Joe Burrow says the ball has to get to Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins no matter how they're being defended. Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images

• 

  Ben BabyFeb 15, 2026, 06:00 AM ET

CINCINNATI -- One big thing the Cincinnati Bengals did in 2021, when the team reached the Super Bowl, was something the best teams this season also had in common.

They created big plays.

Three of the four teams that reached this year's conference championships were among the league leaders in percentage of plays that gained 20 or more yards. That included the Seattle Seahawks, who took down the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX.

But since that 2021 season, Cincinnati hasn't been nearly as explosive. The Bengals' rate of big plays has plummeted, even when quarterback Joe Burrow has been healthy. Opponents have limited Burrow's ability to find star receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on downfield targets.

And finding ways to manufacture those plays again could help the Bengals get back into the postseason.

"You can't just let teams double them and then say, 'Those guys are out of the game plan now,'" Burrow said at the end of last season. "They're too good of players to think that way. You still have to find ways to get them the ball."

Burrow praised the way coach Zac Taylor and his staff have been able to find ways to get Chase and Higgins the ball. Both players had productive seasons coming off massive contract extensions. Chase had 125 receptions on a league-high 185 targets and was named an All-Pro for the second straight year. Higgins led the AFC with 11 receiving touchdowns and was named to the Pro Bowl as a replacement

Opponents have made it a point to make it difficult for the Bengals to find those big plays that they feasted on during that 2021 campaign, Cincinnati's best season in 33 years. As a rookie, Chase had eight touchdowns on receptions of 25 or more yards. The next-closest player had five.

Then teams started to adjust and started double-teaming him.

"Until [teams[ physically played against him and felt how physical he was, they thought they could stop him," Taylor said in November. "And then once [defensive backs] ran back to their coordinators saying, 'He's too strong,' then that was where we saw a shift."

The numbers bear that out. In 2021, Cincinnati was sixth in the NFL in percentage of offensive plays that gained 20 or more yards, according to ESPN Research. The rankings following that season -- 17th, 27th, 21st, 20th.

ESPN defines explosive plays as carries that are 10 or more yards or receptions of 20 more yards.

Defensively, there is no doubt that Cincinnati struggled to keep teams from posting explosive plays. The Bengals surrendered 122 of them last season, two fewer than the league-worst New York Giants.

Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase ranked third in the NFL in receptions and fourth in receiving yards in 2025. 

But a further look at the data showed that what the offense does perhaps play a bigger role than what the defense gives up.

In 2025, teams that had six or more explosive plays in a game won 63% of the time.

When Cincinnati built its current version of the roster, it invested heavily in putting pressure on teams with its passing trio of Burrow, Chase and Higgins. All three have received lucrative contracts that are a combined $551 million in total value and $250 million in total guaranteed money.

And opponents are making sure that the Bengals don't win with big plays to their top receivers.

"Teams that haven't showed that on tape will throw that out there against us, and it's because nobody can cover those guys one-on-one unless they have some kind of help somewhere in funneling them," Burrow said in December.

Cincinnati still found ways to score. But the deeper numbers show that the big plays haven't materialized like in previous years. This year's playoffs, and the heights Cincinnati experienced in 2021, showed that the teams that stretch the field are the ones that have the best shot of winning big.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47910462/cincinnati-bengals-joe-burrow-big-plays

1 hour ago, Arkansas Bengal said:

Joe Burrow says the ball has to get to Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins no matter how they're being defended. Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images

• 

  Ben BabyFeb 15, 2026, 06:00 AM ET

CINCINNATI -- One big thing the Cincinnati Bengals did in 2021, when the team reached the Super Bowl, was something the best teams this season also had in common.

They created big plays.

Three of the four teams that reached this year's conference championships were among the league leaders in percentage of plays that gained 20 or more yards. That included the Seattle Seahawks, who took down the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX.

But since that 2021 season, Cincinnati hasn't been nearly as explosive. The Bengals' rate of big plays has plummeted, even when quarterback Joe Burrow has been healthy. Opponents have limited Burrow's ability to find star receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on downfield targets.

And finding ways to manufacture those plays again could help the Bengals get back into the postseason.

"You can't just let teams double them and then say, 'Those guys are out of the game plan now,'" Burrow said at the end of last season. "They're too good of players to think that way. You still have to find ways to get them the ball."

Burrow praised the way coach Zac Taylor and his staff have been able to find ways to get Chase and Higgins the ball. Both players had productive seasons coming off massive contract extensions. Chase had 125 receptions on a league-high 185 targets and was named an All-Pro for the second straight year. Higgins led the AFC with 11 receiving touchdowns and was named to the Pro Bowl as a replacement

Opponents have made it a point to make it difficult for the Bengals to find those big plays that they feasted on during that 2021 campaign, Cincinnati's best season in 33 years. As a rookie, Chase had eight touchdowns on receptions of 25 or more yards. The next-closest player had five.

Then teams started to adjust and started double-teaming him.

"Until [teams[ physically played against him and felt how physical he was, they thought they could stop him," Taylor said in November. "And then once [defensive backs] ran back to their coordinators saying, 'He's too strong,' then that was where we saw a shift."

The numbers bear that out. In 2021, Cincinnati was sixth in the NFL in percentage of offensive plays that gained 20 or more yards, according to ESPN Research. The rankings following that season -- 17th, 27th, 21st, 20th.

ESPN defines explosive plays as carries that are 10 or more yards or receptions of 20 more yards.

Defensively, there is no doubt that Cincinnati struggled to keep teams from posting explosive plays. The Bengals surrendered 122 of them last season, two fewer than the league-worst New York Giants.

Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase ranked third in the NFL in receptions and fourth in receiving yards in 2025. 

But a further look at the data showed that what the offense does perhaps play a bigger role than what the defense gives up.

In 2025, teams that had six or more explosive plays in a game won 63% of the time.

When Cincinnati built its current version of the roster, it invested heavily in putting pressure on teams with its passing trio of Burrow, Chase and Higgins. All three have received lucrative contracts that are a combined $551 million in total value and $250 million in total guaranteed money.

And opponents are making sure that the Bengals don't win with big plays to their top receivers.

"Teams that haven't showed that on tape will throw that out there against us, and it's because nobody can cover those guys one-on-one unless they have some kind of help somewhere in funneling them," Burrow said in December.

Cincinnati still found ways to score. But the deeper numbers show that the big plays haven't materialized like in previous years. This year's playoffs, and the heights Cincinnati experienced in 2021, showed that the teams that stretch the field are the ones that have the best shot of winning big.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47910462/cincinnati-bengals-joe-burrow-big-plays

1 hour ago, Arkansas Bengal said:

Joe Burrow says the ball has to get to Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins no matter how they're being defended. Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images

• 

  Ben BabyFeb 15, 2026, 06:00 AM ET

CINCINNATI -- One big thing the Cincinnati Bengals did in 2021, when the team reached the Super Bowl, was something the best teams this season also had in common.

They created big plays.

Three of the four teams that reached this year's conference championships were among the league leaders in percentage of plays that gained 20 or more yards. That included the Seattle Seahawks, who took down the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX.

But since that 2021 season, Cincinnati hasn't been nearly as explosive. The Bengals' rate of big plays has plummeted, even when quarterback Joe Burrow has been healthy. Opponents have limited Burrow's ability to find star receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on downfield targets.

And finding ways to manufacture those plays again could help the Bengals get back into the postseason.

"You can't just let teams double them and then say, 'Those guys are out of the game plan now,'" Burrow said at the end of last season. "They're too good of players to think that way. You still have to find ways to get them the ball."

Burrow praised the way coach Zac Taylor and his staff have been able to find ways to get Chase and Higgins the ball. Both players had productive seasons coming off massive contract extensions. Chase had 125 receptions on a league-high 185 targets and was named an All-Pro for the second straight year. Higgins led the AFC with 11 receiving touchdowns and was named to the Pro Bowl as a replacement

Opponents have made it a point to make it difficult for the Bengals to find those big plays that they feasted on during that 2021 campaign, Cincinnati's best season in 33 years. As a rookie, Chase had eight touchdowns on receptions of 25 or more yards. The next-closest player had five.

Then teams started to adjust and started double-teaming him.

"Until [teams[ physically played against him and felt how physical he was, they thought they could stop him," Taylor said in November. "And then once [defensive backs] ran back to their coordinators saying, 'He's too strong,' then that was where we saw a shift."

The numbers bear that out. In 2021, Cincinnati was sixth in the NFL in percentage of offensive plays that gained 20 or more yards, according to ESPN Research. The rankings following that season -- 17th, 27th, 21st, 20th.

ESPN defines explosive plays as carries that are 10 or more yards or receptions of 20 more yards.

Defensively, there is no doubt that Cincinnati struggled to keep teams from posting explosive plays. The Bengals surrendered 122 of them last season, two fewer than the league-worst New York Giants.

Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase ranked third in the NFL in receptions and fourth in receiving yards in 2025. 

But a further look at the data showed that what the offense does perhaps play a bigger role than what the defense gives up.

In 2025, teams that had six or more explosive plays in a game won 63% of the time.

When Cincinnati built its current version of the roster, it invested heavily in putting pressure on teams with its passing trio of Burrow, Chase and Higgins. All three have received lucrative contracts that are a combined $551 million in total value and $250 million in total guaranteed money.

And opponents are making sure that the Bengals don't win with big plays to their top receivers.

"Teams that haven't showed that on tape will throw that out there against us, and it's because nobody can cover those guys one-on-one unless they have some kind of help somewhere in funneling them," Burrow said in December.

Cincinnati still found ways to score. But the deeper numbers show that the big plays haven't materialized like in previous years. This year's playoffs, and the heights Cincinnati experienced in 2021, showed that the teams that stretch the field are the ones that have the best shot of winning big.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47910462/cincinnati-bengals-joe-burrow-big-plays

The big-time explosive plays have dropped as the stats show.

Higgins still gets his 14 per catch totals but JMarr has taken a dip.

The targets have stayed the same but it's

more short stuff then rely on his yac yrds.

Being doubled has that effect but still would prefer him going deep more.

If the Bengals had a better rounded offense, they could punish teams more who double Chase and Higgins. But our O-linemen are chosen for pass blocking rather than run blocking so it's hit or miss from week to week whether our running game is effective.

17 hours ago, sparky151 said:

If the Bengals had a better rounded offense, they could punish teams more who double Chase and Higgins. But our O-linemen are chosen for pass blocking rather than run blocking so it's hit or miss from week to week whether our running game is effective.

JB wants to apss and pass a lot so the OL is (finally) built that way. I have no issue with the offense other than Zac Shula's idiotic play calling.

Our offense is overly pass happy. Our QB and top 2 receivers are the strength of the team so we'll pass more than average teams. But it's not a mystery whether we're passing or running most of the time. Depends on whether the TE is Gesicki or Sample. In 2021 we had a bad O-line but with Boyd as a reliable WR3 and Uzomah able to both block and catch, we were less predictable. Chase could go deep with 1v1 coverage and catch a lot of 50 yard passes. So defenses play 2 deep against us now. That should set us up for more runs vs light boxes and shallow crossing routes to the TE or WR3. Especially if we'd signed Derrick Henry when he was a free agent or traded for him in 2023 when the Titans were shopping him for a 3rd round pick (which turned out to be Battle).

We've improved the O-line since 2021 but mainly for pass protection. Karras can't move any starting NFL DT by himself. Surprisingly for their size, Brown and Mims aren't particularly good run blockers, they probably can't get low enough.

And yes the play calling is predictable and a net liability compared with most teams. It's why I wanted to move on from Taylor this year and replace him with the Flores/McDaniel combo. But Mike Brown would never spend the money required to do that.

3 hours ago, sparky151 said:

Our offense is overly pass happy. Our QB and top 2 receivers are the strength of the team so we'll pass more than average teams. But it's not a mystery whether we're passing or running most of the time. Depends on whether the TE is Gesicki or Sample.

This is why a real TE would do much more for the offense than another RB.

The run game would improve if Taylor didn't insist on calling draw plays out of the shotgun in short yardage. There's this recurring theme of trying to outsmart everyone & it seems to start at the top. It's not working, it's never worked, it's not going to work. Paul Brown is dead and gone. At some point they may need to consider that their minds aren't really that tremendous. Not saying they're a bunch of dumbfucks or even bad coaches, but they're not "outsmart the entire NFL in all facets of the game" clever, either. Unfortunately everyone in the organization is so far up each other's asses trying to validate The Family that an honest assessment of anyone's abilities remains out of the question. It's a scapegoat culture based on loyalty above results.

I've said it before. This offense has not been right since Boyd left. It's not the RB, the TE, or the O-Line. It's the mostly non-threat WRs we have at WR3. Yoshi has not been good enough and the other guys like Tinsley, Chuck Sizzle, etc... can't even out perform a disappointing, drop-happy Yoshi. It was exciting when they grabbed Burton but he pissed it all away and fucked us the fans, the Bengals, and ultimately himself. They need to take another swing at getting a high-end WR3 again.

On 2/17/2026 at 11:42 AM, sparky151 said:

urprisingly for their size, Brown and Mims aren't particularly good run blockers, they probably can't get low enough.

Modern day "run blocking"...such as it is...consists of basically grabbing and leaning.

This may not be the perfect illustration, but was the best I could locate:

Compared with the '60's:

Yeah, I know about cut-blocking rules, etc. The run blocking technique was just better long ago.

7 hours ago, BBR said:

I've said it before. This offense has not been right since Boyd left. It's not the RB, the TE, or the O-Line. It's the mostly non-threat WRs we have at WR3. Yoshi has not been good enough and the other guys like Tinsley, Chuck Sizzle, etc... can't even out perform a disappointing, drop-happy Yoshi. It was exciting when they grabbed Burton but he pissed it all away and fucked us the fans, the Bengals, and ultimately himself. They need to take another swing at getting a high-end WR3 again.

I'd like them to pick Zechariah Branch or Omar Cooper in round 2 or 3. But that probably requires fixing the defense in free agency and is likely beyond the Bengals front office's abilities.

Is Branch actually 5'10". That's pretty much the minimum size WR they are going to select unless they expect them to just be a returner. I'm not sure that they need a small, fast slot receiver. That's not what Boyd was.

You can sell me on Cooper mid / late 3rd though. In the 2nd, it's going to have to be someone that can play the slot and outside if Chase or Higgins get injured. So a receiver like Elijah Sarrat or Malachi Fields. They both need to have good combines though to prove they have the athleticism to go that high. Otherwise, they're going to be 3rd or 4th rounders based on size and disappointing athleticism.

Yoshi was drafted as Tee's replacement if he left in free agency. Jones was supposed to be the slot guy to replace Boyd. Branch is a better version of Jones and his speed and quickness would add a dimension to the offense that we don't currently have. The kick returns are just a bonus.