Things seem to just keep getting worse and worse for the Cincinnati Bengals, most recently being trounced by the Minnesota Vikings 48-10 in the Week 3 road game. Furthermore, franchise quarterback Joe Burrow went down with a toe injury last week, opting for surgery and sidelining him for the next three months. While there were some glimmers of hope immediately following the loss of Burrow, all positive outlook for the Bengals' season has effectively left the building.
This, of course, all comes just months after receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins both inked four-year contract extensions, so they'll effectively be missing on a complete year of full potential with their quarterback sidelined for most of the season. While backup quarterback Jake Browning offered a positive performance filling in for Burrow with 241 passing yards and two touchdowns, he struggled in his first start this season and couldn't give the Bengals' fans much to rave about given the loss.
In addition to all of this, the Bengals' allowed 48 points to a Vikings' offense that was missing JJ McCarthy, forced to roll with veteran Carson Wentz. His last start came in Week 18 of last year for the Kansas City Chiefs after they had already secured the AFC's top seed, so it was jarring to see this type of production against a Cincinnati defense that has much more to offer than what they've shown.
Replacing Joe Burrow
Joe Burrow led all of the NFL in passing yards last season with 4,918 yards and a league-high 43 passing touchdowns. As a result, star receiver Ja'Marr Chase was able to lead the league in receiving with an NFL-best 1,708 yards, 127 receptions, and 17 touchdowns, marking his best season as a professional.
Without Burrow under center, we can expect these numbers to take a drastic dip. Fans and experts were anticipating both Burrow and Chase to take an even bigger leap forward this season in terms of their production, but it seems as though we'll have to wait another year for them to unlock their full potential. Sure, Chase was able to convert 165 yards and a touchdown with Browning taking over against Jacksonville in Week 2, but his 50 yards in Week 3 (half of which came on a 28-yd reception) is cause for more concern.
Browning, who started seven games for the Bengals during the 2023 season, clearly had his struggles against an inspired Vikings defense. Without much time to throw, Browning's ceiling is much more limited on the run, turning him more into a scrambling quarterback as opposed to someone who can throw the ball deep downfield. In addition, running back Chase Brown had his worst game in recent memory, logging just three total yards on 10 carries in the game. With Browning needing a strong run game to help ease the pressure off the passing game, Brown's production will be paramount to the success of this team.
Defensive woes
The expectation of the Cincinnati Bengals this season is that they were going to give up a lot of points to opposing offenses, but their own star-studded offense would be able to score more points in the end and carry them throughout the season. Given the Joe Burrow fallout and this offense likely taking a massive step backwards, the defense will need to step up in a massive way and improve their performance from a season ago. Although they were able to bring back last year's sack leader in DE Trey Hendrickson, their defensive numbers from a season ago reveal a much greater problem within this scheme as a whole.
In 2024, the Bengals ranked 23rd in the NFL on third-downs, allowing teams to convert on 42% of their attempts. They were even worse in the Red Zone, allowing opposing offenses to score 67.9% of the time, the third-worst mark in the NFL. Lastly, they allowed 53 total touchdowns during the season, just marginally better than teams like the Titans, Panthers, and Browns. This year, they're not looking much better after just allowing the second-highest point total (48) of the season so far.
Why the season is likely “over”
The Cincinnati Bengals' upcoming five games are as follows: @Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, @Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers. They'll be facing three of the top five defenses in the league, along with facing the Lions and two scrappy teams in the Jets and Steelers. The Bengals will be lucky to win at least one of these games as likely underdogs, which would put them at a projected record of 3-4.
From there, they still have to face the Baltimore Ravens (twice), Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh once more, and New England. This spells a tough road against strong defensive teams and even more capable teams on offense. Unless the Bengals are able to figure things out quickly with their offense, it's not likely that this team will be competing for much given their current circumstances.
