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Cincinnati Bengals Jeremy Hill, Giovani Bernard a dream combination

By Kevin Parvizi

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The Cincinnati Bengals passing attack should be better next season when Tyler Eifert and Marvin Jones return to health to support the team’s top two pass-catchers, A.J. Green and Mohamed Sanu, but the Bengals can rest assured knowing that they will have one of the league’s most potent rushing attacks under RB-friendly offensive coordinator Hue Jackson. Jeremy Hill was a rookie sensation and outplayed two promising rushers in Tre Mason and Isaiah Crowell, and it’s hard to see either Carlos Hyde or Bishop Sankey topping Hill, who beat out Giovani Bernard for the feature back role.

Hill and Bernard will go into the 2015 season as the Bengals running back duo, and there’s no question that Hill is the No. 1 guy after averaging a monstrous 5.1 yards per carry on 222 attempts for 1,124 yards. Bernard, however, couldn’t consistently move the chains on the ground- he also dealt with an injury- as he averaged just 4.0 yards per carry. That isn’t a bad mark, though, and Bernard’s efficiency as a rusher increased greatly as the year wore on.

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It’s clear that Bernard is a better back in a more limited role, and Hill’s emergence as the team’s feature back will allow him to be an even bigger factor in the passing game. Even though Bernard isn’t a great pure rusher, he is a very nice running back due to his explosiveness and elite agility, as he can make just about anyone miss in the open field. He’s the kind of weapon most teams would love to have out of the backfield in the passing game, but that’s especially true when Andy Dalton, who threw 17 interceptions despite averaging 11.0 yards per completion, is the starting QB.

Of course, that isn’t to say Bernard is a poor rusher, because he’s also solid in that regard; it’s just that he isn’t as ideal of a feature back as the Bengals once thought due to his inability to move the chains with regularity. Bernard is a stronger rusher than his frame indicates, though toughness and proneness to injury are not mutually exclusive, which is another reason for keeping Bernard’s carries to a modest number. He’s at his best in space, but Bernard can grind out tough yards when needed.

Hill, of course, excels at grinding out tough yards, and that’s what helped him notch a spectacular 5.1 yards per carry, and only Lamar Miller and Justin Forsett averaged at least 5.1 YPC among all RBs with at least 200 carries. He received plenty of help from an offensive line that includes Andrew Whitworth and Kevin Zeitler, but Hill made plenty of that happen on his own with his punishing running style.

Not only does he have sneaky agility and can make some sharp cuts, but, per Pro Football Focus, he also averaged a whopping 2.8 yards after contact to show off his trucking ability. Only top RBs Eddie Lacy, Arian Foster, and Marshawn Lynch had more.

Although Bernard isn’t much of a trucker, he’s also good at getting more than the blocking in front of him, as he forced 34 missed tackles, per PFF, in his 168 carries and 43 receptions. Hill led the the Cincinnati Bengals with nine rushing touchdowns, but Bernard did a great job of finding the end zone in his own right with seven combined TDs.

Thanks to the Bengals desire to stick with Bernard as a workhorse back in all phases of the game to start the season, the carry split between Hill and Bernard was relatively even last season. That isn’t expected to happen in 2015, as Hill clearly took care of the load for the Bengals down the stretch and flourished as a feature back with five 100-yard performances, including three straight to close out the season.

Dec 28, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Cincinnati Bengals running back Jeremy Hill (32) carries the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 27-17. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

It’s scary to think how good the Bengals running game will be next season now that the team has figured out exactly how to partition the carries and in certain situations, and it will be interesting to see how many two-back sets they trot out. With 27 receptions, Hill showed some pass-catching ability, so while Bernard is the stud pass-catching RB, Hill is serviceable in that facet of the game.

It seems like there’s a clear delineation between the playing styles of Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard, and that makes both of these guys mesh incredibly well as a tandem. Hill is the bruising back who consistently picks up chunks of yardage, while Bernard is the shifty, home-run threat who can be a big factor in the passing game.

But not only do each of these backs have their clear, signature strengths, but they are both well-rounded. Hill is a bruising back, but he is also a credible pass-catcher who has enough explosiveness to make guys miss. Even though Bernard is the shifty, big-play RB, he can run between the tackles when needed and averaged 2.51 yards after contact per carry.

Since Bernard will be in his third season in the league and Hill in his second, it’s very likely that the Bengals have the NFL’s best running back duo, especially since they have all of their bases covered. If they need a big play on third down, they can trot Bernard out there, and then they can roll out Hill if they need to pick up a short gain for the first on a third-down conversion. Because these RBs can also accomplish more than just their specialties indicate, the Bengals can keep opponents off-guard by using Bernard in short-yardage situations, Hill on third-and-five plays on occasion, or even both.

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