The Bengals have gone from 2-0 to treading water in a hurry, and the offense is now staring at a familiar problem with a very thin margin for error. After back-to-back losses in Weeks 3 and 4, Cincinnati sits at .500 and heads into a matchup with an 0-4 Miami Dolphins team that has shown little life in 2026 so far.
That trip to Miami could get even trickier if the Bengals are without both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. If that happens, the burden on Joe Burrow only gets heavier, and the one thing Cincinnati badly needs is a run game that can keep defenses honest.
Instead, the ground attack was essentially wiped out against Jacksonville on Sunday. The Bengals managed just 23 rushing yards on 15 attempts, a number that tells the whole story.
Chase Brown carried 9 times for 10 yards. Samaje Perine added 7 yards on 3 carries.
Burrow even chipped in 6 yards on 3 carries, which says plenty about how little the offense could generate on the ground.
That kind of production is not just a nuisance. It leaves Burrow in a spot where he was forced to throw the ball 54 times against a strong Jaguars defense, and that is a dangerous way to live.
After the loss, Burrow was asked about the run game and didn’t complicate things: “My response to that would be, let’s throw it more.”
The instinct is understandable, but that approach can only take an offense so far. In the NFL, living almost entirely through the air invites mistakes, and mistakes turn into turnovers. Cincinnati spent a major part of the offseason working on the play action/under center offense, but so far it has not produced the results the Bengals were hoping for.
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Stewarts situation has now turned into the kind of roster conversation teams usually hope to avoid this early in a draft class. Cincinnati still has every reason to want his talent to show up on Sundays, but with very few snaps in recent games, the question is no longer just when he breaks through. It is whether the Bengals can keep waiting for that breakthrough while trying to manage the rest of the season around him. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Burrow Gave Bengals Fans A Laugh They Really Needed
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During a recent press conference, Burrow gave reporters and fans a laugh when he reacted to the word galled with apparent unfamiliarity. It was a light moment in a week when the Bengals could use one, and it briefly shifted attention away from the skid and back to the quarterbacks quick wit as Cincinnati looks to stop the slide. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Burrow Is Pushing A Bengals Offensive Change That Still Isn't Working
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Joe Burrow said the team is still committed to giving that approach more reps, even if the execution is not there yet. There are other moving parts for Cincinnati too, with Bryce Young potentially in line for more snaps because of injuries among the top receivers, while the defense continues to deal with problems covering and tackling tight ends. [Read more 🡒]