It was a little over three years ago when Joe Burrow threw the winning touchdown pass it determined Bengals'third victory in a row over Managers. It was a completely different story in Cincinnati on Sunday. was knocked out, 24-0, By Crows in a loss that marked Burrow and Co.'s third straight season without the playoffs.
Despite the loss and his recent comments This has led to questions about his future in Cincinnati, with Burrow saying he has “a lot of confidence” in the Bengals front office.
“I know how hard people are working on this, and we have the right people,” Burrow said in a team transcript. “It all starts with players playing better, and today that was me.”
Burrow was asked directly if he still enjoyed playing for the Bengals, which was relevant to his comments before Sunday's game.
“My comments had nothing to do with Cincinnati,” he said. “They had something to do with me, my mindset and football.”
Burrow's comments about confidence in the Bengals will likely be met with skepticism given the fact that Cincinnati is coming off a third straight season that has fallen far short of expectations.
Since reaching their second straight AFC title game in 2022, the Bengals are just 22-26, including a 5-11 record in games Burrow didn't start. Cincinnati started the season 2-0 and then won just one of nine games while Burrow was sidelined with injury. At 4-10, the Bengals are poised for their worst season since 2020, Burrow's rookie season.
Disappointing drafts, questionable roster decisions, tumultuous contract situations with key players, injuries to Burrow and other star players, and a historically poor defense all played a role in Cincinnati going from one of the NFL's best teams to one of the worst in three short years.
Like the Bengals, Burrow continues to maintain a high level of confidence in his abilities after a game he considered one of the worst of his career. He deflected questions about whether his play has worsened at all over the past few years.
“No, I feel very confident in my game,” he said. “Obviously today, in my opinion, is an outstanding day. I think I've been consistently great over the years and years and years.”
Burrow is right. While his last few games haven't been at his usual level, the former Heisman Trophy winner has proven to be one of the best defensive players in the NFL. Last year, for example, he led the NFL in both passing yards and touchdown passes en route to winning the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award for the second time.
However, injuries hampered Burrow's performance in many ways during his first six seasons. Cincinnati's struggles in terms of building a competitive roster around them over the past few years haven't helped either.
In many ways, Sunday's game was a microcosm of Burrow and the Bengals' season. While Burrow was out, he didn't get any help from his receiving corps, which threw some slick passes. Ja'Marr ChaseIn particular, he was responsible for several downs that kept the Bengals off the scoreboard despite four punts inside the Baltimore 35-yard line.
Burrow was also harassed all day by the Ravens pass rush, which entered the game with just 18 sacks. The pressure contributed greatly to Burrow's second interception: a pick-six that made it a 24-0 game.
Ironically, the Bengals actually got some solid play from their defense, including a notable effort from their 2023 first-round pick. Miles Murphythird-year defender Battle of Jordan and newbie Demetrius Knight Jr..
However, the Bengals offense was unable to capitalize on the defense's play. The reason is quite simple, at least from Burrow's point of view.
“Because we weren't a good football team,” he said. “Bad football teams often lose. If you want to compete for the championship and make the playoffs, then first of all, your defenseman has to play better than I did today.”
Burrow was asked if he was carrying too much of a burden on a team that had little success before him and had struggled to maintain its early success while he was under center.
“I want everything on my plate,” he said. “This is the position I want to be in. I have confidence in all these guys in the locker room. Like I said, there’s no team.” NFL If I were a quarterback, I would have won today's game.”
While Burrow has reaffirmed his commitment to Cincinnati, it's clear – based on how the last three seasons have gone – that the Bengals need to make changes moving forward if they're going to take advantage of the remaining years on Burrow's contract.
