The Cincinnati Bengals have more news and buzz than expected swirling around the franchise exiting the loss to the Tennessee Titans.
Now at 1-3, there are questions about the team’s ability to contend for the playoffs, what the team should do with Joe Burrow, why he was in the game during a 27-3 beatdown and so much more.
To make matters worse, the injury bug finally made an appearance and claimed both wide receiver Tee Higgins and cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt for unknown lengths of time.
Here’s the must-know news, notes and quotes for October 2 as the team attempts to figure out a way to save the season.
Tee Higgins injury update -- Bengals Wire
Bad news on the Tee Higgins front a few hours after the game, with a report saying he could miss a nice chunk of time due to the nature of the rib injury he suffered.
Cam Taylor-Britt injured -- Bengals Wire
As of this writing, no official word on how long CTB might miss. But he left the game holding his shoulder at one point, then returned. Later, he took a helmet-shot from a teammate and didn’t return after being evaluated for a concussion.
Ja'Marr Chase turns heads again -- Bengals Wire
Ja’Marr Chase just keeps making epic quotes for meme usage. This time, well…it’s just worth a look. It’s not a sign of some deep-rooted issue or antying so dramatic, but it is a funny comment.
Fans rip Zac Taylor -- Bengals Wire
Bengals fans were not happy coming out of the loss, especially because many wanted to know why Burrow would still be in the game when it was already lost.
Joe Burrow on if this is a playoff team -- Bengals.com
Burrow with some blunt thoughts about whether this is a playoff team: “Not if we keep playing the way we are. We know we have the capability of being a playoff team, but that’s so far in the future. We got to just worry about tomorrow and get better tomorrow at this point.”
Zac Taylor explains why Joe Burrow was still in the game -- Bengals.com
A quick transcript of Zac Taylor outlining why Burrow remained in an unwinnable game while playing through an injury:
What lead to Joe Burrow finishing the game?
Trying to get back into the game.
Was there conversation about putting Jake Browning in the game?
I mean, how much time did we get the ball back with in the fourth quarter? Like 9 minutes or something, 10 minutes? We were trying to get down and score, get the two-point, and make it a two-score game and try to find a way to get a win.
Zac Taylor on how Burrow looks playing through injury -- Bengals.com
Taylor hints at limitations but credits Burrow for toughing this out:
“Yeah, he’s doing everything he can. He’s playing through it, but there’s still limitations he’s got certainly and that’s probably very difficult for him. But again, he’s getting hit. He’s having to move and he’s doing a great job getting up on the next play and responding. Sometimes quarterbacks will get rattled by that stuff. But you don’t feel that from him at all. You feel that the next play is going to be successful even if he does take a hit. Again, he’s fighting through it and I’m proud of him for that.”
