CINCINNATI — It’s been 20 games since the Cincinnati Bengals had a 100-yard rusher, but it’s not necessarily a drought offensive coordinator Hue Jackson is in a huge hurry to see end.
That was evident late in Sunday’s 24-10 win against Atlanta. Even though starting tailback Giovani Bernard had 25 carries on 86 yards with 4:29 left, Jackson sent rookie Jeremy Hill out to start what would be the team’s final offensive series of the game.
“We have stars on our team and we respect that, but we have an offensive unit and what we’re trying to do is win as a unit,” Jackson said. “Whatever it takes to do that, that’s what we’ll do. We don’t care who it is.
“One game it might be Gio, the next game it might be Jeremy, A.J. (Green), (Mohamed) Sanu, whoever,” Jackson continued. “If you can make a play in the offense, we’ll give you a chance to make a play.”
Bernard finished with 90 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries, while Hill rushed 15 times for 74 yards and a touchdown. And while the Bengals didn’t end the 100-yard rusher dry spell, they achieved something that went back even farther than 20 games with a team total of 170 yards that was the most since putting up 221 on Nov. 25, 2012 against Oakland, a span of 23 games.
Running the ball will be key again Sunday against a Tennessee team that ranks first in the NFL in passing defense.
Look for Jackson to find ways to get both Bernard and Hill involved again after failing to do so in the season opener when Bernard ran the ball 14 times while Hill only had four carries.
“The first game I didn’t do it as well,” Jackson said. “I’ll be the first to tell you I could have done it better. But last week I think I improved in that area, making sure (Hill) was out there and he made some plays.
“My comfortability with him, I had to talk to myself about,” he continued. “When you’ve been around a guy like Gio and his talents and what he’s able to bring to the team, you get used to that. But the other guy’s very talented, too. That’s why we drafted him.”
While many view the backs as a dynamically different duo, with the 5-foot-9, 208-pound Bernard being quicker and slicker while Hill (6-1, 238) is more straight-line and physical, Jackson said he sees more similarities than differences in the two.
And because both backs can be effective doing what the other one excels in, it keeps the entire playbook open for Jackson regardless of whether Bernard or Hill is in the game, a luxury the team has not had in recent years.
“I haven’t changed it if Jeremy’s in or if Gio’s in,” Jackson said. “I know people think I’ll run Jeremy more between the tackles than I will Gio. No. Gio’s a football player and he’d probably get mad at me if I didn’t run him between the tackles. That’s what he sees himself as – a running back.
“So our guys, whatever their name is, whatever it is they want to model themselves after, they’re just a tandem.”