Jan. 22, 2022, 3:30 p.m. ET
Jan. 22, 2022, 3:30 p.m. ET
While the Bengals’ passing game gains the most notice, their top running back, Joe Mixon, quietly put together his best year in Cincinnati, where he’s played since 2017. Mixon ran for 1,205 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2021, both career highs. He added 314 receiving yards (and three touchdowns), making him one of three running backs, with Austin Ekeler of the Chargers and Jonathan Taylor of the Colts, who had more than 1,500 yards from scrimmage and at least 15 touchdowns.
At 6-foot-1, 220 pounds, Mixon is not Derrick Henry big. But he’s had a career-high 292 carries — for a 4.1 yard average — as Cincinnati ramped up his usage to protect Joe Burrow, the N.F.L.’s most frequently sacked quarterback.
In the Bengals’ wild-card game last weekend, the Raiders focused on containing Mixon, who finished with a modest 48 yards rushing on 17 carries and 28 yards receiving. But if the Titans try to double-team any of the Bengals’ speedy receivers, Mixon could get a bigger share of the action on Saturday.
