Cincy Jungle
The Bengals have been inconsistent in these areas in recent seasons.
While rewatching the Bengals vs. Chargers game from Week 11 of last season - don’t ask me why I decided to relive that game, which resulted in the worst night of sleep I’ve ever gotten in my sports fan life - there was something in that game that stood out to me as an area of needed improvement for the Bengals in 2025.
We’re all focused on the Bengals improving in September so they can play with a greater margin for error in November and December. At this year’s NFL Owners’ Meetings in Palm Beach, Florida, The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. wrote that head coach Zac Taylor is emphasizing “a desire to bring a more cohesive, close-knit team to training camp, suggesting they felt too splintered last season. He thinks dedication to creating better chemistry in OTAs could contribute to a faster start, not more on-field competition in the spring.”
But there’s something else I want to see the Bengals improve on in 2025: Fourth downs.
In 2024, the Bengals were 10/19 on fourth downs. That’s barely over 50% at 52.6. But it’s not just being consistent on fourth down that I want to see from the Bengals in 2025. The Bengals need to be more prepared for fourth-down attempts and two-point conversions.
Against the Chargers, the Bengals were 33 on fourth down. That’s great, but they had to call a timeout prior to two of their fourth-down attempts. Through 17 games last season, the Bengals had to call a timeout before three fourth-down attempts.
In addition, they called a timeout prior to a 3rd & 1 late in the third quarter against Philadelphia in Week 8. The next two plays? A run by Zack Moss for no gain and a pass from Joe Burrow to Ja’Marr Chase that resulted in a two-yard loss. The entire momentum of the game swung on that sequence.
I want to see the Bengals improve on fourth downs and be more prepared for them in 2025. There’s enough talent and options on this Bengals offense to have a deep selection of play calls for fourth down. They shouldn’t have to take a timeout before going for it on fourth down, and they should be better than just 52.6 percent on fourth down in 2025.
Another area the Bengals need to become more consistent in is two-point conversions. In 2024, the Bengals were just 1/3 on two-point conversions. Twice on those three two-point conversion attempts, the Bengals had to take a timeout. That includes in Week 10 at Baltimore, where the Bengals went for two to try to win the game and missed (though there were obvious missed holding calls on Baltimore).
Fourth downs and two-point conversions can be deciding plays in games, especially in games the Bengals will most likely be involved in in 2025. I’m all for being aggressive and going for two when the opportunity presents itself, but preparation is key...
