As we’ve been doing for several years now, we’ll break down the Pittsburgh Steelers’ opponent each week, telling you what to expect from a scheme and individual standpoint. Like last year, Josh Carney and I will cover the opposing team’s offense. I will focus on the scheme, Josh on the players.
Today, our scouting report on the Cincinnati Bengals’ offense.
ALEX’S SCHEME REPORT
BENGALS RUN GAME
Something they figure to lean on more heavily with QB Joe Burrow out for the season. Despite an offseason scare of nearly being cut, RB Joe Mixon remains. And he’s still in a lead role in the backfield if not the offense. Even with nearly 1,500 carries under his belt, he’s playing a season-high 73 percent of the Bengals’ snaps this season. His 153 carries pace the team by a mile. The next closest non-quarterback in carries has 12 of them.
On the year, the Bengals are averaging 3.9 yards per carry, tied for 23rd in football. Mixon’s average barely eclipses that at 4.0 and they’re not a big-play rushing attack; never really have been. But they’re fairly consistent and stay on schedule. Mixon has a run-success rate of 48 percent, which is also about league average. However, they only have four rushing touchdowns this season, tied for 26th in football. On the plus side, they have only three fumbles while Mixon has zero of them. He hasn’t fumbled since the 2021 season, not putting the ball on the ground in roughly 430 straight carries.
For the season, the Bengals have just 24 runs of 10-plus yards, 25th in the NFL. They’re a cloud-of-dust type of team than a big-play threat one but they have a good offensive line coach, a solid line, and a back who has been doing it for years.
They pair zone and gap schemes but like running gap to the boundary. Couple examples from last Thursday’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
And while this could be applied to either category, run or pass, expect a good deal of RPOs with new QB Jake Browning in the game. Give him some options and relatively simple reads.
Some other offensive stats, though the loss of Joe Burrow makes these numbers less useful than in previous reports. The Bengals are averaging 20.2 points per game, tied for 2oth in football. But they were finding their stride until Burrow went down. After being held under 20 in three of their first four games of the season (due to Burrow’s summer calf injury), they have scored at least 20 in their last four games. Harder to do with Browning in the lineup, obviously.
To its credit, like Pittsburgh, Cincinnati does a great job of taking care of the football. The Bengals are tied with the Steelers (and Los Angeles Chargers) for the fewest giveaways on the season with just eight of them. They’ve only turned the ball over twice in a game once this season and have just three in the last four games since their bye. Situationally, they’re 22nd on third down (35.7 percent) but come into the week with the league’s best red zone offense at 59.3 percent.
Bengals Passing Game
Frankly, this one is just hard to talk about. For the second-straight week, the Steelers are facing a backup quarterback without much of a resume. Jake Browning will make his first career start Sunday after Burrow tore a ligament in his hand and will miss the rest of the year. Prior to taking over for Burrow late in the first half Sunday, Browning had thrown one career NFL pass.
He’s not as young as Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Browning is 27 and been in the NFL since 2019, and I don’t expect the Bengals to be hyper-conservative like the Browns were with DTR. Watching Browning against the Ravens, he had authority to make checks and calls at the line and had more freedom at the line of scrimmage.
Against Baltimore, Browning went 8-for-15 for 68 yards and a late touchdown in garbage time. He was also sacked three times, though he played behind against a tough Ravens defense. The dude can run a little bit, more than you’d think, and he’ll use his legs when he needs to, when the play breaks down.
Ja’Marr Chase remains the team’s top wideout, though he had just two catches for 12 yards and a touchdown against the Ravens. His stats are going to dip without Burrow. On the year, he’s caught 71 passes for 833 yards and six touchdowns. Veteran Tyler Boyd is still hanging around, now a pure-possession receiver averaging a career-low 9.3 yards per reception. Not targeted as much on third down as you’d expect but he’s dependable. Tee Higgins has been hurt for large chunks of the season and as of this writing, his status this weekend is unclear. Tight ends are involved a bit more with Tanner Hudson making some plays, leading the team with 49 yards against Baltimore.
On the year, Cincinnati has 21 completions of 20-plus yards. That’s tied for 27th in the NFL. Pretty low.
Conceptually, I’m going off a limited window of how the offense looked without Burrow, but the Bengals used a lot of 2×2 looks and often formations with no eligible attached. A college look with no tight end to the core of the formation, helping to spread the field out and lighten the box for the run.
There was a heavy dose of play-action with boots and deep drops. False keys with the guard pulling on play-fakes to get the linebackers and safeties to step up and bite. Also saw lots of reduced and condensed splits to help open things up on out routes and crossers. They liked this 3×1 look with crossers bending across the field.
For Pittsburgh, it’s going to be about fundamentals, stopping the run, and not having coverage busts that create the big play. They’ll focus in on Chase and make others win, especially if Higgins is out, and I imagine Joey Porter Jr. will shadow him in many, if not all, situations. Just watch out for the tight ends being able to win more vertically than what the Browns did with TE David Njoku, who was confined to basically five-yard stick routes last weekend.
Josh’s Individual Report
It’s Bengals week, Steelers fans!
Though this matchup might not have quite the star-power due to an injury to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, it remains a pivotal game within the AFC North as the two teams are separated by only a game.
Without Burrow, the Bengals will be turning to backup quarterback Jake Browning, who will be making his first NFL start.
Browning’s been in the league for a bit, spending two seasons with the Vikings and the last three seasons with the Bengals. With Burrow on the shelf, it’s Browning’s time. Though they lost their star quarterback, not much will change offensively with the Bengals under head coach Zac Taylor.
Things are still going to be short and quick in the passing game, designed to get the ball out quickly to help protect the offensive line and combat the pass rush.
Browning might not have the in-game experience, but he looked good in spurts against the Baltimore Ravens after taking over for Burrow in Week 11.
He wasn’t afraid to use the middle of the field, took the occasional deep shot and looked poised overall.
Now, he’ll have a full week of work to prepare for the Steelers, who are very clearly a familiar opponent for the Bengals.
It helps that he’ll have some great players around him, namely wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and running back Joe Mixon.
The Bengals have done a really nice job in recent weeks running the football, providing balance to the offense.
That continued against Baltimore, even with Burrow out of the lineup.
Pulling left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. in recent weeks has created quite the running lanes. To Mixon’s credit, he’s hit the hole hard and barreled forward, putting pressure on defenses with the football in his hands.
You’ll see that very same play a couple of times on Sunday against Pittsburgh, guaranteed.
The Bengals will also pull guard Alex Cappa quite a bit, too.
Those are the staples of the Bengals’ run game.
They block it well and Mixon has great feel for when to hit it and has good vision after the initial wave to pick his way through defenses.
He’s a bull in a china shop in big spots, too. Underrated power back. Brings a serious physical element to the Bengals’ offense.
Though Browning isn’t Burrow in the passing game, the Bengals will still be able to have balance with the quick passing game. Browning just needs to make the right reads and get the ball out quickly, letting others do the rest of the work.
Having wide receivers like Chase, Tyler Boyd, and potentially Tee Higgins to throw to will be huge for Browning. He just has to get the ball in their vicinity.
Boyd has come on strong in recent weeks and had a huge play late against Houston in Week 10, taking a quick slant 65 yards, setting up the game-tying field goal.
Those quick throws are there in the offense. Browning just has to be on time.
Chase remains the big-play threat, though some of that might be limited with Browning now in the lineup. He doesn’t have the arm strength to consistently take shots down the field, but with Chase they’ll still have to be aggressive.
Boyd is that dependable possession receiver over the middle. Tough as nails, great hands, consistent. He might be Browning’s best friend moving forward.
Then there’s Higgins. If he can go, he’s a matchup nightmare. Too big for corners, too fast for safeties. He boxes out with the best of them and is a monster in contested-catch situations.
The Bengals have utilized tight ends a ton recently, too, whether that’s Irv Smith Jr., Drew Sample or Tanner Hudson.
Hudson has become a key part of the offense in recent weeks, taking advantage of playing time to make plays.
He’s thrived in matchups against linebackers and had a solid week against the Ravens.
Sample has quietly been dependable, too. He’s a smart player, one who reads defenses well and knows when to leak out and become a receiver.
Key play here against the Bills in Week Nine, leading to a touchdown late in the first half.
Up front, here’s how I expect the Bengals to line up left to right Sunday:
LT — Orlando Brown Jr.
LG — Cordell Volson
C — Ted Karras
RG — Alex Cappa
RT — Jonah Williams
On paper, it’s a solid group. That said, they had issues protecting Burrow this season. That continued last week with Browning. They’ll have a tough task Sunday against Pittsburgh’s front.
Brown was a big-name signing in free agency, but he’s been inconsistent this season. Volson struggles with Cameron Heyward every time they match up, and he’s been disappointing this season from a pass protection standpoint.
Cappa, though strong in the run game, has been bullied in pass protection. There’s a real opportunity there for the Steelers’ defensive front, especially against an inconsistent offensive line and an inexperienced quarterback.
On special teams, Cincinnati remains solid. Kicker Evan McPherson has a big leg and is consistent from 50 yards and in. He’s a real weapon for the Bengals. He’s missed four kicks on the season though, all from 50-plus yards. Something to monitor.
Rookie punter Brad Robbins has continued the stability at the position, averaging 44.8 yards per punt, downing 11 of 48 punts inside the 20-yard line.
In the return game, rookie Charlie Jones has a punt return for a touchdown on the season, taking one back 81 yards against the Ravens. He’s a dangerous return man.
Trayveon Williams and Trenton Irwin handle the kick return duties. Williams has a 41-yard return on the season and has great speed at the position. He’s getting closer to really breaking one, so the Steelers’ coverage unit will have to be on top of its game.
