When he arrived in Cincinnati, Joe Mixon was still considered persona non grata and even provoked calls for a boycott by the local media. Through consistently strong performances, the running back has long since played his way into the hearts of the fans and, alongside quarterback Joe Burrow, represents the upswing of the franchise, which will host the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

Cincinnati/Munich – After six years without a playoff appearance, a faint hope for better times is germinating in Cincinnati.

Besides quarterback Joe Burrow and his congenial receiver partner Ja’Marr Chase, this is mainly thanks to a rather inconspicuous star: Running back Joe Mixon, who remained rather in the background the past years, is hardly to be stopped this season.

Joe Mixon: explosion of performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers

“He’s a player that the whole team feeds off of in all three phases of the game,” Head Coach Zac Taylor praised his star running back after last weekend’s emphatic 41-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Against their division rivals, the Bengals already celebrated their seventh win of the season, and on top of that, the offence showed its best performance of the year so far, with Joe Mixon leading the way.

28 runs, 165 yards and two touchdowns – the 25-year-old once again underscored his value in the Bengals’ potent attack.

JOE MIXON IS FEASTING AGAINST PITTSBURGH
pic.twitter.com/QL8s8nzIWd

– PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) November 28, 2021

“It felt great,” Mixon summed up his performance. “At the same time, none of this would have happened if my O-line, my tight ends and my receivers weren’t all committed to the run game. I’m just happy for everybody here. “

Draft 2017: calls for boycott cause unrest

In his fifth season, Mixon appears to have finally ascended into the league of the NFL’s best running backs. He certainly has been for some time in Cincinnati, where the focus has been more on the passing game in the past, but this path was not mapped out this way.

In college, the running back was completely suspended for his first season in 2014 after assaulting a female student. A heated argument had broken out between the two, at the end of which Mixon punched the female student so hard that she hit her face on a table and was hospitalised with a broken jaw.

After two strong years with the Oklahoma Sooners, Mixon declared for the draft in 2017, where he was selected in the second round by the Bengals. The decision caused head-scratching in many quarters.

“Instead of buying a ticket to see the Bengals, take the $50 and donate it to an organization dedicated to fighting domestic violence against women,” for example, urged a local Cincinnati television station.

Joe Mixon: Four years in fast motion

Not only have four years passed since then, but a total of 4,283 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns have gone into the 25-year-old’s account.

The running back lacks a playoff appearance thus far, Cincinnati’s best record during Mixon’s career was a 7-9 season in 2017. Since then, the franchise has staggered through the vastness of the NFL more poorly than not, until the arrival of Joe Burrow, Mixon was often the lone figurehead of an otherwise harmless offense.

Cincinnati Bengals: Burrow and Mixon as assets

All the more impressive now is how much the running back is blossoming. Due to a foot injury, Mixon was only on the field in six games last year and accordingly only ran for 428 yards.

A few weeks before his injury, the franchise had still expressed confidence in him: On September 1, 2020, Mixon signed a new four-year contract worth $48 million.

Full details on the Bengals deal for RB Joe Mixon’s 4-year, $48M deal:
– $10M signing bonus. $1.3M base in 2020.
– $8M base in 2021.
– $8M in 2022.
– $9.4M in 2023.
– Club option for $9.6M in 2024.
– $500K each year in playtime and $200K offseason workout bonus each year.

– Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 1, 2020

Together with newly drafted quarterback Burrow, Mixon was supposed to usher in a new and hopefully glorious era in Cincinnati – the fact that this is now apparently a year late should still be fine with those in charge.

“He’s a big energy guy for us as a team and as an offence. He shows that every week in practice,” assured the same Joe Burrow recently, who, like Mixon, is back on the attack after a serious injury last year.

Joe Mixon: high performer, role model and captain

After eleven games, Mixon has 924 yards and eleven touchdowns this year. His previous best of 1,168 yards (2018) should fall in the coming weeks. On paper, the running back is in the form of his life, even if he doesn’t quite trust the roast himself yet.

“To be honest, I actually think I’m starting to reach that point. I’m definitely on a good path.”

The recent stellar performances have made many forget the antics of the past; among the Bengals’ supporters, Mixon is one of the most popular players.

And Mixon is also held in high regard by the team itself: Since this year, the 25-year-old wears the captain’s “C” on his jersey and the group dance with his teammates against the Steelers also speaks for the good mood in Cincinnati.

Joe Mixon & The Bengals

: PITvsCIN on CBS
: NFL app pic.twitter.com/sIv8by13py

– NFL (@NFL) November 28, 2021

Chargers at Bengals: another shining day for Joe Mixon?

The mood in Bengals camp could get even better on Sunday night. Cincinnati hosts a direct playoff rival, the Los Angeles Chargers, at home in Paul Brown Stadium.

With 145.3 yards allowed per game, Joe Mixon faces the league’s worst rushing defence. A day made in heaven for the former enfant terrible.

At the same time, the Bengals could take an important step towards the postseason. Joe Mixon is hardly likely to be the reason for that.