I’m going to get into the dysfunctional relationship between Joe Mixon and the Bengals and why the hell they just refuse to use him.
(Seriously, did he sleep with the bosses daughter or something?)
4th and 2, game on the line. Joe Mixon, the Bengals best play-maker lined up at WR – oh wait nevermind he must’ve snuck on to the field. Back to the bench because hey, why try and use your best players when you have Cody Core out there.
Joe Mixon’s stat line vs Baltimore:
12 Att | 14 yards | 1 TD | 1.2 avg
3 Rec | 38 yards | 12.7 avg
Is it just me or do the Bengals want to make us turn against Gio by playing him more rather than Mixon? It’s bad enough that neither of them are getting used properly by why screw with the already traumatized fan-base?
Joe Mixon deserves a better offensive line, better play calling, and more snaps. He has proven that he is a bonafide playmaker. AT LEAST Top 3 on the team. Why doesn’t he get more volume?
Mixon has proven to be effective when the ball is in his hands. When Joe has 20 or more touches a game the Bengals are 4-0; while when he doesn’t tote the rock the Bengals are 0-4. That’s staggering. It’s clear that this offense should run through Mixon and his abilities.
On 128 carries, Mixon has 584 rushing yards (4.6 ypg) and 5 TDs + a Receiving TD. Cincinnati needs an unpredictable and balanced attack and who better to lead that than an unpredictable (in a good way) Mixon? So many options can be sprouted from Mixon. He is a threat running it and coming out of the backfield in the pass game. A back who can get his way out of a 2 yard gain and turn it into a 15 yard play is very valuable in an evolving offensive league. A play action game with a speedster (Ross) would go a long way for a struggling passing attack but Cincinnati would need to build up a reputation for Mixon first to make the defense respect the run.
But sadly, no. They choose to keep their hands in their pants and go the typical pass-in-completion, run- 2 yard gain, and then pass-3 yard gain and punt. There are no dynamics in this offense which has so much talent. So why won’t they use him? Part of it is because the Bengals are usually trailing by a lot or by one possession – we don’t trust the defense and start to panic, “ANDY! ITS 3RD & 3,CHUCK IT”.
Whenever they do run the ball it’s very very, very, VERY , predictable. All we have to do is go back to this game against the Ravens. On the missed Field Goal to tie the game drive (that’s another issue for another article). 2nd and 10, 4:50 to go in the 4th, they come out in a THREE, THREE Tight End set with Cody freaking Core lined up out wide to seal the deal that it’s a run, they turn around and hand it off to Mixon for a 2 yard gain. Who knows though, maybe they thought Teryl Austin was the Ravens D-Coordinator somehow. This set up a 3rd and 8 and an incompletion which led to the missed field goal. Very conservative call. They played for field goal position and not for the win. Total misuse of Mixon’s talent. Other than this, Mixon didn’t touch the ball a lot previously to this play which put us in such a tough spot.
What does it take to get the man the goddamn ball? For that matter, what will it take to win a crucial divisional for that matter. AFC north match-ups are tough and gritty, good defense and a solid rushing game is the key to success. Unfortunately, but of course not surprisingly, our opponent had just that. And while Marvin looked concerned, Dalton frustrated, and the announcers talking shit about the defense (tough but fair), there stood Mixon on the sideline trying his best to be supportive while he whispered, “do they know I’m not the one who fumbled in the playoff game?”
Hopefully the run game can get going and Mixon can carry us to a playoff appearance so then they can abandon the run in 30 degree weather and miss dumpoffs to Running Backs while they lose by 10 points with 8 minutes left. Ahhh January.
