Bengals Winning Formula on Offense this Year

[*ochocincos*]

(12-22-2021, 02:03 PM)Fan_in_Kettering Wrote: A balanced offense makes lots of sense but here’s why people are upset:  Joe Burrow.

People expected Joe Burrow to pass on every play.  It’s true.  It’s stupid as a box of rocks but it’s true.  Adding Ja’Marr Chase to the lineup promulgated this harebrained idea on steroids.  

The truth is in the numbers.  At LSU Joe had his best passing ratings when he threw the ball 25-35 times per game; no more.  Let’s not forget LSU had Clyde Edwards-Helaire running the ball effectively too; LSU under Joe Brady was a balanced offense.

It is unrealistic for Joe Burrow to throw the ball 40+ times in the NFL.  It’s not how the game works even in the pass-happy 2020s.  The NFC West may be more amenable to passing every week but the Bengals play in the AFC North where the run game becomes critical late in the season.

Joe Burrow is going to be very good, maybe even elite.  He has all the right characteristics to attain that level of play.  Let’s understand there are times when the Bengals will have to play smash mouth football and passing will necessarily take a back seat to the run.

I think people expected that if so much was going to be invested in the passing game (specifically with drafting Chase after drafting Higgins the year before), the team would pass more than they do.
Burrow is 15th in pass attempts at 435. Brady is at 602. Mahomes at 549. Herbert 542.

I'm not opposed to being balanced, and I like when the running game works, but I don't know if I would have drafted another WR so early if I wasn't planning to be pass-heavy.