The Bengals are heading into Sunday night with first place in the AFC North on the line, and the mood around Cincinnati has shifted fast. A win over Atlanta brought plenty of good feeling back into the picture, but the trade deadline only added to the pressure around a team that stood pat while rivals made splashy moves.
That backdrop is what made Marvin Lewis’ recent comments on Bengals UK’s CinciNatter Podcast stand out. The former Cincinnati head coach laid out three clear points for Zac Taylor if this team is going to push all the way to a championship this season.
His first message was simple: the issue isn’t Chase Brown, it’s how often the Bengals are actually running the football. Brown has 397 rushing yards on 103 carries this season, averaging 3.9 yards per carry, and Lewis pushed back on the idea that the back is the problem.
“They’re not running the football consistently enough to take the pressure off [Joe Burrow]. I think Chase Brown is a good player, and the more last year that he got to touch the football, the better he did as well.”
The criticism around Cincinnati’s ground game has grown louder, especially with the chatter about whether the Bengals should have gone after a back like Jonathan Taylor. Lewis’ view was that the play-calling deserves more blame than Brown does, and the numbers at least give that argument some weight.
Lewis’ second point was about the defense, which has improved from last season but still ranks eighth in the league in total yards allowed per game. That’s not the kind of profile that usually carries a team through January, and Lewis said the early-season cohesion has slipped.
“Looking at the stats last week...(against Tennessee). They allowed five of 12 third-down conversions, and they gave up almost 160 rushing yards. They’ve got to get back to doing things better on defense and you play defense with 11 guys all working together; you’re interlocked, and everybody’s got to do their job, and they’ve got to do a better job.”
The Bengals will get another test against a Steelers offense that sits in the middle of the pack in passing, rushing and total points. If Cincinnati can handle that challenge, there’s at least a path back toward confidence on that side of the ball.
And then there’s Joe Burrow, the one part of this equation that still makes everything feel possible. Lewis’ final point was about trusting the quarterback who has emerged as the NFL’s leading MVP candidate.
For Lewis, Burrow’s value goes beyond the numbers and the throws. It’s the way he carries the group, and the way his presence lifts everyone around him. In a season with plenty of noise, that may still be Cincinnati’s biggest edge.
In Other News...
Bengals Fans Have Real Reason To Dread Sundays Referee Crew
Sundays matchup with Pittsburgh comes with a familiar name in the referee assignment, and for Bengals fans, that alone is enough to raise an eyebrow. Clete Blakeman will work the Week 10 game, bringing a long track record with Cincinnati into a divisional meeting that already figures to be tense, physical and heavily scrutinized.
The Bengals have gone 8-9 in games Blakeman has headed since 2010, and the recent history has not been kind. His crew has also been among the leagues most active when it comes to throwing flags this season, and with a postseason rsum that includes plenty of high-stakes work, this is the kind of officiating setup that tends to keep everyone on edge well before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Just Sent A Risky Message In The AFC North Race
With the NFL trade deadline passing on Nov. 10, Cincinnati stood pat while several AFC contenders tried to sharpen their rosters for the stretch run. The Bengals did not make a move, leaving both the offense and defense intact despite sitting at 6-2 and firmly in the AFC North hunt. In a market where rivals were willing to add help, Cincinnati chose continuity over change.
The decision also left a few obvious roster questions hanging in place, including a running back group that has struggled to generate consistent production. The Bengals had been linked to Philadelphia defensive end Arnold Ebiketie, but nothing materialized before the deadline closed, and the front office ultimately decided against any additions. For a team trying to hold its edge in a crowded division race, the message was clear enough, even if the long-term wisdom of it will take a few more weeks to sort out. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Suddenly Have A Real WR3 Decision To Make
The Bengals left Madrid with a 34-17 win over the Falcons and, as often happens after a strong offensive showing, a quieter roster question is starting to matter. Cincinnati has been leaning on Dohnte Meyers as its third receiver, and the fit has looked natural enough that he has become more than a temporary fill-in, giving Joe Burrow another explosive option in the passing game while the offense keeps rolling.
Now the timing gets interesting with Andrei Iosivas working his way back from injured reserve after thumb surgery. He has been sidelined since Week 3, but the staff has indicated he is close to returning to the 53-man roster, which puts the Bengals in a spot they did not have to answer a few weeks ago: how to handle a receiver rotation that may already have settled itself without him. [Read more 🡒]