Thank God Joe Mixon toughed it out Sunday! How else could he continue ruining our fantasy seasons?
Mixon strung together another wholly useless effort, ripping his 11 carries for an explosive 17 yards (good for a healthy 1.5 YPC). Thankfully, as Zac Taylor’s “Gurley,” Mixon remained heavily involved in the pass game, hauling in three balls for another breathtaking 10 yards (3.3 YPR).
Granted, more of the blame falls on the Bengals bottom-three offensive line than Mixon. These “maulers” generated no push, and Mixon had zero space (where he’s most dangerous). Also, the defense couldn’t stop a nursing home’s second team, forcing Cincinnati to abandon the run early.
The question becomes… will either of these issues improve?
Early prognosis suggests no. The line is guaranteed to blow and contend for worst in the league. The defense will continue to be a sieve.
Still, hope might exist in the surrounding offense. Even without AJ Green, the Bengals and Andy Dalton rank second in passing yards, trailing only Patrick Mahomes. John Ross has strung together two straight 100+ games, and Tyler Boyd looks even more dangerous. Once Green returns, this offense could be a sneaky aerial juggernaut.
As such, Mixon somehow still feels like a hold in trades. Hell, his owner is likely freaking out, so maybe toss a feeler out there.
Nonetheless, this hope won’t help ease the pain of anyone who, like myself, took Mixon above Dalvin Cook. Nope. Each and every one of our breaths will be haunted from here on out. Let’s hope the Bengals can keep it more competitive, and get Mixon more involved, in Week 3 versus the Bills.
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