Bengals’ offense headed in the wrong direction
Ja’marr Chase was right. During the competitive portion of Sunday’s 27-3 loss to the Tennessee Titans, the Cincinnati Bengals receiver was open on over 60% of designed passing plays.
Since quarterback Joe Burrow is limited with a calf injury, coach Zac Taylor used new wrinkles, moving Chase all over the field to give Burrow a target who’d get open quickly.
The Bengals used Chase in the backfield more than they have since the playoff game in Buffalo last year. He caught a few screens, lined up in the slot, got chances for catches on RPOS (run-pass option plays) and lined up in all different types of alignments with the other Bengals’ wide receivers.
It was one of Taylor’s most varied game plans, and Chase caught seven passes for 73 yards. But the Titans double-teamed him on third downs and in the red zone, taking Chase away when they needed to.
And Burrow ended up taking a lot of sacks when he couldn’t find a quick throw to Chase and couldn’t extend the play outside of the pocket.
On top of that, the Bengals’ inability to pick up the blitz, even when they had extra blockers, consistently cost them. Since Burrow wasn’t able to extend plays outside of the pocket, the Titans pushed the middle of the pocket and repeatedly knocked Burrow down.
Left guard Cordell Volson and center Ted Karras haven’t been as consistent as they were during the second half of last season. Left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. didn’t seal off the edge as well as he has in other games this season. Across the offensive line, the communication wasn’t good enough to pass off assignments when the Titans sent extra pass rushers.
Burrow also missed open receivers on third downs as he struggled making quick progressions. He continues to get rid of the ball quickly and target his first read instead of showing more creativity in the pocket.
The bottom line is that the Bengals’ passing game has been one of the worst in the NFL, and the Titans’ aggressive game plan made the Bengals look even worse than it had all season.