The Cincinnati Bengals' 2023 season is now effectively over. Despite doing their best to survive, Cincinnati was eliminated from playoff contention in Week 17. It's a tumultuous season for the team, who had high aspirations for this season. After the Joe Burrow extension and the hype from the last two years, Cincy was a favorite to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.
It's admittedly a bit tough to rate this season for the Bengals. They were placed in multiple uncomfortable positions throughout the course of the year. They tried their best to make it work, but ultimately the injuries were just too much to overcome.
Still, we need to look at which players are most to blame for the Bengals' struggles this year. There's been a lot of disappointment on the team this season, but some players deserve more of the blame.
Zac Taylor
There's been a lot of criticism lobbed at Bengals head coach Zac Taylor over the last few years. By the looks of things, Taylor is an excellent locker room presence, and he's part of the reason for Cincinnati's face turn in the last three years. However, he's been criticized regarding his on-field talent.
That's not why he's on this list, though. No, Zac Taylor is here due to the debacle that arguably started Cincinnati's struggles this year. The decision to allow Joe Burrow to play through his injury cost the Bengals precious wins to start the year. The logic was that they'd rather start a less-than-100% over their backup QB.
With hindsight, we now know that Jake Browning was absolutely capable of taking over for a short period. Had Taylor trusted Browning and forced Burrow to recuperate from his calf injury, Burrow would've likely been able to play sooner and at 100%. Perhaps that could've given them much needed wins. Instead, Taylor and co. elected to let Burrow play through this injury.
Taylor's coaching mishaps also still pop up from time to time. We can give credit to him catering to Jake Browning's strengths and coaching the Bengals to be competitive without their star QB. That being said, their refusal to go under center to start the year rendered their offense completely useless. Then again, that problem stems from the decision to let Burrow play, so…
Chidobe Awuzie
This one hurts to write, if we're being honest. Last season, Chidobe Awuzie was on his way to becoming one of the better lockdown corners in the NFL. He was easily the best corner on the Bengals last season, but an ACL tear derailed his season.
Fans were hoping that Awuzie would return to the Bengals' lineup in 2023 at the same level he was back in 2022. Unfortunately, that just hasn't been the case this year. After notching career-lows in completion percentage allowed last seasoon, the Bengals CB is allowing a career-worst 64.2% completion rate while having less tackles than last season.
Awuzie's struggles are a symptom of Cincinnati's biggest struggle this season on defense: their secondary. They are giving up a ton of explosive passing plays due to their secondary. The defensive line has arguably been the most impressive unit this season, but they needed their secondary to hold down opposing wide receivers. So far, that hasn't been the case.
Tee Higgins/Tyler Boyd
One of the most hyped-up aspects of the Bengals' roster is their wide receiver core. While Ja'Marr Chase is the undisputed headliner, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd were elite names in their own right. Higgins, in particular, was a receiver that many thought could be a number one receiver on different squads. It's a big reason why his contract extension was a massive talking point this season.
Unfortunately, both Higgins and Boyd have been disappointing this season. This was especially true earlier in the season. The Bengals already had a clearly ailing Burrow, but they were further saddled by their WR2 and WR3 having severe dropping issues that cost them some early wins. It was an uncharacteristic showing from both players, who've been consistent threats for most of their careers.
And no, that's not just because of Jake Browning replacing Burrow midway through the season. Chase was still able to notch a 1,000 yard season without his best buddy/QB Joe Cool under center.
Bengals Outlook for 2024
Truth be told, it's hard to be harsh on the Bengals this year. Joe Burrow was barely healthy to start the season, and when he was starting to go back to his previous form, he suffered that brutal wrist injury. Cincinnati did their best to keep their season afloat, but in the end, it just wasn't enough.
The great thing about these things to blame are that these seem to be outliers for the most part. The criticism on Taylor comes from the Joe Burrow preseason injury, something that no one really saw coming. Awuzie should hopefully be better after a season back from his ACL tear. And based on their play over the last month, Higgins and Boyd should bounce back stronger next year.
Still, this season showed a lot of room to grow for the Bengals. Here's to hoping 2024 will be a much, much better year for them. Shouldn't be too hard, given how bad this year was for them, right?
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