CINCINNATI, Ohio — The Bengals rushing offense was near the bottom of the league, but that ranking didn’t carry much weight with the coaching staff.
They were happy with the running back’s overall performance as they made schematic changes and incorporated both Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine into the passing game.
Here’s a look at how they performed in 2022:
Depth Chart
No. 1: Joe Mixon
No. 2: Samaje Perine
Reserves: Chris Evans; Trayveon Williams
Notable numbers
0: The Bengals became only the third team in the last decade to go a whole season without a running back fumbling the ball. They only fumbled the ball twice last year and the running backs have combined for only 13 fumbles since Zac Taylor took over in 2019.
5: Joe Mixon had a historic day when he set a team single-game record with five (four rushing) touchdowns in a win over the Carolina Panthers. Mixon had a career 211 yards from scrimmage while averaging 7.0 yards per carry. He became only the six player in the Super Bowl era with at least 200 scrimmage yards and five touchdowns in a game and one of only three with four rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown in a single game.
10: That’s how many active running backs in the NFL have rushed for more than 5,000 yards. Mixon joined the list with his 153 rushing yards against the Panthers. He’s the sixth player in Bengals history to reach the mark and first Bengals running back to do it since Rudi Johnson.
29: The Bengals ranked 29th in the league in rushing with 95.5 yards per game. It tied for the second worst ranking in rushing yards per game for the team since the league expanded to 32 teams in 2002. It was the first time in three years they averaged less than 100 rushing yards per game.
155: Perine had a career-high 155 yards from scrimmage (106 rushing) in a Week 12 win over the Chiefs. It was Perine’s first 100-yard rushing performance and 20-carry game since his rookie season in 2017 with the Washington Redskins.
Highs and lows
High: Perfect (snow) storm
Mixon delivered on the promise he made earlier in the season that he would deliver when the weather was at its worst. He ran for 105 yards in the AFC Divisional Round (it was Mixon’s first 100-yard performance in the postseason) to help the Bengals advance with a 27-10 win over the Bills. He helped Cincinnati jump out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter with six carries for 37 yards that included two runs or 10-yards or more. He also helped the Bengals hold onto the ball for 9:31 in the fourth quarter when he and Perine combined for 11 carries for 47 yards.
Low: Clogged pipeline
The Bengals have used recent drafts to try and develop some potential replacements for veteran players. They had success in the secondary doing that this season with Cam Taylor-Britt looking like a ready made replacement for free-agent-to-be Eli Apple. It doesn’t appear the coaching staff has the same level confidence that backup running back Chris Evans will be the heir apparent to either Mixon or Perine. He wasn’t expected to have a huge role this season, but he managed to get 95 offensive snaps as a rookie and make some plays (he had 15 catches for 151 yards with two touchdowns). He only had 18 snaps on offense in 2022 and was inactive for the team’s final five games.
High: Perine to the rescue
Perine was content being the Robin to Mixon’s Batman in the Bengals offense in recent years. Perine carved out a complimentary role as a third-down pass blocker and enjoyed watching his former Oklahoma teammate rack up the yards. Perine had more time in the spotlight this season starting with a strong fourth quarter performance in a Week 3 win over the Jets that helped the Bengals close out a 27-12 victory. He looked right at home in a starting role later in the year after Mixon suffered a concussion in the first half of a win over Pittsburgh. Perine had three receiving touchdowns in the win and had 330 yards from scrimmage during the three-game stretch.
High: Burrow’s insurance blanket
If there’s one area where the Bengals running backs got an A-plus this season it was catching the ball out of the backfield. Mixon had career-highs with 60 catches for 441 yards and Perine added 38 catches for 287 yards. Those check-down routes forced opposing teams to rely less on the Cover 2 looks that gave Burrow some issues early in the year. According to Pro Football Focus, the average depth of target for Mixon was at the line of scrimmage and a half yard behind the line for Perine. They did the work with the ball in their hands and the Bengals were better off for it.
In Summary
Cincinnati remade their run game early in the season by shifting their approach to predominantly running out of the shotgun. The goal was to be more effective (and consistent) particularly on early downs and it paid off for the most part.
The Bengals coaching staff touted the group’s efficiency during their eight-game win streak to close out the regular season and credited the running back room (particularly Mixon) for adapting to those changes.
There were still far too many stretches during the season where Cincinnati was unable (or unwilling) to lean on the run game despite the coaching staff’s public support and the lack of explosiveness in the run game was concerning given all the deep passing threats they line up on every play.
The Bengals aren’t looking to have a top five rushing offense, but they should set the bar higher than simply being efficient.
Running backs in focus
- Free agency: Is cutting Joe Mixon the easiest decision of the offseason?
- If the Bengals need a new RB, these 4 NFL Draft prospects could fit in 2023
Michael Niziolek covers the Bengals for cleveland.com. Follow him on Twitter @michaelniziolek, click here for more coverage.
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