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Breaking down the biggest thing the Bengals’ offense needs to do better: The four-minute drill Zac Taylor wanted to make a point. At the end of the Cincinnati Bengals’ preseason opener, a 16-14 win over the Detroit Lions, he used his postgame speech to the team to remind the group of one of the Bengals’ biggest flaws over the last two years. Taylor highlighted an end of game situation, the four-minute drill opportunity for the Bengals to run out the clock with a few first downs. The Bengals — really, their fourth-string unit — didn’t move the chains, punted and gave the Lions’ offense one more chance. Taylor told the team after the game that the four-minute offense was a situation that “we’re going to really focus on in the next two weeks of practice… Our focus these next two weeks is that exact situation that we’re going to find ourselves in 75% of the games that we play in.” The Bengals shared a video of the speech on their social media account. In four-minute drill situations last season — late in games in the fourth quarter when the Bengals had the lead — they were terrible. The Bengals were technically one-for-six. But that one success was in the same game (at Baltimore) that the Bengals fumbled the ball in a prior four-minute drill opportunity, and that second four-minute drill ended with the Bengals’ offense stalling out and settling for a field goal. In 2024, the Bengals were four-for-10. But those four successes included one four-minute drive (at Carolina against a bad defense) where Orlando Brown Jr. committed an ill-advised holding penalty, one drive where Chase Brown fumbled but recovered the ball (at the Giants), one drive where the Bengals’ shotgun passing game bailed out an unsuccessful power run attack (vs. the Raiders) and one drive (at Tennessee) that included so many penalties and reasons for frustration that Joe Burrow had a memorable conversation with Taylor on the sideline when it was over. So yes, the Bengals really need to work on their four-minute offense. “It comes down to a few things,” Orlando Brown Jr. said. “Most importantly, knowing what the opposing team is going to do. What defensive front do they like to run? How do they like to blitz? What’s their personnel? “The second thing is being able to be violent and physical. It’ll take 10 guys outside of the quarterback on offense to make something happen in those situations. People know what you’re trying to do. You’re running the ball into a loaded box.”In a four-minute drill, you want to run the ball and the opposing defense knows that you want to run the ball. As a result, defenses throw looks at you that the offense hasn’t seen all game because the threat of the pass is much more irrelevant. “The (run) scheme is really important,” Taylor said. “There are situations where you can navigate some extra yards in some tough looks. You’re typically going to be outnumbered. You want to give them the best opportunity to grind out a four-yard run. That’s really challenging in four-minute mode.” The Bengals were very successful between 2022 and 2023 at executing their four-minute offense. Joe Mixon had some huge moments, so did the offensive line and so did the coaching staff with the run scheme that sealed wins for Cincinnati. In 2022, the Bengals got big personnel onto the field and had Samaje Perine wear down the Jets to seal a win, they peppered the Steelers with inside zone on a big drive, they caught the Titans off guard with an under center toss sweep for a game-changing run, they mixed shotgun runs and under center runs to close out a game against the Chiefs and they beat up the Bills with their run game in the playoffs. In 2023, four-minute drives against the 49ers (sealing wide lanes for outside runs from Mixon) and the Bills (powerful runs up the middle) were perfectly executed. In 2024, the Bengals’ offensive line took a big step back due to the regression of Alex Cappa and Cordell Volson. The guard play wasn’t as reliable, which impacted the Bengals’ power run game. Losses at the guard position resulted in too many negative plays. When Erick All wasn’t on the field, the tight end blocking also wasn’t good enough. As a result, the Bengals’ often used lighter personnel groups when they were trying to be a power run team (it surprised me just how much they were in a three wide receiver set or had Gesicki on the field in a situation where most teams would be trying to pound the rock). The Bengals were built to drop back and pass, and they struggled when the offense had to take on a different form and pound the rock. They also got too pass happy in four-minute situations. Drops, sacks and picks killed several late-game drives by the offense. In 2025, the Bengals tried to close out the game with a power run attack on two separate drives in Week 1 at Cleveland. Instead, the offense had two of the worst drives that you’ll ever see as the Browns stonewalled the Bengals. On one of those drives, the Bengals went under center. They only went back under center in a four-minute drill one more time all season. They spent most of 2025 trying to run out the clock with their normal offense, and unsuccessful passes killed drives against Pittsburgh and the Bills (the memorable pick six late in the game). In sum, it all came down to bad execution as well as an under-center offense that wasn’t good enough. “We’ve got to be able to run the ball efficiently,” Chase Brown said. “We’ve put a lot of emphasis on being able to finish games with our run game. Being physical up front. Being physical as runners. Making sure we finish the game with the ball in our hands.” As bad as the four-minute offense has looked at times, there have still been flashes. And the flashes tell a story. On Thanksgiving in Baltimore last year, the Bengals faked a power run, pitched the ball to Brown going the other way and saw him deliver an explosive run. Later in that game, Brown executed a creative run where he bounced between a tight end and a receiver. In 2024, in Kansas City, the Bengals had success on another toss play. On the road in Carolina, the Bengals had All running all around the backfield to deliver all types of crushing blocks on a really impressive four-minute drive (until a penalty from Orlando Brown Jr. set it back). “So often since we’ve been here, the calls have been really good in those situations,” Brown said. “I think back to the Carolina game a few years ago. I had a holding penalty in a four-minute spot. That can’t happen.” Other good designs in four-minute situations include an awesome touchdown to end the Giants game in 2024 that had Brown following two pulling tight ends who inserted into the box and created gaps that New York wasn’t ready to block, runs in Tennessee in 2024 where the guards got into space and the wrinkles that the Bengals threw at the Bills in 2022. After watching all of the Bengals’ four-minute situations from the last four seasons, it looks like the scheme has worked best when the Bengals get the ball in space and give the running back space to bounce. The film study reminded me of this recent quote from Dan Pitcher. “We’ve put a lot of eggs (in the past) in the run efficiency basket,” Pitcher said. “We’ve gotten returns on that. Naturally, when you operate that way, you’re taking on less risk. We have the fewest tackles for loss in the league. You juxtapose that with a very high-risk, high-reward run system.” Those are the offenses with the eye-catching rushing attacks who lead the league in explosive runs but suffer from tackles for loss now and then. “Where we started to improve last year is you did start to see more explosives,” Pitcher said. “A lot of that is due to Chase (Brown). There was some momentum we felt up front and a few different buttons we were able to push. We need to look at that and figure out how big a part of that moving forward is what we’re going to be.” The run game is risk-reward. Should the Bengals take more risks? Over the last few years, when the Bengals have tried their efficiency-based runs designed to just get a few yards in four-minute situations, they haven’t been getting first downs anyway. In those situations, their conservative approach hasn’t really gotten them anywhere. It’s been the moments where they’ve taken chances with riskier runs that have some more eye candy and moving pieces that have really paid off. In a four-minute situation, when all that you want is the first down, there really isn’t a huge difference between a two-yard gain and a two-yard loss. Neither play moves the needle. What you really need is a six-to-10 yard gain somewhere in that series of downs. The efficiency world sure wasn’t working for the Bengals’ four-minute offense. It sounds like the Bengals have been working a lot on these splashier types of runs in training camp. The expanded under-center menu should give them very different tools at their disposal this year in four-minute situations. The schematic risks can pay off with a game-clinching run. “It’s definitely going to show up,” Brown said. “Whatever we decide to hang our hats on in those situations, we’re going to be good at it and confident. I have a lot of confidence in our ability to finish in those areas.” Every time you look up in training camp, it seems like the Bengals are using a run that you’ve never seen from them in this offense before. Their two running back package has expanded immensely. They’re using motions in the run game in completely different ways. All is back. There were signs in 2024 that his physicality and explosiveness as a blocker can change the math in known run situations. He should be a difference maker in these situations. “It’s about everything (being) smooth and everyone knowing their assignments,” All said. “Everyone being on one page. It’s a routine (stiuation). You’re doing what you’re supposed to. It’s expected.” In 2025, just four of the Bengals’ 18 four-minute drill runs were under center (three of those were in Week 1). In 2024, other than the game against the Panthers (which featured All), the Bengals only had five successful under center runs in four-minute situations all season. The Bengals’ increased comfort in their under-center system, which they’re building in training camp this year, gives them more ways to run out the clock on offense this season. “We’ve found more comfort as we continue to work under center,” Orlando Brown Jr. said. “It makes the defense play us more honest. You can’t look at, like, the back is offset and the tight end is here, so they’ve got to be running this. We’ve got more options under center with the types of runs we can do.” The Bengals have the talent to close out games this way. This is the best offensive line of the Burrow era. Chase Brown is a star. Zac Taylor and Dan Pitcher showed last season, specifically during the second half of the year, that they can shift the run game to find more explosives. From a personnel perspective, my biggest concern is the “jumbo” sixth offensive tackle position. In known running situations, teams often bring in a sixth offensive lineman (reporting eligible) in the place of a tight end. When Ben Johnson was the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator, they were very famous for doing this with offensive lineman Dan Skipper. The trend was so prevalent around the league in 2025 that ESPN ran an in-depth feature on the “growing fraternity of NFL sixth O-linemen,” profiling Spencer Anderson of the Steelers, Skipper, Kelvin Beachum of the Cardinals, Wanya Morris of the Chiefs, Matt Pryor of the Eagles and Blake Fisher of the Texans. These blockers became immensely important in their team’s rushing attack. The Bengals have had successful six offensive line run game packages in the past. In 2021, they ended the AFC title game against the Chiefs by bullying Kansas City on the ground with D’Ante Smith in the game as the sixth offensive lineman on the plays that set up the walk-off field goal. By my count, over the last two years, the Bengals have been in a “jumbo” personnel group (an extra offensive lineman) on 16 plays in four-minute situations. They’ve been successful on five of those plays — none of which were in 2025, and three of which were in that 2024 Carolina game. They haven’t always had the personnel to execute. Cody Ford has had mixed results in this role. Sometimes, Matt Lee had to fill this spot over the years. The Bengals are rolling with Cody Ford and Jalen Rivers as their backup tackles this year. Whoever ends up in the sixth offensive lineman role, the Bengals need better play. “Closing games” is the talk of the offseason. The four-minute offense is the path for the offense to help out the defense by getting that job done. And if the Bengals develop the four-minute offense that they’re looking for, it doesn’t get much better than out-physicaling a team up front to seal a victory. “There’s no better feeling,” Orlando Brown Jr. said. “Beating a good team in four minute when they’ve got three timeouts, that’s an (expletive) good feeling. It becomes more about the mentality than anything.” Copyright 2026 WXIX. 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