10-02-2021, 09:41 PM
Winning a prime time game without Tee Higgins, Jessie Bates, Ricardo Allen, and Chidobe Awuzie in the lineup was a huge accomplishment. Playing without Awuzie and Bates was especially significant given Trevor Lawrence is such an accurate passer.
This means (1) the Bengals’ bench is deeper than in previous seasons and (2) the second string players are better coached than in the past. Injuries happen to every team in the NFL, not just the Cincinnati Bengals. The big difference I’ve seen in Cincinnati is the lack of depth but on Thursday night I saw backup players play credibly and effectively.
With that said we come to the case of Joe Mixon whose high ankle sprain may keep him out of the lineup for awhile. Beating the Green Bay Packers takes a strong run game to sustain long drives which keep Aaron Rodgers on the bench. Is Samaje Perine good enough to be the featured running back or should Zac Taylor give the majority of the practice snaps to Chris Evans? Is it time to seek the services of a free agent running back?
This means (1) the Bengals’ bench is deeper than in previous seasons and (2) the second string players are better coached than in the past. Injuries happen to every team in the NFL, not just the Cincinnati Bengals. The big difference I’ve seen in Cincinnati is the lack of depth but on Thursday night I saw backup players play credibly and effectively.
With that said we come to the case of Joe Mixon whose high ankle sprain may keep him out of the lineup for awhile. Beating the Green Bay Packers takes a strong run game to sustain long drives which keep Aaron Rodgers on the bench. Is Samaje Perine good enough to be the featured running back or should Zac Taylor give the majority of the practice snaps to Chris Evans? Is it time to seek the services of a free agent running back?