The Cincinnati Bengals survived an overtime thriller 43-36 on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. No one expected the game to be that close, but that is life in the NFL. If you start out slow, you are typically in for a dogfight the rest of the day. That is something that the Bengals continue to keep doing.
There has been a lot of chatter about trading for a running back, specifically Jonathan Taylor. While Taylor is a great back, I have not been of the belief that he necessarily elevates this team
dramatically. For a guy that would cost premium draft capital to acquire, he would be joining a Bengals team that will always be pass-first.
When you pass the ball a lot, you need a player that is a high-level pass protector and can catch the ball out of the backfield. To me, they already have that guy in Chase Brown.
Brown caught eight passes for 46 yards on Sunday. He had a fantastic touchdown reception, but it was called back due to a holding call on Dylan Fairchild. Brown is a reliable target as a pass catcher, and that is something the Bengals will need to continue leaning on as an extension of the running game this season.
The thing that Brown has improved the most on since his time in the NFL is his pass protection. He has turned himself into one of the best pass protectors in the league this season. He has a 78.2 pass-blocking grade and has consistently flashed by picking up blitzes all season. For a team that loves to throw the ball, it’s so critical to have guys like Brown and Perine who take pride in being good blockers for Joe Burrow and the offense.
While it wasn’t a massively productive rushing performance for Brown on Sunday, it felt efficient. Brown had 12 carries for 55 rushing yards. That totals out to 4.6 yards per carry in the game. I thought he has looked more elusive, quick to hit the hole, and has been running his best of the season over the last two weeks.
If Chase Brown is the running back #1 for the rest of the season, you have to hope that this is the start of him coming on for the rest of the season. He has been a player who has started a bit slower statistically in the past. Just last season, he did not have a rushing game over 50 yards until Week 7. He still finished the season with over 1,000 rushing yards.
If the Bengals want to compete in the playoffs, they’ll need more balance in the running game. Chase Brown starting to heat up would go a long way toward accomplishing that.
