Bengals' locker room showing signs of frustration after loss to Ravens
The Cincinnati Bengals were expected to dominate the AFC North after hitting their stride during the playoffs last season. But that's not what's happened so far this season. Instead of dominating, the Bengals are 2-3 and a game behind the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North standings. The Bengals' most recent loss, to the Ravens […]
The Cincinnati Bengals were expected to dominate the AFC North after hitting their stride during the playoffs last season.
But that's not what's happened so far this season.
Instead of dominating, the Bengals are 2-3 and a game behind the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North standings.
The Bengals' most recent loss, to the Ravens on Sunday night, has caused some frustration in the locker room — specifically with the play calling.
Cincinnati wide receiver Tyler Boyd told reporters on Monday that he was surprised the Bengals didn't give the ball to running back Joe Mixon when they were near the goal line late in the fourth quarter against Baltimore.
Boyd was respectful with his comments, but it's clear that he wasn't thrilled with the play call (an opinion seemingly shared by most Bengals fans).
Instead of giving the ball to Mixon, Cincinnati tried to run a Philly Special, which failed horrendously.
The reason the play failed so badly is because the Bengals were expecting man coverage from the Ravens.
Baltimore, however, went with zone coverage.
Essentially, Cincy just got outcoached.
The Bengals need to figure out their play-calling issues. They're too talented to be 2-3 in the weak AFC North.
This week might be a good time for players like Joe Burrow to step up and have some hard conversations with coaches. The Bengals trust Burrow. And his input when it comes to play-calling has proven to be valuable. It might not be a bad idea to sit down with Burrow and rewrite the playbook.
Featured image via Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
