Who Is to Blame for the Bengals’ Disastrous Rushing Attack?

The Cincinnati Bengals are currently the 2nd worst rushing offense in the NFL in yards and attempts per game. 

This is a shocking development for Bengals fans. So, who is to blame for this reality? Zac Taylor, Joe Burrow, or Chase Brown? 

Let’s start with Zac Taylor, the person I lean toward blaming most. Since 2021, the highest run% the Bengals have seen was 40.4%, in 2021 with Joe Mixon. Since then, they haven’t had a year where they ran the ball more than 36% of the time. 

At the end of the day, he calls the plays. Despite the amount of pressure to let it fly from Joe Burrow, he is still in ultimate control. Taylor has put little to no emphasis on establishing the run and leaning on it to move the ball. The best offenses in NFL history have run the ball about 42% or 43% of the time on average. 

He made it clear in training camp that they were going to run more under center and play action, but the offense struggled to get going in practice as they adjusted to the new tendencies. They are the least efficient offense in under-center snaps despite seeing a 54% uptick from last season, per Stick to the Model on X. So far, the biggest emphasis and offseason plan have been a failure. 

As I mentioned before, Burrow deserves some of the blame. He isn't hiding the fact that he wants no part of finding more balance in the run game, saying he wants to throw more despite their 33-67 split. Burrow told reporters he knows they are good at it; it’s what he does best, and they are also great in pass protection right now. 

I’d agree; it’s what he’s best at. But is it what’s best for the Bengals? The answer is no. 

The final person who might deserve blame is Chase Brown. He was one of the players on the Bengals roster that people thought could take a big jump forward, but he’s been one of the least productive #1 running backs in the league. Brown is averaging 3.6 yards per carry and hasn't yet eclipsed 100 yards in a game this year, going for just 10 yards in the loss to the Jaguars. 

Zac Taylor and Joe Burrow clearly don’t think Brown is worthy of a bigger workload, and it makes you wonder what a true between-the-tackles running back could do in this Bengals offense, instead of a receiving back like Brown, who is basically fighting for scraps with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.