The Cincinnati Bengals struggled to get anything going on the ground in Sunday’s loss against Jacksonville. Quarterback Joe Burrow had a surprising response when asked how he felt about the offense being tilted heavily towards the passing attack.
Burrow had 54 passing attempts in this game, completing 39 for 428 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Notably, he reached 2,000 completions in his career. This tied him with Patrick Mahomes as the fastest quarterback in NFL history to reach the milestone, doing so in just 81 games.
As a whole, the Bengals ran the ball 15 times for just 23 yards. This is especially notable because the Bengals lost both of their top receivers at different points in this game: Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
When Burrow was asked whether the team needed more balance, he had a somewhat surprising reaction. “My response to that would be, ‘Let’s throw it more,'” Burrow told reporters in his postgame press conference.
Joe Burrow Confident in Bengals Passing Attack
Burrow was fully confident in the Bengals’ passing attack, even after losing Chase and Higgins. He feels it’s what the team specializes in. “Because I know we’re great at it. Because I know that’s what I do best,” Burrow said of throwing the football.
Burrow also praised the offensive line and their pass protection. Burrow did acknowledge that the running game needs to improve. He also felt that there may be different game scripts that call for a more run-heavy approach. Still, when the chips are down, Burrow wants the ball in his hands.
The passing game did a lot of good things on Sunday. Even without Chase and Higgins for stretches of this game, Burrow put up huge numbers through the air. He relied on relatively unproven players like Dohnte Meyers and Mitchell Tinsley. Chase Brown was also a popular target out of the backfield. Higgins had a big day before exiting the game late with an adductor injury, hauling in 11 catches for 157 yards.
Bengals Running Game Struggles Against Jaguars
The flip side of the argument is that the Bengals were largely shut out in the running game. Starting running back Chase Brown ran for just 10 yards on 9 carries. The team only racked up 23 yards on the ground. The Jaguars were able to be much more balanced, running for 111 yards as a team.
Burrow led the team down the field on his final drive of the game but was unable to punch it into the end zone. The Jaguars moved to 3-1 while Cincinnati has now lost two straight and is reeling a bit after a perfect start.
Head coach Zac Taylor largely backed up Burrow’s comments, saying that the team didn’t want to rush for just 23 yards, but he felt that running for minimal gains on first and second down wasn’t productive. He seems to feel confident in putting the game on Burrow’s arm. This comes after offseason speculation that the Bengals might try to line up under center more often to open up the running game.
The Bengals will likely hope for more rushing success next week against the Miami Dolphins, especially depending on the status of Chase and Higgins throughout the week.
Joe Burrow Sends Clear Message on Bengals Offense: ‘Let’s Throw It More’