The Cincinnati Bengals are not playing for much at this point in the 2018 NFL season. However, there is no doubt that they were at least able to enjoy the emergence of running back Joe Mixon.

Mixon was the central focus of the Bengals offense this season. According to John Sheeran of the Cincy Jungle, he has since been named team MVP for 2018:

The Cincinnati Chapter of Pro Football Writers of America have announced they’ve named RB Joe Mixon as the Bengals’ 2018 Most Valuable Player and LB Vincent Rey the recipient of the organization’s annual “Good Guy” award for professionalism and cooperation with media and understanding the media’s role in covering the team.

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The honor should come as no surprise. Despite Cincinnati's struggles on offense this season, Mixon still managed to enjoy a breakout year. One of the few bright spots from this season is that the Bengals have a bonafide workhorse in the backfield.

Mixon currently leads the AFC with 1,063 rushing yards. He has also managed to tack on 42 receptions for 294 yards and nine touchdowns going into the season finale. Perhaps even more impressive is he managed to put up these numbers despite missing two games with a knee injury. Not to mention the season-ending injuries to quarterback Andy Dalton and wide receiver A.J. Green that allowed defenses to key on him down the final stretch of the season.

Aside from Mixon, Cincinnati also welcomed the emergence of a solid complementary receiver in Tyler Boyd. This raises optimism about their chances amidst the looming changes that could be made in the offseason.