The Cincinnati Bengals have a lot of soul searching to do this offseason after being eliminated from the playoffs by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Bengals cannot place blame only on one play or player, however they can look at the inconsistency at the running back position. Jeremy Hill lost a key fumble towards the end of that contest that sealed the Bengals fate and it was just a culmination of a weird year for Hill.
Jeremy Hill struggled in 2015, putting up 794 yards with 3.6 yards per carryafter averaging 4.3 yards per carry in his Bengals career. Hill struggled to get anything going on the ground despite how many carries he got.
Giovani Bernard the former starter on the other hand had a pretty successful year if you factor in that he only started one game. Bernard recorded 154 rushing attempts, 730 yards, 4.7 yards per carry, and two touchdowns. He also has averaged 4.3 yards in his Bengals career and is a year older than Hill.
The difference between these two running backs is that Giovani Bernard does not fumble the ball as much. In fact since he came into the NFL Bernard has only fumbled the ball once, while Hill has fumbled the ball five times. This could be experience or running style but most likely it is all about effectiveness. Bernard just knows how to get more yards in various situations, he also doesn't lose the football.
The Bengals have $37 million in cap space so they could attempt to bring in a free agent running back. It may be a mistake to repeat this rushing scheme once again as Hill may be better suited as a change of pace back.
