The Cincinnati Bengals attempt to close out the 2023 NFL Season will begin with a tough matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Without superstar quarterback Joe Burrow, what will be the Bengals game plan?
Jake Browning Usage
The most obvious change this week will be the change at quarterback following the season-ending injury of Burrow. The Cincinnati Bengals will start Jake Browning, who looked sufficient against the Baltimore Ravens but will be far less versatile than Burrow.
Losing a starting quarterback is always an incredible struggle for multiple reasons. The most apparent is the drop off in talent, but arguably the most notable is the difference in practice reps throughout the season.
Typically, the backup quarterback spends a decent amount of time with what is called the scout team, where he will be running the opposing team’s plays to help the defense prepare for the upcoming games. Therefore, Jake Browning most likely hasn’t utilized much of the Bengals playbook since the Bengals preseason.
Typically, teams in this situation will resort to simple short pass plays and screens. While Burrow threw a decent proportion of screen passes due to a below-par offensive line, Browning will likely throw even more in an attempt by Bengals head coach Zac Taylor to settle his inexperienced backup quarterback.
It would be surprising to many to see the Bengals attempt more than 10 passes of more than 20 yards during the game against an elite Pittsburgh Steelers offense. Look to see the Bengals utilize star receivers Jamar Chase, Tyler Boyd, and running back Joe Mixon in a variety of difference screenplays.
Cincinnati Bengals running game
The second significant change in the Bengals game plan must be to force-feed Joe Mixon more. Mixon has been relatively inefficient this season, but that has been primarily because the Bengals have relied on an elite passing offense and have limited their attempts to ground and pound.
The Pittsburgh Steelers defense is a strong unit with former defensive player of the year edge rusher T.J. Watt and Pro Bowl safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. If the Bengals aim to have any success offensively against this top-tier defense, they will have to soften the Steelers with a smashmouth style of play.
Defensive Gameplan: Chaos Cannon
To put it mildly, the Cincinnati Bengals face an uphill battle to make the playoffs at this point. So, as mentioned in the hit series Ted Lasso, the Bengals should try to be as unpredictable as possible on defense and “hit their opposition with the Chaos Cannon.”
While Defensive Coordinator Lou Anarumo has done a tremendous job building the Bengals’ Defense up over the past three seasons, the team has performed poorly thus far, giving up 386 yards per game and ranking third worst in the NFL in that category.
A major problem with the Bengals’ defense has been tackling, but Anarumo is also known for playing a fairly soft zone defense and limiting blitzing. With the Bengals essentially having nothing to lose, look to Anarumo to increase his blitz percentage, play more man coverage, and attempt to confuse the mistake-prone Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett.