Jeremy Hill's Emergence in Win vs. Rams a Great Sign for Bengals' Playoff Push

All season long, no matter the record, observers wondered when the Cincinnati Bengals would get back to their run-first ways with talented lead back Jeremy Hill.

The much-anticipated answer? Week 12, a 31-7 whipping of the St. Louis Rams.

What a time, right? Coming off a two-game skid to kill the flames of a franchise-best 8-0 start, the Bengals in part found an answer to their struggles through Hill, who carried the ball 16 times for 86 yards, good for better than five yards per rush.

That doesn't sound so impressive, but put the outburst into context with Hill's otherwise disappointing sophomore campaign:

OPP	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD
at OAK	19	63	3.3	2
vs. SD	10	39	3.9	0
at BAL	12	21	1.8	0
vs. KC	9	40	4.4	3
vs. SEA	8	13	1.6	0
at. BUF	16	56	3.5	0
at PIT	15	60	4.0	0
vs. CLE	15	52	3.5	0
vs. HOU	7	15	2.1	0
at. ARI	13	45	3.5	2
vs. STL	16	86	5.4	0

Keep in mind, too, that the Rams entered the contest allowing an average of just 19.9 points per game and ranking among the top half of the league in terms of rushing yards allowed per game.

It's not even so much the numbers, though season highs are never a bad thing for any running back. It's more the fact St. Louis had to throw attention at Hill in the backfield, which opened things up through the air for Andy Dalton, who threw a trio of scores, two to A.J. Green and one to Tyler Eifert.

Another effect of Hill's outburst? The offensive line played better as a whole. After a trio of uncharacteristic performances in which the Cincinnati line let up two or more sacks of Dalton, tackle Andrew Whitworth's unit didn't let up one while also bulldozing its way around on the ground.

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Call it a challenge accepted by Hill, who before the game received a bit of motivation from offensive coordinator Hue Jackson.

NFL Network's Mike Silver took to GameDay Morning to chronicle the exchange between coordinator and player, according to NFL.com's Kevin Patra: "Gio Bernard, who lost his job to Hill, responded the way Hue Jackson wanted, saying 'I'll show you,'" Silver said. "(Jackson) is waiting on that from Jeremy Hill. So he said to him, 'Hey now is the time, it's been long enough, it's time for you to jumpstart this running game.'"

By game's end, Hill led all rushers with his 16 attempts. Even better, the Bengals as a whole ran it 31 times compared to Dalton's 27 pass attempts.

It's important to note, though, that Hill left the game in the final frame after coming up lame. He took to Twitter to ease the minds of fans:

Little went wrong for Hill on the day he rediscovered his form. Gone were the stutter steps in the backfield, the indecision created perhaps by a pair of early-season fumbles.

Sunday, Hill was confident and decisive in his runs, and the Bengals were better for it, perhaps more balanced than they have been all season.

In a way, this almost mirrors Hill's journey last season as a rookie. The team seldom went his way early in the season before unchaining him in November to go on an epic tear. Over the team's last three games, of which it won two, Hill carried the ball no fewer than 22 times in each, rushing for more than 100 yards in each and totaling three rushing scores.

Gary Landers/Associated Press

A sense of deja vu might be on the way. Hill has carried the ball more than 15 times in a game just three times this year. He's fresh, and Sunday, by definition, had to be a confidence booster.

Just in time, too, because the playoff race looks quite wild. The Pittsburgh Steelers remain alive in the AFC North, and the Bengals still have a trio of divisional games and an encounter with the Denver Broncos looming on the schedule.

If Hill can mimic his late-season tear from one year ago, with the outburst against the Rams the first step, the Bengals can ride into those games—and quite a bit more—confident, balanced and dangerous.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.