Joe Burrow can make a defense look helpless when he’s got time, and Amarius Mims is helping make sure that happens more often for the Bengals.
That work has now started to get noticed outside Cincinnati. In ESPN’s Quarter-Season NFL Awards Rankings, Bill Barnwell put Mims third in the NFL Protector of the Year race, trailing only San Francisco tackle Trent Williams and Denver guard Quinn Meinerz. Barnwell went so far as to call Mims “arguably the best pass-protecting right tackle in the league.”
The numbers behind that praise are strong. Through Barnwell’s four-game evaluation, Mims saw one-on-one pass rush matchups at the third-highest rate in the NFL. Even with that kind of burden, he gave up only half a sack and two quick pressures over 169 pass-rush snaps.
That matters for how Cincinnati wants to function on offense. Barnwell noted that Burrow prefers all five eligible receivers in routes, and when the Bengals do need extra help in protection, it usually goes to Orlando Brown Jr. on the left side. That leaves Mims handling his side on his own.
When he wins there, the whole playbook opens up. The Bengals can keep tight ends and running backs in the passing game, which gives Burrow another option and forces defenses to account for one more threat.
Mims wasn’t just impressive in pass protection, either. Barnwell had him 12th in run-block win rate, another good sign from the early part of the season.
Of course, this is only a snapshot. Four games don’t make a season, and the real test is whether Mims can keep this level up over the long haul.
But for now, Cincinnati has reason to feel good about what it’s seeing on the right side. Through the first four games, Mims has played like a tackle who belongs in the conversation with the league’s best.
In Other News...
Dexter Lawrence Is Already Creating A Bengals Problem Opponents Hate
Dexter Lawrence has wasted no time turning himself into one of the biggest weekly headaches the Bengals have to manage. Through four games, opposing lines have leaned on double teams to try to slow him down, but Lawrence keeps showing up around the ball and disrupting plays anyway, giving Cincinnati a rare interior force who changes the way offenses have to protect.
He already has three sacks and five tackles for loss, a pace that points toward a career-best season if he keeps this going. The next step for the Bengals is figuring out how to turn all that attention into even more pressure elsewhere, and the bye week should give the coaching staff a chance to build new ways to maximize what Lawrence is creating in the middle. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Bye Week Put Zac Taylor's Offense Under Pressure
Through five games, Cincinnatis passing game has been productive enough to keep the offense on schedule, but it has not looked as sharp as the continuity on paper suggested. The Bengals brought back all 11 starters, and still the attack sits 12th in total yards per game while searching for a little more punch when the field tightens in scoring range.
The bye week gives Zac Taylor and his staff a chance to look hard at the details that have held the unit back, especially the red-zone inefficiency and the way the offense has leaned away from under-center looks. There is also a running back decision hovering over the conversation, with the author making the case for a different starter, and the next stretch will say plenty about whether Cincinnati can turn those concerns into fixes before the season gets away from it. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Burrow Just Showed Why Bengals Fans Should Feel Better
After a rough stretch, Joe Burrow and the Bengals got the kind of response game that can settle a fan base down for at least a week. Cincinnati beat Miami 31-24 in Week 5, and Burrow kept the offense moving by completing 23 of 32 passes for 190 yards while working the ball to nine different receivers. The run game did its part, too, with 117 rushing yards helping give the offense a more complete look than it had shown earlier.
The bigger takeaway for Cincinnati was the way the passing attack started to feel less dependent on any one target. JaMarr Chase was back after his concussion, and his return added another layer to an offense that needed it. The Bengals still have plenty to clean up, but a balanced day and a win over a playoff-caliber opponent gave them something they had been missing: a little confidence that this can look like a real attack again. [Read more 🡒]