CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow has been putting up some impressive numbers in his last three games. Three straight games of 30-plus points and increasing point totals each week. The Bengals have managed to win just one of them.
Therein lies the problem.
Burrow is playing his best but the team isn’t finishing. After Sunday’s 41-38 overtime soul-crushing loss to the Ravens, Burrow conceded that these Bengals are nowhere close to championship level.
What needs to improve?
“Everything,” Burrow said Wednesday.
Any particular aspect, one more than the other?
“No, we’ve all got to get better,” Burrow said.
Burrow believes the Bengals, even at 1-4, can still get there.
“Yeah, I know we can. Whether we do or not is to be determined, but I know the players we have in there and the coaches we have up there, and I know we can get to where we want to,” Burrow said. “It’s just a matter of doing it.”
Burrow also said there are tough conversations happening inside the building, conversations that a lot of players don’t like.
“A lot of them I’m not privy to, a lot of them are happening behind closed doors, but tough conversations happen every day in here,” The quarterback said. “That’s the nature of the business, really.
“I think we have our foundations and what we’re built on, on offense. I think we’re expanding that more this year, and at the end of the day, we know we can drop back and throw it, but it’s been exciting to see the evolution of the run game and the play-action game. We’re really clicking on all cylinders right now, so we’ve just got to take that to the next level.
The Bengals have scored 30-plus points in each of their last three games, and they enter Week 6 ranking near the top of the NFL in scoring (28.0 points per game; tied for fourth), total offense (359.0 yards/game; ninth) and passing offense (263.0 yards/game; fifth).
Sunday’s test for Burrow and the offense starts with handling defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II, edge Brian Burns and the Giants front seven. This is a Giants defense that didn’t allow a single touchdown to the high-powered Washington offense in Week 2 on the road, losing 21-18 on a last-second field goal.
The Bengals need to go on a series roll starting Sunday night in New Jersey. The Bengals face the Giants, Browns, Eagles and Raiders in the next month before a rematch with the Ravens in Baltimore on Nov. 7. The Bengals won 10 straight when they were 4-4 in 2022. The Bengals best win streak in 2023 was four games. That would at least get them above .500.
“Just continue to get better,” Burrow said. “You’re going to have injuries. Teams are going to falter week-to-week. You just consistently try to get better day to day. I think that’s the recipe for success. And if you don’t, and somebody else is, and you’re going to end up behind everybody. So as long as everybody in this building is coming to work with the idea that they need to get better today, I think we’ll be all right.”
Burrow is not only confident in himself and the offense but in the people inside Paycor.
“I feel that way,” Burrow said. “I would say right now we’re not the team to beat. We’re 1-4. I don’t think there’s any balance to find. I don’t think we can say that about ourselves right now. There’s a lot of work to do before we can consider anything postseason wise. Right now we just have to focus on the week to week, day to day and try to get a win.”
While obits have already been written on the 2024 Bengals, Burrow and the Bengals aren’t in the business of reading social media or columns. Still, is there a sense of pending doom?
“When you’re eliminated from playoff contention (and) that’s a long ways away,” Burrow said. “We’re 1-4. Not where we want to be, but we’ve got another opportunity on Sunday. Then we’ve got another one after that. And then we have 10 more after that. So a lot of football to be played. Nobody’s making excuses. Nobody likes where we’re at right now. But there’s bright spots and there’s a lot of football to be played.”
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