The Cincinnati Bengals debuted some new things Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.
That’s being a little simplistic. The post-Marvin Lewis offense ran new concepts that went back to key playmakers who wouldn’t have had a chance in past years. And the defense shifted players to new roles and didn’t look familiar often.
Loss or not, change has indeed struck Cincinnati.
Defense is multiple: The Bengals defense is now willing to line up in almost any so-called front, further trivializing the idea of a base defense. Sunday, guys like Carl Lawson and Sam Hubbard stood up. Different tackle tandems worked inside. Extra defensive backs were on the field. Rarely, no linebackers were on the field. There weren’t a ton of blitzes in there, but a double-corner look was effective when it did come. Some of this will be harder for the Bengals to pull off as the season goes on now that they put it on film, but for now, change is a good thing.
Offense will adjust by opponent: Joe Mixon can be a workhorse back — which Seattle went in trying to eliminate. The new coaching staff shrugged this off and threw it more than 50 times, generating a career yardage day for Andy Dalton and more than 400 total yards. Mixon isn’t a lock to go wild every week and it isn’t key to winning anymore. The passing attack carried the day — without A.J. Green, too.
Tight ends as blockers: While the above is true, one thing the Bengals might do plenty often is keep tight ends in to block. Tyler Eifert didn’t play even 50 percent of the snaps and had limited usage as a weapon. The tight ends might have to help the line often, which based on the results in Seattle, isn’t a big problem.
The John Ross show: Ross’ breakout was far from perfect but it was exciting, in a word. This isn’t so much about the numbers as it is the lesson — these coaches will keep going back to him. Ross was used as more than a decoy and wasn’t limited to one part of the field. He led the team in targets. He saw coaches and quarterback go right back to him after mistakes. The offense moved because of him, even without A.J. Green. That’s how a team can get production out of a top-10 product.
Zac Taylor is going to attack: Or at least more than this team has in the past. Taylor went for it on fourth down. He called a timeout in the first half to preserve time and went on to score. There aren’t any defeatist motions here and the change is hard to ignore — which means players sense it too.
Line issues cleaned up: No false starts! That’s a shocking statement for anyone who watched this team last year, yet it’s true. A revamped line with last-ditch hopes thrown in and other guys hurt, didn’t commit a false start in Seattle of all places and only had one penalty overall. Not bad.
