The Cincinnati Bengals have been a different team over the last three weeks.
While much of that credit goes to new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, a big reason why the offense looks vastly improved is Joe Mixon. Drafted in the second round of this year’s running back-loaded NFL Draft, Mixon was who the Bengals had their eye on for much of the pre-draft process.
The expectation was Mixon could receive as many as 20 touches as early as Week 1, but that was not the case. Because the Bengals’ offense was struggling so badly, leading to the run game being largely abandoned.