MINNEAPOLIS -- The biggest problem with the Cincinnati Bengals' offense became painfully clear on Sunday.
In yet another game, Cincinnati couldn't muster anything on the ground in a 41-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, the worst defeat in franchise history. The Bengals rushed for a paltry 53 yards on 21 attempts. A team that entered Sunday hoping to find an identity in the run game was left searching for any possible answer.
"There's a lot we have to prove in the run game," coach Zac Taylor said after the game. "It's not pretty right now. We're not going to run from that."
Starter Chase Brown, who entered the year with high expectations, had one of the worst games by any running back in the last six seasons.
Against the Vikings, Brown had 10 carries for three yards. Per ESPN Research, that is the fewest by any running back with that many attempts since Saquon Barkley had one yard on 13 carries for the New York Giants in 2019.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Brown had minus-22 rushing yards over expectation on Sunday, which indicates that he has not been able to gain what has been available. Rookie Tahj Brooks and veteran Samaje Perine, who left the game with a thumb injury, didn't fare particularly better.
"From the running back position, I feel like breaking more tackles, breaking more tackles and getting up to the second level and making more explosive [plays], I think that's what we can do at our position," Brown said on Sunday.
Last season, Brown rushed for 990 yards and seven touchdowns. He entered the year as the firm top option and was lauded by coaches throughout the offseason. However, he has struggled to get going. As of Sunday afternoon, Brown had the lowest success rate (25.5%) of any running back with at least 15 carries this season, NFL Next Gen Stats showed.
But the issues could be far greater than Brown. On seven of his 10 attempts against Minnesota, Brown was either hit at the line of scrimmage or in the backfield, according to ESPN Research, a sign that the offensive line struggled.
"The most disappointing [thing] is that everyone up front took a turn against a really good front," center Ted Karras said. "I'm not going to discredit [the Vikings], but to let the game get away from us was an [offensive] line responsibility."
With back-up quarterback Jake Browning making his first start of the season in place of the injured Joe Burrow, who is on injured reserve following toe surgery, Cincinnati couldn't give Browning a boost with the run game.
The biggest concern is where the Bengals go moving forward. Taylor said the team must identify several aspects of the run game, from the style of runs called to which players the running backs will run behind.
"There's a lot of that going on that we got to really sort out and identify our problems and be able to correct them on the run," Taylor said.
The need to quickly find a solution in the midst of a season has been a constant through Taylor's seven-year tenure. Back in 2019, Taylor's first year, the Bengals were forced to rip up their run game midway through a season that ended with a 2-14 record. The same things occurred even during the height of the team's recent success that yielded two AFC North titles and deep playoff runs.
After what happened on Sunday, issues that weren't detrimental in two wins to start the year were impossible to gloss over.
"The main thing is winning games," Brown said. "When you lose, it's different. Obviously, we have to look ourselves in the mirror and figure out where we have to get better and move on."