Joe Mixon has battled injuries off and on for the Cincinnati Bengals over the last two years. On Sunday, at Ford Field against Detroit Lions, he had one of his most complete games both running and receiving in this span. Mixon did everything for the Bengals and put them on his back for a big bounce-back win. This gets them to 4-2 before their crucial divisional matchup this week against the Baltimore Ravens. The Bengals will need another stellar performance from Mixon to help neutralize Baltimore’s vaunted pass rush and defense if the Bengals are to emerge victoriously.
Joe Mixon Has Complete Game in Week 6 Win Against Detroit Lions
Since the Bengals drafted Mixon in the second round of the 2017 draft, he has been a solid overall player for the team. This was especially evident on Sunday with a fantastic all-around performance. Mixon accounted for a large part of the Bengals offensive output Sunday with 153 yards from scrimmage, 94 rushing, 59 receiving, and a touchdown. The highlight of the game came on a crucial 4th and 1 to begin the second half on the Bengals opening drive.
Joe to Joe for 6️⃣
Watch on FOX pic.twitter.com/syaDf5x18m
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 17, 2021
In this play, you notice both a fantastic block from Ja’Marr Chase, but also the speed, agility, and play-making ability of Mixon. This is how valuable of a weapon Mixon can be in various aspects of the Bengals game plan. With Joe Burrow, still gaining confidence and strength in his knee, Mixon has been a focal point of the offense. The team has played complimentary, balanced football and leaned on their star running back through six games.
Seeking an Identity
The Bengals are gaining confidence in the playcalling and offensive structure that head coach Zac Taylor is in charge of. The team has incorporated more motion recently to get the most advantageous matchups possible. This might be the evolution and next step for the offense. This was noted by Taylor on the Mixon touchdown. “Just a bunch of motions really, and the people that needed to execute, were Joe and Joe, and really, Ja’Marr was the second man in the progression that we were going to get to that. It’s kind of funny because on a separate play earlier in the week we told Ja’Marr we were going to need an assist from him. We anticipated somebody else scoring and we’re going to need an assist from him. It was different than how we thought it would unfold but Ja’Marr shows up and gets that big block and Joe plays off of it.”
Step it up
The Bengals next step is showing they can consistently beat the NFL’s best. They almost pulled off the win against a very good Green Bay Packers team two weeks ago. The second half of the Bengals schedule ramps up in the quality of the opponents they face. They have five divisional games left plus four games with the difficult AFC West. The Bengals defense has been fantastic and the most pleasant surprise of the season thus far. If the team is to make the playoffs, they will need the offense and especially Mixon to carry them.
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