Joe Mixon Beats the Panthers

At one point this season, the Cincinnati Bengals had so little faith in their run game that head coach Zac Taylor called a Philly Special and a shovel pass at the goal line. 

When the Bengals beat the Panthers, 42-21, at Paycor Stadium, running back Joe Mixon looked like the player the Bengals need him to be. With the season at a potential tipping point, Mixon picked up a reeling team and got the Bengals back to 5-4 heading into the bye week.

"I knew at some point, the dam would have to break," Mixon said. "It did today."

The Bengals were coming off a demoralizing blowout loss to the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football. They had just lost No. 1 wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and No. 1 cornerback Chidobe Awuzie to injuries. 

Following the Browns game, defensive end Sam Hubbard noted how the Bengals could get back to 5-4 at the bye, which is where Cincinnati was last year in its AFC Championship season. But if the Bengals lost to the Panthers, one of the worst teams in the NFL, there would have been no way for the Bengals to rationalize that they could still contend in the AFC.

Coming off last week’s loss, center Ted Karras said he was going to be a “demeanor hound.” He was planning to call out anyone he saw who was sulking. He challenged the entire team to play with more physicality and more energy. 

"Something we talked about this week was having some more urgency coming off the bad loss we had last week," Bengals safety Jessie Bates III said. "We didn’t like the way we performed. A lot of people overacted to it. The good thing is we have a lot of football left to be played. It was great to come out here and dominate."

In Sunday’s blowout win over the Panthers, in a game the Bengals led by 35 points, Cincinnati responded to a low point of their season. In the process, the Bengals showed themselves how good they still can be. And so did Mixon, who had 100 yards by halftime. While quarterback Joe Burrow went 22-for-28 for 206 yards, it was Mixon’s turn to be the star.

Mixon finished the game with 211 total yards, and he set a franchise record with five touchdowns. By the fourth one, he ran out of touchdown celebrations.