The Bengals have spent years living with the same complaint, and for a long stretch it was fair: the offensive line just wasn’t good enough. Now, though, the group in front of Joe Burrow has turned into one of the quiet strengths of the team, and it’s doing its work without much noise at all.
Through six games, Cincinnati has given up only 10 sacks. Five of those came in Week 2 against Houston, which means Burrow has been taken down just once per game across the other five contests. That’s a major shift from the version of this offense fans had grown used to seeing.
The contrast is even sharper when you look back to the Bengals’ last playoff game, the AFC Championship Game in January of 2023. That night at Arrowhead Stadium, Cincinnati had three backup offensive linemen on the field. The Bengals finished the first quarter with zero yards, and Burrow was sacked on the team’s final offensive snap.
A few weeks later, the Bengals made a major move by signing Orlando Brown Jr., the best left tackle in free agency. Brown has since signed multiple contract extensions with the team.
He drew concern after Week 2, and that concern made sense after a rough preseason and training camp. Since then, though, he has settled in and largely disappeared from the conversation, which is usually exactly what you want from a tackle.
The same goes for Amarius Mims, the 18th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. There was plenty of talk about his limited college playing time, but that’s not the story anymore.
At right tackle, he’s looking like a franchise piece. On the play Sunday when Burrow stepped up and hit Tee Higgins for a 44-yard gain, Mims wiped Ravens edge rusher Mike Green out of the action from the start.
Inside, the Bengals have found stability too. Ted Karras is the lone starter still around from that 2022 AFC Championship line, and he remains exactly what the team needs: steady, dependable, and a leader.
Dylan Fairchild has been largely unnoticeable at left guard, which in this case is a compliment, even with a couple of holding penalties mixed in. He’s in his second season and has looked like a strong third-round hit from the 2025 Draft.
At right guard, Dalton Risner has also given the Bengals a boost. He signed last August, just a week before the season began, and he’s been strong in both pass protection and the run game. Since taking over as the full-time starter in the middle of last season, the offense has looked much smoother up front.
That showed up again Sunday. In the second half, Burrow had clean pockets every time he dropped back to pass. For a Bengals team that spent years hearing about its line for all the wrong reasons, that kind of control in a division game stands out.
The Bengals’ offensive line deserves credit, even if it would probably prefer to stay anonymous. Fans spent years complaining about it, and more often than not, they were justified. But heading into November, this group is playing really good football, and it’s finally getting the results to match.
In Other News...
Demetrius Knight Jr Keeps Showing Up In Bengals' Biggest Moments
Demetrius Knight Jr. has become one of those Bengals defenders who seems to find himself in the middle of the games most consequential stretches, even when the day starts with a scare. In Sundays overtime win over the Titans, the rookie linebacker was shaken up in the first quarter and needed evaluation before getting back on the field, another reminder that his first NFL season has already included more than its share of bumps and bruises.
Knights latest return mattered almost immediately, because Cincinnati kept leaning on him in a game that stayed tight deep into the second half. He answered with one of the biggest defensive plays of the afternoon, a stop that flipped the momentum and fit the pattern he has been building all season: when the Bengals need a jolt, Knight keeps finding his way into the frame. [Read more 🡒]
Dexter Lawrence Is Giving Bengals Fans Another Reason To Love That Trade
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Zac Taylor has taken notice, praising Lawrences impact and pointing to the key plays he has made in recent games. The Bengals also locked him in with a one-year contract extension recently, a sign they see him as more than a short-term fix. For a team that has spent plenty of time searching for difference-makers, Lawrence is giving fans another reason to like the trade that brought him in. [Read more 🡒]
JaMarr Chases Sideline Frustration Says Plenty About Bengals Offense
JaMarr Chase did plenty of damage against the Titans, hauling in 11 catches for 141 yards and a touchdown, but the bigger takeaway for the Bengals may have been the edge he showed when things bogged down on the sideline. Cincinnatis offense has been searching for a cleaner rhythm early in games, and Chases body language offered another glimpse of how much that has been bothering one of its top playmakers.
Joe Burrow brushed off the sideline frustration as a good sign, reading it as competitive fire rather than a problem. Chase also leaned into the conversation afterward by pointing back to head coach Zac Taylor when asked about the slow starts, a nod to a phrase Taylor has already made part of the teams vocabulary. For a Bengals offense built around high expectations, even the frustration says something about how much is still being left on the field. [Read more 🡒]