It’s no secret the Cincinnati Bengals’ running game is a mess.
Hence, those around the Bengals not really mincing words about the whole thing going into Week 5.
There was, for example, offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher admitting in the media this week that the pass-run balance during the loss to Jacksonville simply isn’t sustainable.
"I don't think the way we played the game yesterday is a sustainable strategy for long-term success,” Pitcher told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “I do think we chose to play the game yesterday in a way that gave us the best chance to win yesterday."
Pitcher went on to note that coaches need to evaluate whether the problems are actual on-field execution, in-game decision-making and other factors.
Either way, Joe Burrow
passing 54 times compared to just 12 rushes for running backs isn’t going to work, regardless of whether the Bengals go under center more, or just rip those looks out of the playbook and stay in shotgun.
Bengals center Ted Karras joined Pitcher along those same lines.
"Well below our standards as an offensive line. We've got learn from it," Karras said, per Hobson. "I don't think we passed up stunts very well. We gave up too many hits. Everyone had a turn doing something that equates to 17 points, which isn't going to get it done. I think our defense gave us a winning effort with 22 points against the Jags. Should come out of it with a win.”
We’ll see how the Bengals coaches respond to the mid-week evaluations with on-field changes on Sunday in Miami against the Dolphins.
One would think, though, that the game against the Dolphins will be the final testing grounds before the Bengals pull back and make any necessary major changes during the Week 6 bye.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals aren't shying away from major run game issues
