The Cincinnati Bengals feel like one of those most dangerous teams in the playoffs this year and might just be better than the team that made the Super Bowl one year ago.
But that doesn’t mean things are perfect.
In a playoff format where the margin for error is small and mistakes amplified, the Bengals could easily be one-and-done or fall well short of a repeat Super Bowl appearance if they don’t address some of the notable issues.
With things like the offensive line and consistency headlining the problem areas, these are the things the Bengals must improve before they make another playoff push.
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The Bengals have not been consistent over the course of any game recently and the no-contest didn’t help. In Week 15 they fell down 17-0 before coming back to beat the Bucs. They nearly blew a 22-point lead against the Pats in Week 16, then a 17-0 lead against the Ravens in the season finale. In the playoffs where mistakes are amplified and the competition stiffer, the Bengals have to put together complete games to avoid elimination.
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The Cincinnati rushing attack has been fine this year at times. But it ranks bottom five at just 95.5 yards per game and Joe Mixon ran for just 27 yards on a 2.5 per-carry average in Week 18. In the playoffs, the Bengals have to be better here in order to finish games and limit opportunities for the other offense, even if it’s a second or third-string quarterback. This is especially the case now to limit hits on Joe Burrow with the offensive line down two starters.
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Speaking of that offensive line, it’s now down two of the four starters who upgraded the unit this past offseason. Right tackle La’el Collins is out for the year and while details are scarce, right guard Alex Cappa could be too. That means Hakeem Adeniji in Collins’ spot and Max Scharping in Cappa’s slot. Does that change the type of runs called? Does it mean an offensive-wide schematic shift to help that side? On paper, the run blocking is going to be worse, but the pass protection might be better. Whatever the plan is, it has one game to get it right.
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Speaking of possible mistakes that are grossly amplified in the playoffs — Evan McPherson. Last year’s rookie hero has missed five kicks this year and missed four extra points….
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