Blame the run game

[Millhouse]

(11-27-2023, 05:17 PM)bengals1969 Wrote: The only thing I knew going into the game was Robbins was getting a work out.  
Pittsburg limited the Bengals to only about 40 offensive plays while getting close to 70 of their own.  The Bengals are lucky they didn't lose by 30 points.
Mixon can't carry the Bengals in Burrow's absence.  True he only got 8 carries, but do you think the score would have been closer if he had 16?  
Mixon is talented and if he was averaging Najee Harris like numbers, 6.6/carry, all the pressure is off Browning and he can make short throws to advance the chains.  So defenses will keep a safety in the box, if necessary to stop the run, then force Browning to make longer throws, taking more time in the drop back and giving him little room to get to Chase.  Every defense will be thrilled to see Chase's Pittsburg stat line of 4 rec for 81 yards and 0 TD.

Browning got sacked, hurried, fumbled as a result.  All defenses will do this for the rest of the season.  

Based on the gameplan they took into that game, probably not. If anything though it would have helped time of possession helping the defense a tad. And maybe if a decent hole opened up could have changed one of those drives, field possession, etc. from that point on. Obviously in hindsight more carries could have had a better chance of winning that what did happen.

But if they had prepared to run the ball since they had mini-bye week, then yeah I think they could have had a better chance for winning. Streamline the run plays and practice them into the ground. Tell the line to man up and grow a pair to punch the Steelers D in the mouth. Instead, they just threw their hands up as it was clear they didn't prepare to run the ball.