A Deeper Look at the Bengals' Third Quarter Struggles
The Bengals are searching for answers. They're 2-9-1 on the season and enter Sunday's matchup with the Cowboys having lost four straight games.
One of their biggest issues has been third quarter scoring. The Bengals are averaging just 3.2 points per third quarter, which is 30th in the NFL.
This issue isn’t new. The Bengals lack of third quarter scoring dates back to before Zac Taylor even arrived in Cincinnati. Since 2017, the Bengals have been consistently one of the worst teams in the league in third quarter offense, averaging only 2.9 points per third quarter over the last four years.
This has been an issue, but it's gotten worse this season.
In 2020, the Bengals have been shut out in the third quarter in six of their 12 games. They haven't scored in the third quarter since Week 7 against the Browns. Since then, they’ve been out scored 30-0 in the third, which is the worst in the NFL over that span.
The Bengals aren't scoring in bunches, but the third quarter has been unquestionably their Achilles heel. They're averaging at least one point less in the third when compared to the other three quarters.
1st quarter - 4.2 points
2nd quarter - 6.7 points
3rd quarter - 3.2 points
4th quarter - 5.6 points
Entering Week 13 the Bengals were 16th in the NFL in time of possession share in the third quarter with 49.1%. They had the ball, but failed to capitalize and score points.
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That statistic was even worse in 2019, with the Bengals being fourth in the league with time of possession share, but 31st in the league in third quarter scoring (2.2 points).
The Dolphins game was one of their worst third quarter showings. The Bengals finished with -4 yards in the third quarter. They went three-and-out on their only two possessions. The Bengals were up 7-6 going into the half, but the Dolphins outscored them 10-0 in the third quarter.
"In the third quarter, we haven’t accomplished our mission there. That leads to frustration," Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said Monday. "Everyone is handling it the right way, but there’s nothing wrong with being frustrated and disappointed. We’ve got to put it behind us and get focused on Dallas this week very quickly."
The Bengals have failed to score in the third quarter in five consecutive games.
Cincinnati had 14 third quarter drives over that span, resulting in 13 punts and one turnover. They’ve only gained 138 yards of total offense in the third quarter since Week 7.
The Bengals have struggled all season, but it’s evident that their lack of third quarter offense is one of the biggest factors in their failure.
In the last two years, the Bengals have been the worst team in the league in third quarter scoring, which looks like a direct correlation to their 4-23-1 record.
Their failure to achieve long, sustained drives that lead to scores in the third quarter have been their downfall in games where they hold a first half lead. They’ll need to figure out a way to get first downs after halftime, and eventually get into the end zone.
Their third quarter stats beg the question, what’s going on in the locker room at halftime and how can they fix it?
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