The Cincinnati Bengals beat the Ravens handily this past week in Joe Burrow’s return. While Burrow’s return and subsequent play were among the big stories on the offensive side of the ball, another significant story was the performance of the offensive line. They kept Burrow upright while also opening up holes in the running game. Let’s take a closer look at how well the offensive line played.
How Good Were The Bengals’ Tackles?
The Bengals’ offensive line was stellar against the Ravens, and that started outside with the tackles Orlando Brown Jr. and Amarius Mims. According to PFSN’s OL Impact Score, Brown and Mims both scored in the top 10 tackles in the league in week 13, with Brown finishing 2nd with a score of 86.2 and Mims 10th with a score of 82.4.
The Bengals need their tackles to keep this up and protect Burrow, who is recovering from a toe injury. If the Bengals want to keep winning and make the playoffs, protecting Burrow is their top priority. Additionally, they need to maintain a strong run game, which helps alleviate pressure on Burrow as well.
How Good Were The Bengals’ Guards?
Another bright spot on the Bengals’ offensive line, as the season has progressed, has been rookie left guard Dylan Fairchild. While he certainly has had some struggles this season, he has picked it up lately and had a phenomenal day against the Ravens. His PFSN OL Impact Score of 84.4 was good for the 7th-best guard in the league in week 13. Dalton Risner played well at right guard with a score of 79.6, but finished as the 20th-best for the week.
The guards need to continue improving each week. Interior pressure coming up the middle at Burrow and forcing him to run outside of the pocket is something the Bengals will want to avoid. The guards also need to continue to open up holes in the run game and let Chase Brown continue to play at a high level.
How Well Did The Bengals Center Play?
Ted Karras has probably been the most consistent player on the Bengals’ offensive line. He has routinely played well in the middle of the offensive line between a rookie guard on the left in Fairchild and either another rookie in Jalen Rivers or Dalton Risner. Karras was the second-best center in PFSN’s OL Impact Scores with an impressive 88.8.
Karras, being a veteran presence alongside Dylan Fairchild, is crucial in the middle of the offensive line. He can help keep Fairchild from making mistakes. His veteran presence in making offensive line calls and helping keep everyone on the same page cannot be overlooked, either.
Week 13 was the best the Bengals’ offensive line has played all season. They protected Burrow and created holes for Chase Brown, preventing the Ravens defense from making a significant impact on the game. If the Bengals want to make the playoffs, they need the offensive line to keep playing at this level. Can they? For Burrow and Bengals fans’ sake, they need to.
