Burrow is a fantastic football player. He’s rushing for first downs, making amazing throws on the run, and frequently taking huge hits from pass rushers who have been badly blocked. However, the Bengals continue to lose the close games. They could miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season as they are 4-7 at the bye week. To have a shot at the postseason, they would probably need to win each of their final six games.
Burrow leads the NFL in completions (274), passing yards (3,028), and touchdowns (27), while still not fully recovering from surgery on his throwing hand. Additionally, he became one of only two quarterbacks in NFL history to lose back-to-back games despite throwing for at least 350 yards and three touchdowns without being intercepted, joining Matt Ryan (2018).
Ja’Marr Chase, a star wide receiver, is also having a fantastic season. In terms of receiving yards (1,056), yards after the catch (481) and touchdowns (12), he leads the NFL. With 11 1/2 sacks, edge rusher Trey Hendrickson leads the NFL.
However, Cincinnati has suffered from a kicker with a case of the yips, fumbles, an unreliable secondary, and injuries that have moved the offensive and defensive lines. It has the sixth-worst running game in the league. The Bengals have lost six of their seven games by a single touchdown. Six points or less separated five of the losses. The Bengals suffered one-point losses to the AFC North foe Baltimore and the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
As time ran out, Kansas City defeated Cincinnati on a 51-yard field goal. Even though Burrow threw for 324 yards and three touchdowns, they lost against Washington by a score of three. After Evan McPherson missed a potentially game-winning 53-yard field goal, the Ravens defeated them 41-38 in overtime. Lamar Jackson threw three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter of the second loss to the Ravens. A two-point attempt to win was unsuccessful when the Bengals scored with 38 seconds remaining.
Last Sunday night, McPherson missed two field goals that would have put the Bengals ahead in the second half. The Chargers defeated them 34–27 in the end. They simply outscored us by one on the play. According to Bengals coach Zac Taylor, that has essentially been the narrative of our season thus far. “Our season is by no means finished. In the latter stages of the season, we have the opportunity to use a bye to sort of recover and find our rhythm.
Injuries have contributed to the issue. When right tackle Trent Brown suffered a knee injury in Week 3, rookie Amarius Mims was thrown into the starting lineup. Orlando Brown Jr., the starting left tackle, then missed time due to injuries to his knee and fibula. Interior linemen Sheldon Rankins and B.J. Hill have lost time due to illness and injury on the opposite side of the ball. Additionally, cornerback DJ Turner II was placed on injured reserve after suffering a fractured clavicle during the game on Sunday night.
The Bengals have defeated losing teams four times. Taylor finds it difficult to explain their inability to seal victories against superior teams. “I am unable to. “I hope I can,” he remarked. “The way we leave the field each week and the way these games are ending are sick.” In the Bengals’ camp, the bye week is definitely appreciated.
Taylor stated, “It just gives us a chance to be healthy.” We don’t need to make many drastic adjustments. Every game that we lose comes down to the final play. All we need to do is figure out how to win these and gain some momentum. Cincinnati still has to play the Dallas Cowboys (3-7), Tennessee Titans (2-8), Cleveland Browns (2-8) and Denver Broncos (6-5) twice, in addition to the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers (8-2).
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