The Cincinnati Bengals boosted their playoff hopes by defeating the Indianapolis Colts 34-14 in Week 14 at Paycor Stadium. Rookie Chase Brown continues to provide a jolt of speed in the running game while also balancing the powerful running style of Joe Mixon. The Bengals rushing attack amassed 230 yards from scrimmage and helped take pressure off Jake Browning for the second consecutive week, as he would go 18-24 for 275 yards with three total touchdowns. The emergence of the running game as the focal point of Cincinnati’s offense couldn’t come at a better time. Look for Zac Taylor to stay committed with his use of Mixon and Brown for the remaining four games in hopes of getting the Bengals to the postseason for the third year in a row.
Chase Brown Continues to Shine for the Cincinnati Bengals
Faster Than Fast
Brown has been plagued by a hamstring injury in recent weeks but the Bengals coaching staff always had faith that the former Illinois product would produce when the time was right. That time is now, and Brown showed just how fast he is to get Cincinnati on the board first against the Colts.
54-yard TUDDY for the rookie @chasebrown____ 👏 pic.twitter.com/ToN1Lej3qk
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) December 10, 2023
Brown reached an insane top speed of 22.05 mph on this play, and his speed certainly gives opposing defenses something to prepare for. Taylor noted how much Brown is bringing to this offense stating, “He’s done a great job controlling what he can control. When he came back off the injury, he’s shown great attention to detail as a rookie with what we’re asking him to handle. He makes plays when his number is called. This whole rookie class has had the right mindset since they walked in. It’s a really impressive class. Chase has had a great two games, but as a whole that group has done a great job of mentally being about the right stuff in their rookie seasons.”
Two-Headed Monster
The one-two punch of Mixon and Brown is the Bengals best since Mixon and Bernard from 2017-2020. The similarities between Bernard and Brown are becoming more evident by the week. This juxtaposition in running styles is also a nightmare for defenses to plan against, especially in the screen game that has taken this Cincinnati offense to new levels the last two weeks.
The @Bengals are starting to become fundamentally SOLID on screens
Here @Joe_MainMixon gets to the "Sidewalk" (the #'s) he skews a little wide initially, but gets back to it
But I LOVE what he did to #39 towards the end – keeps vertical momentum, but stiff-arms him to the ground! pic.twitter.com/fHWtqHkJ8D— Kyle Caskey (@CoachKyleCaskey) December 11, 2023
The Bengals will likely continue to be very aggressive in both aspects of their running attack which has opened up the passing lanes for Browning.
Deceiving Looks
Under Taylor, the Bengals have been tested through different tribulations that could’ve derailed a season. In almost every circumstance, their lead man has provided them with hope to finish the fight playing at a high level. Taylor and his staff have reinvented this offense since Browning took over, and the results have been overwhelmingly positive in maximizing what he does well. In sports, you sometimes have to be a chameleon and change who you appear to be if you want to be successful. It’s a good thing the Bengals have an elder chameleon who is wise enough to realize that changing is the easy part.
Main Photo:Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer-USA TODAY NETWORK
