Bengals 2-Point Conversion: Joe Mixon's Success Could Be Key to Second Half of the Season

Joe Mixon looked like a brand new man as he ripped through the Carolina Panthers' defense on Sunday.

I've been calling for it for some time and even pointed out that Joe Mixon had a favorable stretch where he could break out of his funk. And did he ever.

With their 42-21 victory over the Panthers—which wasn't even as close as the score would indicate—Mixon accounted for 211 total yards and five touchdowns. It was the bounce back explosion the Bengals needed after their Halloween letdown against the Browns.

Just Have To Keep It Up...

Now that Mixon had his breakthrough performance, it's about continuing to play at the level we know he's capable of—and that won't be easy over the next month. While the Bengals still get the Steelers as their next opponent who are allowing 117.9 rush yards per game, they play two top five rush defenses in the Titans and Chiefs in Weeks 11 and 12, respectively. 

Mixon didn't have a ton of success against either team last season—rushing 14 times for 54 yards and a touchdown against the Titans and 33 times for 134 yards in two games against the Chiefs. That doesn't mean he can't build off last week's performance and continue to be a major part of the offense.

With Mixon emerging as the top offensive threat for Cincinnati against the Panthers, it took some of the pressure off Joe Burrow in the absence of Ja'Marr Chase. While Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, and Hayden Hurst have all shown how they can beat defenses in their own right, this offense is flat out different when Chase is on the field versus when he isn't. That's what happens when you have one of the top, young talents in the NFL who is well on his way to reaching elite status among the league's wide receivers. 

Another thing to keep in mind is that Mixon's performance didn't just elevate him—it elevated an offensive line that has been spotty much of the season. Any offensive lineman will tell you they love running the ball because it allows them to impose their will on opposing players and literally move them from where they want to be to open running lanes. The linemen should get plenty of credit with a running back to go for 153 yards on seven yards per carry, a big part of the credit was earned by the big guys up front.

Something like that can catapult a unit's confidence and create a chemistry that isn't manufactured, but earned from the entire line playing in unison. If that confidence, that cohesion, can translate to the passing game this offense will become unstoppable. However, can that momentum carry over through the bye?

...The Bye Couldn't Be Better Timed 

There's always a concern that a team will come out of a bye week a little sluggish or flat. That's just the reality. The Bengals, for example, are 3-7 coming out of a bye over the last 10 years. Not only that, but they've faced the Steelers in three of those 10 games and are 1-2 against them.

That won't matter come next week.

This isn't the same Bengals team—or staff—we saw for most of the 2010's and this isn't the Steelers team to be feared. Instead, the Bengals will utilize the bye week to ensure they get revenge for that shocking Week 1 loss to the Steelers.

One of the main reasons this bye is coming at the right time for Cincinnati is because it's about as halfway as a team can get. Thanks to the 17 game season, there's no one that can have an exact split in their season, but this allows the Bengals to recharge and regroup after battling back from that 0-2 start.

Not to mention, the Ravens are on a bye as well so the Bengals won't lose any ground in the division where they currently trail Baltimore by one game and the Ravens currently hold the tie-breaker. Instead, they come out of the bye against the cellar dweller Steelers while the Ravens will take on the Panthers.

It's also one less game the Bengals will be without Chase. Having the bye fall in the timeframe where Chase is trying to heal up and get back on the field is huge. It would be brutal to see him come back and play one game just to turn around and be off for a week. Instead, the Bengals are able to minimize the games they have to play without him with this perfectly timed week off.

The Bengals' remaining schedule is currently a combined 37-30, which isn't crazy impressive as the pre-season feared "murder's row" approaches. Four of the eight upcoming opponents currently sit above .500. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a shell of themselves, the Tennessee Titans have no one to throw the ball to, the Patriots have no idea what to do on offense, and the Bills' best player is dealing with an injury to his throwing elbow.

Not so murderous anymore, huh?

Bengals Extra Point

Cincinnati will have a chance to win back-to-back games against the Steelers in Pittsburgh. If they win, it will be the first time since 2005-06 since they won inside Heinz Field (Acrisure Stadium) twice in a row. The most they've won consecutively in the city of Pittsburgh is three, from 1988-90.

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