Hue Jackson's Bengals Offense Must Find Balance with Running Game Immediately

The Cincinnati Bengals were supposed to be more focused on running the ball this season with Hue Jackson as offensive coordinator. Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill were to be featured heavily in a offense that would be more balanced, taking the pressure off quarterback Andy Dalton

Instead, the Bengals have veered away from the run, and it's leading the entire team astray. It was the most evident in Cincinnati's 27-0 loss in Week 7 to the Indianapolis Colts, a game in which not running the ball was the worst decision the team and coaching staff could have made.

The Bengals ran the ball only 12 times against the Colts, netting them a total of 38 yards. Eight of those carries—for 12 yards—came in the first half, though the Bengals were only down 10-0 at halftime. And this lack of running also occurred in a game in which Dalton was without his top weapon, A.J. Green, as well as missing Marvin Jones and Tyler Eifert.

The Bengals haven't been balanced this season, though they have had three games—two wins and a tie—with over 100 rushing yards. Dalton has attempted 189 passes thus far, while Hill and Bernard have combined for 133 carries. 

Cincinnati ranks just 16th in rushing attempts per game at 27.2 and 16th in rushing yards per game at 111.5. This team should not be middle-of-the-pack in rushing, not with Bernard and Hill both averaging 4.3 yards per rush and combining for seven rushing touchdowns. Dalton has only thrown six touchdowns this year.

It's clear that the run could pay off big dividends if only the Bengals would commit to it.

For what it's worth, Jackson is aware that not running the ball enough has hurt the team. Speaking to the media on Monday, via ESPN.com's Coley Harvey, Jackson said of the Bengals' meager 12 rushes against Indianapolis, "Sometimes you just have to be stubborn enough to [run the ball]. You've got to give guys an opportunity." 

He also acknowledged that the lack of running led to repeated failures to convert on third downs and kept Cincinnati's defense on the field too long: "It seemed like every time you turned around, it was three-and-out and here comes the defense back out there. That's not how you play as a team."

Player	Atts.	Yds.	YPA	TD	1st Down	Fumble
Bernard	93	401	4.3	4	19	0
Hill	40	170	4.3	3	11	0

The Bengals ended the day against the Colts with just 20:17 in time of possession compared to 39:43 for Indianapolis. They ran only 54 plays to the Colts' 78 and converted one of 13 third downs and failed on their one fourth-down attempt. Ultimately, they were outgained 135 yards to 506.

While it's true that teams will often ease up on the run when facing a points deficit, the Bengals had no excuse for running the ball just four times in the second half, especially when being just 10 points down on the Colts' home field to start the third quarter.

And the dearth of receiving weapons available to Dalton should have made the Bengals a run-first, run-often team from the first possession. The Bengals gave up on the only healthy, functioning part of the offense far too quickly. Patience is often the biggest key to having a good day running the ball; that was clearly not the team's approach in Week 7.

Hopefully the Bengals do not repeat the same mistake this week in an important home divisional matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, who lead the AFC North with a 5-2 record.

Green could play, but as of Tuesday he told NFL Network (h/t Pro Football Talk) his status "still up in the air," while conceding that whenever he does return to action "it's probably not gonna be 100 percent" as far as his injured toe is concerned.

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

With Green expected to not be at full health for the rest of the season and Eifert not returning to the lineup until next month, the Bengals will continue to be thin in the passing game. Mohamed Sanu is playing quite well, but there are few other options for Dalton to turn to.

Jermaine Gresham has only 24 catches for 177 yards and no scores. The newly signed Greg Little is little assistance—he had one catch for 13 yards in Week 7, his Bengals debut, and dropped the first pass thrown to him, which is his career calling card. Bernard is the team's third-leading receiver but also has no receiving touchdowns.

Further, Bernard and Hill have as many rushing first downs combined—30—as do Sanu and Green, the Bengals' two leading receivers. Though the passing game may pick up more chunks of yardage, the run game has moved the chains and extended drives just as effectively, if not more so.

Baltimore Ravens	5-2
Pittsburgh Steelers	4-3
Cincinnati Bengals	3-2-1
Cleveland Browns	3-3

Also, neither Hill nor Bernard has turned the ball over this year. Dalton, however, has thrown three interceptions, and Green and Dane Sanzenbacher both have lost fumbles as receivers. The run game has been reliable, which is why it is so confounding that the Bengals worked as hard as they could to not rely upon it last week against the Colts.

The Bengals have a pair of running backs who would make most teams in the NFL jealous. This offense, especially with the injuries it has suffered, needs to return to a balanced approach in order to win games.

It was the lack of a run game that kept the Bengals defense on the field so much against the Colts, and that issue will continue to recur without running the ball. Dalton is not the type of quarterback who can sling the ball for 35 or more times per game and lead this team to a win. 

Cincinnati's run-friendly coordinator needs to reacquaint himself with that old friend immediately for the Bengals to get out of their two-loss, one-tie slump they've been in since their bye week.