Make New York Post a Preferred Source Cincinnati Bengals' Chase Brown and Joe Burrow during NFL 2026 regular season, week 9 game. PSNEWZ/SIPA/Shutterstock The Bengals welcome the Steelers to Cincinnati on Sunday night in a massive AFC North clash.
Joe Burrow has Cincy’s offense humming, but their run-game isn’t doing much to help.
The Bengals have averaged just 3.9 yards per carry this season, which ranks bottom-ten in football.
That’s led head coach Zac Taylor to shake things up in the backfield, taking touches away from lead back Chase Brown in an effort to jump-start Cincinnati’s rushing attack.
After getting 36 handoffs through their first two games, Brown hasn’t had more than 13 rush attempts in each of the Bengals’ last six games, including just nine last week against the Falcons, which matched a season-low.
Cincinnati has increasingly mixed in veteran ball-carrier Samaje Perine, who has double-digit carries in two of the Bengals’ last four contests.
The pair gets a tough task on Sunday against one of the very best run defenses in the NFL.
Atlanta Falcons defensive end Za’Darius Smith tackles Cincinnati Bengals running back Samaje Perine during an NFL game in Madrid, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. AFP via Getty Images The Steelers have allowed just 3.6 yards per attempt on the ground, which is tied for the fourth-best mark in the league.
They’ve been especially solid of late, allowing just 2.7 yards per attempt over their last three games, including just 34 total yards on the ground against the Browns before their bye week.
With his opportunities dwindling against a tough defense, I’m expecting another quiet day on the ground for the temporary RB1 in Cincy.
THE PLAY: Chase Brown to have fewer than 46.5 rushing yards (-115, bet365 Sportsbook)
Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA.
