Bengals Beat: ‘We Deserve Some Of The Hostility’ Bengals Know Season Is On The Brink As They Search for Answers

CINCINNATI — Just what was said between Joe Burrow and Zac Taylor as they walked into the coaches entrance to the locker room Monday night might go a long way toward how this team responds to its dreadful 0-3 start.

The Bengals talked a lot about the “new standard” in 2021 and 2022 and how for all of those damaged Bengals fans, this would be a new era.

After losing for the third time in three tries this season, 38-33 Monday night before an angry home crowd to a rookie Washington quarterback, Burrow walked off the field with head coach Zac Taylor.

The two of them made a beeline to the coaches office.

“It was just a private conversation with Zac,” Burrow said. “It was a very positive conversation. We’re not happy with where we’re at, but by no means is the season over. We’re 0-3. There’s 14 left to play. We just have to continue to get better and see where the cards fall in the next 10 weeks. We just have to go into this week preparing to get better and trying to get a win. That’s all I can do.”

What Burrow did hint at is a more vocal role in leadership. Whether that’s holding teammates or coaches accountable remains to be seen.

“There will be some critical thinking I’ll have to do to see what kind of leader I want to be going forward and what I feel like the team needs from me going forward.”

Burrow says he is still confident in the defense after throwing for three touchdows – two to Ja’Marr Chase -and 324 yards.

“Of course. We’ve got the players,” Burrow said. “I’m not sure what happened. I know that we have great coaches and we have really good players that are willing to improve and take coaching. So just like any game, if you don’t play great, you’re going to learn from your mistakes and get better, and that’s all you can do.”

Whenever a team fails miserably in reaching its potential, or at least playing to it, coaches and leaders must step forward and be accountable. It sounds like Burrow knows that’s his obligation at this point of a still-early 2024 season. Only six teams since 1979 have made the playoffs after an 0-3 start, including most recently the Houston Texans in 2018.

The Bengals had way too much talent to slip into another 0-2 hole again this year, right? The Bengals knew the significance of starting fast, right? The Bengals knew the schedule was favorable on the surface, right?

Well there’s a lot wrong with this franchise right now. The defense looks utterly lost and confused with players like Germaine Pratt and Logan Wilson coming up the line and physically moving defensive linemen into place. The star wide receiver came into camp a very unhappy soldier after a nine-figure extension fell through. The quarterback looked very impressive for a second straight week but is seriously questioning whether he needs to change his laissez faire leadership.

Players like Cam Taylor-Britt need to be held accountable. Zac Taylor had a discussion with CTB about his “nice college offense” remarks about the Kliff Kingsbury offense that hasn’t punted in two weeks and jacked up the Bengals defense for 38 points on the road with a rookie quarterback.

“That’s not what we do,” Taylor said sternly Monday night.

The problem right now is the Bengals are in a crisis of confidence. They can tell themselves that they’re better than their record but in the NFL, you are what your record says you are.

The Bengals showed they have reverted to old, losing ways, as is the case with any team or franchise that has battled a decades-long stigma of losing like the Bengals have. Remember, this is a team that fell off precipitously after Super Bowl appearances in 1981 and 1988. They are on the verge of going 3-for-3 in that dubious category if they don’t find some answers to what ails them.

What ails them right now?

Injuries to the middle of the defensive line

Poor tackling on the perimeter by the defensive backs

Defensive line not shedding blocks and setting an edge

Corners getting beat deep

Failures in the red zone

A lack of complementary football

Most of these are fixable but the Bengals not only have to show improvement now, they have to win at all costs, and that can lead to taking shortcuts to football 101 fundamentals.

Ted Karras is a captain of this team and he said all the right things Monday night after the defense failed to make stop after stop on third and fourth down.

“I think this town will let you know when they’re not happy with you, and rightfully so,” Karras said. “And we have a lot of educated and passionate fans and we’re 0-3, and so we’re going to take it off the chin for a while. We have guys and we have a great program. And great leadership between our head coach, and our quarterback and everyone’s going to be coming to work on Wednesday morning ready to go.

“We deserve some of the hostility from our fans because we are 0-3. That’s what it is. In this league, that’s the reality. We’re going to climb our way out of this one game at a time, and it starts against the Carolina Panthers.”

The season is on life support. The Bengals need to do whatever they can this week to pump new life and new blood into their veins.