Bengals’ run game surprise in win over Dolphins could foreshadow what’s to come after the bye week
The Cincinnati Bengals bounced back on the ground with 117 rushing yards against the Miami Dolphins. How they got there, and who carried the load, says plenty about where the backfield is headed after the bye.
The most impressive part of the Cincinnati Bengals’ win over the Miami Dolphins might have been the bounce-back performance from the running game.
Cincinnati churned out 117 rushing yards after mustering only 23 the previous week. The volume went up, sure, as the Bengals ended up with 31 rushes as opposed to just 15 the week prior, but so did the efficiency. It came against a Miami defense that has been notably better against the run compared to defending the pass.
The Bengals also didn’t simply run the same plan back against a lesser opponent. Chase Brown was once again the starter and played the most snaps at running back, but Samaje Perine finished with more carries. That switch could foreshadow what’s to come after the bye week.
Samaje Perine made the most of his increased workload
This was only the second time since Perine rejoined the team last year that he carried the ball more than Brown. The other instance came last season in Cincinnati’s shutout loss to the Baltimore Ravens, when Perine once again had only one more carry than Brown.
That was a day the offense couldn’t get anything going. Sunday looked nothing like that.
The Bengals scored 31 points against the Dolphins, and the offense stayed ahead of schedule thanks to a run game that leaned more on its veteran No. 2 back as the game wore on. Perine rushed for 68 yards on 14 carries, averaging just under five yards per attempt. The longest run of the day also belonged to him at 11 yards. His 68 rushing yards were his most in a game since Week 8 last season, when he ran for 94 yards on nine carries against the New York Jets.
Perine’s carries on Sunday were successful 64% of the time from an expected points added (EPA) perspective, and he averaged 0.15 EPA per rush. He avoided negative plays, consistently kept Cincinnati ahead of the chains, and it proved to be a worthy complement to the Bengals’ underneath passing game.
It was objectively a promising day for Perine, and it forces our attention to turn to Brown.
Chase Brown’s standing on the depth chart comes into question
Brown has absorbed plenty of criticism over the last two weeks. This performance won’t take any heat off of him, especially since his backup outperformed him. However, I don’t think it’s as simple as relegating Brown to clear RB2 status and making Perine the featured tailback of this offense.
Brown should have a healthy dose of carries as his athleticism and elusiveness gives him potential for explosive plays. Cincinnati would be forfeiting much of that potential by giving Perine the lion’s share of attempts. You have to appreciate the stableness of Perine, but with that comes limitations and the defense doesn’t have to truly respect his presence in terms of big plays.
The problem is the potential has been just that. Brown has not produced an explosive run that has counted this year. If they continue to evade him, then Perine might be the better overall option as someone who can produce effieciency at the very least.
Cincinnati needs to embrace a 50/50 split going forward
The best path for this backfield is a truly equal partnership like it was in Miami. Splitting the work evenly keeps Brown and Perine fresh, and it makes a ton of sense for an offense still searching for an identity on the ground.
I think Perine’s effectiveness would also taper off if he was given significantly more carries than what he handled against the Dolphins. Brown needs to do more with his usage, but his value of keeping Perine fresh will still be felt throughout the season. Having both backs at the Bengals’ disposal makes each of them better.
If a true half-and-half split is what this run game looks like after the bye, then perhaps Cincinnati has found some semblance of competence on the ground.
