Joe Mixon Goes Off, Bengals Play 'Complete Game' Against Panthers: 'We Needed That'

Cincinnati crushed Carolina to improve to 5-4 ahead of the bye week.

Author:
Elise Jesse
Publish date:
Nov 7, 2022 9:05 AM EST

In this story:

The Cincinnati Bengals managed to turn what was expected to be an unattractive game between a 4-4 and 2-6 team into a magical win and a franchise record breaker for veteran running back Joe Mixon.

Mixon needed to have a breakout game and he finally did. Questions have been swirling about the Pro Bowler all year due to the lack of explosive plays and just three touchdowns through eight weeks of football. Many were asking if Mixon lost a step and wondering if Chris Evans should get more playing time or if Samaje Perine should be on the field down the stretch of games.

Mixon silenced it all with a stunning Week 9 performance, producing four touchdowns in the first half against Carolina and finishing with a franchise record five scores.

“It feels great to be able to have a special game,” Mixon said. “I knew at some point the dam would break, and it did today. I’m very excited for my teammates. The way these guys come to work and the trust we have, it’s a blessing.”

Thanks to Mixon’s total effort with 211 yards and five touchdowns, Joe Burrow was able to get extra rest when backup quarterback Brandon Allen came in to finish the game late in the third quarter.

“There wasn’t a lot of joy in the locker room this week [after Browns loss],” Burrow said. “It’s good to win a game like this in the fashion that we did going into the bye, so everyone can enjoy the bye, get their bodies right, and be ready to go.”

It was Cincinnati’s most balanced offensive attack of year just six days after only managing to run the ball a total of 10 times in Week 8 against Cleveland.

“We needed that," Jonah Williams said. “We needed to re-establish what we know we are capable of doing here and I think that 242 yards on the ground, Joe (Burrow) being super efficient through the air and our defense playing lights out, that’s exactly what we needed to do after last week.”

Mixon was averaging just over 3-yards per carry going into Week 9, but averaged seven yards per carry in his complete domination of Carolina. Following the win he refused to take full credit.

“Without my teammates it’s not true, it’s not going to happen," Mixon told All Bengals in the locker room.

The game plan was to stick to the run game and Zac Taylor's plan worked to perfection.

"There’s plenty of times there’s been great opportunities for run looks where we’ve pulled the ball out of his hands and thrown it for great gains," Taylor said. “So he just hasn’t benefitted, maybe, from those carries that have been turned into productive throws. We’re not going to apologize for that. Obviously, great players want the ball. He’s a captain and he’s handled this thing really well. All of these guys know that sometimes their number isn’t called as much, but then there’s a game that’s going to smack them right in the face where it’s games like this."

What was the difference in Cincinnati’s rushing attack this week? Simple. More opportunities are a big part of it.

“We stuck to the run game a little bit more,” Williams said. “We stayed efficient, we moved the chains, gave the play caller confidence to keep calling them, we were being successful.”

Finding confidence in the run game comes just in time for the Bengals as fall will soon turn into winter. Knowing there’s a late November game in Pittsburgh on Sunday night after the bye week, and seeing games still left on the schedule against Kansas City, Cleveland, Buffalo and Baltimore—an efficient run game will be crucial for their season’s relevancy.

"It was the first complete game of the year," Burrow said. “It’s how we expect to play every week. Run game, defense, pass game, it was all clicking today. We have to find that sauce and keep it in our back pocket for the rest of the year. We have to keep winning. We have a big one Sunday night in Pittsburgh. Have to get one in our division. Then we have to find wins, scrape them out any way we can. Not every day will be like this so we have to find ways to win games down the stretch where it’s not perfect but you find a way to win."

Cincinnati’s defense has had to absorb multiple key injuries to their defense which included nose tackle DJ Reader, cornerbacks Chidobe Awuzie and Mike Hilton and other key members of the defense. On Sunday they showed they still had enough depth to effect a game in a big way.

Germaine Pratt’s interception was the first of two turnovers forced by this defense. That led to Carolina benching starting quarterback PJ Walker after he passed for just nine yards in the first half. Carolina’s offense never got into a rhythm, and only had one first down at halftime and it was because of a penalty.

“We were erasing what happened (Monday), looking at the film we had to correct it and come out and compete,” Pratt said. “We showcased it in the first half, going out there and attacking those guys. Going out there with the mentality that we needed to get better and running the ball with Joe, he set the tone today with five touchdowns, just showing that we are still that team that is capable of going far.”

Talking about Cincinnati’s 2021 campaign doesn’t matter in 2022, but there are similarities. The Bengals are going into the bye week with a 5-4 record just like last year, but the most important similarity—the team is truly starting to show cohesion and balance as they enter the second half of the season.

Nobody thought they would be relevant last year except the guys in uniform. After their most recent win, maybe we should take a chance and believe them.

There's been a lot of chatter about Joe Burrow and other guys elevating their games with Ja'Marr Chase out, but the coaching staff needed to elevate their play calling as well. We cannot overlook the fact that Taylor and the rest of his staff called a complete game and answered the bell against the Panthers.

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