Expect Cincinnati Bengals to Get Back to Run-First Ways After Bye Week

The Cincinnati Bengals have a reputation as a run-first team, but it's been a new-look Andy Dalton carrying the offense to 6-0 so far this season. 

Expect that to change when the team comes out of its bye.

Through those six games, the offense has attempted more rushes than passes just twice. It's hard to blame head coach Marvin Lewis and his staff, though—Dalton's uptick in play, the health of the weapons and simple game flow have necessitated such an approach.

It just won't last. In reality, the Bengals have one of the most balanced attacks in the league, with Dalton at 193 passing attempts and the rushing attempts at 183. Being a run-first attack by definition, though, means the lead backs, so take out 27 rushes by Dalton and four by wideouts to whittle it to 193-152.

An insistence on getting back to the rush has been a theme all season. Lewis and offensive coordinator Hue Jackson have had to assure the media multiple times that Jeremy Hill remains the starter. Before last weekend's encounter with the Buffalo Bills, Lewis again stressed the change in approach, per Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com: 

No dice. Hill ran 13 times, Giovani Bernard eight in a contest where the time of possession was literally an even split at 30 minutes apiece.

So how do the Bengals fix this and get back to where they want to be?

First of all, it's hard to complain with the results so far. Maybe it's time to stop trying to shoehorn the team's offense into a preconceived reputation.

Realistically, though, the problems were twofold—the schedule and Hill prohibited Lewis from employing the approach he preferred.

The schedule opens up in a big way after the bye, as opponents' averages against the rush show:

Week	Opponent	Rush YDS/A	Rush YDS/G
1	OAK	3.6	83.2
2	SD	5.4	132.5
3	BAL	3.6	94.5
4	KC	3.6	96.2
5	SEA	3.6	99.7
6	BUF	3.8	87.2
8	PIT	3.7	93.3
9	CLE	5.0	149.8
10	HOU	3.8	109.0

As one can see above, things get much easier on the ground after the bye, and the Pittsburgh Steelers' numbers might end up not meaning much if Ben Roethlisberger isn't back from injury. Teams had to mostly shelve the run in order to keep up with Big Ben's passing attack.

With the schedule more open to a running ball-control style, the other problem steps into the spotlight, and it isn't as easy to figure out.

Hill has simply struggled ever since his two-fumble performance against San Diego earlier this year. In that game, he watched as Bernard carved up the Chargers for 123 yards on 20 attempts. Hill didn't outcarry his complement again until this past weekend in Buffalo.

Although it's a fantasy analysis more than anything, Sigmund Bloom of Footballguys.com painted the scene well:

Hill's running more east-west than north-south right now when the former is Bernard's job and the latter helped him post 1,124 yards and nine scores on a 5.1 per-carry average last season. This year, he has breached 4.0 yards per carry just once in six tries.

It's not as if the Bengals struggle to run block. The line has its lapses like any other, but it ranks as the fourth-best run-blocking line at Pro Football Focus for a reason.

It almost has to be a confidence thing. Look at the Oakland Raiders' defensive ranks above and then recall Hill's 63 yards and two scores in the opener. It seemed like a sign of things to come, but his 16 carries against the Bills were the closest since.

Bill Wippert/Associated Press

If there's a way to rediscover confidence and get the offensive line slamming downfield into defensive backs with Hill in tow, it's the upcoming slate of games as the weather gets colder and the passing game more difficult.

"I think it will come," left tackle Andrew Whitworth said, per Joe Kay of the Associated Press (via WCPO.com). "Every year we hit that point. In our division and with our style of play, later in the year running the ball seems to be more successful because of the cold weather."

The fun thing about these Bengals? A run-first approach with one of the best one-two tandems in the league used to be a requirement for the team to compete. 

Six games in, that's just not the case anymore.

Regardless, the Bengals want to run as if it is. The Bengals have a bye week to recommit to their preferred style of play. Necessary or not, expect the Bengals to come out after the week off pounding the rock like past iterations.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and accurate as of October 19. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.