Early look at the Detroit Lions 2017 opponents: Cincinnati Bengals
By Ash Thompson
Running Backs
I think the Bengals may have the best backfield in the NFL, but each player has his downsides. Second round pick Joe Mixon may have been the best running back in the draft. He was splitting carries with Washington’s fourth round pick Samje Perrine in Oklahoma and still finished second only to Christian McCaffrey on the NCAA’s total yards list.
If he doesn’t repeat his offense he will almost assuredly be the steal of the 2017 draft. If teams sleep on the Bengals running game he will make them pay. He has the power between the tackles, speed to get outside. In the passing game, he is more than capable of turning a check down into a touchdown.
Gio Bernard is one of the league’s better passing down specialists. Most years he had been a good enough runner to keep teams honest, but that slipped last season. Even so, he is a capable second fiddle to Mixon’s premier talent. He is coming off ACL surgery, however, and the position is one of the most injury prone in football.
That is likely all that keeps Jeremy Hill on the Bengals roster. Hill is a capable short yardage back who has been ineffective in all other situations for most of his career. If Bernard goes down, Hill can do the hard labor while Mixon takes Bernard’s role and most of the snaps between the twenties.
Offensive Line
The Bengals offensive line is awful. Their 2015 first round pick is their starting left tackle, but not because he has earned a spot on the field. The Bengals lost long time pro bowler Andrew Whitworth in free agency this year and have failed to replace him. Clint Boling is the Andy Dalton of offensive linemen. He should be a starter in the NFL, but on his best days, you just won’t notice him. That makes him the Bengals’ best offensive lineman.
Andre Smith returned to the Bengals and will act as a pylon at right guard. Jake Fisher has been awful when pressed into duty since joining the team in the second round of the 2015 draft. Their center has a history of snapping miscues that have scared the team since his rookie season. The Offensive line is likely to be the team’s Achilles heel.