run game. And the Bengals were doing it without longtime backup running back Giovani Bernard.
For the first time in Mixon’s NFL career, the Bengals planned to make Mixon a three-down running back. Even though he battled an ankle injury at two different points in 2021, Mixon had the biggest role of his Bengals career and earned his first Pro Bowl selection.
“When we came back this year to bounce back in the way that we did, you can never take moments like these for granted,” Mixon said. “I tell our players to play each play like it’s your last because you’re never guaranteed the next one. I know what that feels like, and I’m here after seeing through the adversity.”
Bengals change offense at bye week
The Bengals wouldn’t have made it this far without Mixon. At the bye week, the Bengals coaching staff recognized that opposing defenses were selling on stopping the Bengals passing attack. For two games, Mixon was the centerpiece of the offense and led the Bengals to wins over the Las Vegas Raiders and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Since then, opposing defenses have accounted more for the run game. Mixon’s carries per game decreased, but the threat of the run still shapes defensive game plans. On top of that, Mixon is averaging 43 receiving yards per game over his last five games.
As the Bengals shifted their offense onto quarterback Joe Burrow’s shoulders, Mixon had to make the biggest sacrifice.
In 2019, Taylor made Mixon the focal point of the offense. This year, especially during the stretch run, Mixon’s best moments have come as a pass catcher and as a blocker.
Taylor and offensive coordinator Brian Callahan challenged Mixon to improve in those areas before the season. Mixon turned himself into one of the most well-rounded running backs in the NFL.
“When I came into Cincinnati, they always had a first and second down back and a third down back, which was (Bernard),” Mixon said. “Pretty much everything he went through, I just learned from him and ran with it. When my number is called, I’ve got to make plays and make sure the team can count on me in any situation. We look to thrive in moments like this. If you do the little things, it goes a long way.”
On top of that, Mixon is running the ball more efficiently than he ever has.
Taylor credited Mixon for his improvement in “his run game tracks,” which describes how he sees angles and cuts back into space. Mixon’s discipline in finding the right window has led to him making the next step.
“Being able to stay on the field, that's by far the biggest part (of his success),” Bengals backup running back Samaje Perine said. “Then it’s just him being decisive. He has come into his own about just being a decisive runner. He doesn't always have to make the right read, but it's a decisive read where he just hits the hole and goes.”
Mixon is one of the Bengals captains, and he’s the player who provided the victory cigars after the team won the division. When the Bengals lost to the New York Jets in October, Mixon was a part of a press conference with safety Jessie Bates and wide receiver Tyler Boyd to present a “united front” in taking accountability for the loss.
Even though Mixon was drafted in 2017, he’s one of the team’s elder statesmen. The Bengals changed Mixon’s role for his fifth year in the NFL, and he responded exactly in the way that Taylor was hoping to see.
“It’s heartwarming to finally reap these benefits,” Mixon said. “Being a player here for five years, I feel like I’m living in a movie right now. This is a dream that I’ve dreamed of being in. Now I’m playing at the highest level in the best game in the history of sports.”
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