How a practice tweak helped jumpstart Bengals offense - Cincinnati Bengals Blog- ESPN

CINCINNATI — The offense knew it needed to shake things up after a pair of poor performances in the Cincinnati Bengals' opening two losses.

So the Bengals made a subtle but significant tweak at practice leading up to last week’s game against the New York Jets. Instead of various position groups taking the field for drills separately, they entered as a unit. It was part of a weeklong effort to create a sense of urgency and avoid an 0-3 start.

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Wide receiver Tyler Boyd said that it underscored the need to start fast and get ready so the team plays with confidence.

“Even if we didn’t lose, we should have been doing that as a team,” Boyd said inside the visiting locker room at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. “We feel like we’re the best team. We've got to prepare that way.”

Starting with the team’s first game-week practice last Wednesday, the offense changed how it entered the field for team drills. Instead of the unit standing behind teammates on one end of the field, they ran over to the sideline before running onto the field for the start of the practice period, simulating what they would do in-game.

It wasn’t a new concept for the Bengals. Tight end Mitchell Wilcox said the offense had done the same at points during training camp and late in the 2021 season.

Boyd and Higgins said the offense took the field with a sense of purpose during practices. But the tweak emphasized the need to carry a game-like focus at practice and sought to create the urgency that was lacking in the team’s first two losses.

And it worked.