If the Bengals were looking for a clean place to start after Week 1, the offensive line gave them one. Against Tampa Bay, Cincinnati’s front didn’t just hold up - it controlled the matchup.
The pass protection was the sharpest part of the performance, with the Bengals allowing the lowest pressure rate in the NFL last week. The run game did its part too, finishing 8th in rushing EPA added.
A lot of that success came down to the tackles handling their one-on-one work. On the left side, Orlando Brown Jr. spent most of the afternoon matched up with Yaya Diaby, and the result was a shutout: 0 sacks, 0 QB hits, 0 pressures.
Diaby came in with 19 sacks over the last 3 seasons and 64 pressures plus 39 QB hits over the last two years, but Brown used his length and strength to keep him in check. Even when Diaby tried to win with speed, Brown recovered and got his hands back on him.
The same story played out on the right side, where Amarius Mims drew Rueben Bain Jr. in his NFL debut. Bain also finished with 0 sacks, 0 QB hits, and 0 pressures.
Mims looked composed throughout, using patient hands and quick feet to beat Bain to the spot and avoid the kind of reaching or lunging that can open the door for a pass rush win. He basically made Bain prove he could get through him with power, and that was a tough ask.
What stood out even more than the isolated wins at tackle was how Cincinnati handled the Buccaneers’ stunts and fronts. That’s been a problem area for the Bengals in past years, but this time they kept passing the test.
On one T-E stunt, Dalton Risner delivered a strong punch to the penetrator, and the key second push helped force the action toward Mims. Mims then closed the gap and took over the block, letting Risner shift over to pick up the looper.
It looked smooth because both linemen stayed balanced and handled their assignments exactly the way they were supposed to.
The ground game wasn’t as spotless as the pass protection, but there was still plenty to like. One of the more encouraging signs was the Bengals’ work from under center.
Chase Brown had a 40% success rate on runs from under center, compared with 20% out of shotgun. The shotgun number should climb - Brown posted a 42.2% success rate on shotgun runs last season - but the under center production matters because it opens the door to a bigger part of the offense.
That’s where play action comes in. If Cincinnati wants to keep pushing toward a more explosive attack, the under center run game gives them a path to the under center play action game they’ve lacked for the past few years.
Their best under center run on Sunday was duo, and it was a clinic. Duo works like power without a puller, creating vertical movement and giving the back multiple reads.
On this play, Risner and Mims combined to dislodge the 3 technique and handle the linebacker behind him, while Drew Sample erased Rueben Bain Jr. one on one. Erick All Jr. was motioned over to dig out the safety, and he got the job done.
Tee Higgins also showed buy-in on the perimeter by not just occupying the corner, but making contact and punching into him. That left Brown a clean lane into the end zone.
The Bengals then turned around and used the threat of that same structure against Houston. Cincinnati inserted the wide receiver through the C gap and sent him on a corner route, which sold a common duo block look. Drew Sample sold his normal block on the defensive end before slipping free in the flat, and Burrow hit him for an easy 10 yards and a first down.
That’s the next layer for this offense: building the play action off duo and finding ways to keep Burrow in the pocket while the receivers work deeper downfield. The line’s Week 1 performance gave Cincinnati something real to build on, and the film showed exactly why.
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