The frustrating season for Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals continued in front of a prime time audience on Sunday night. After mounting an impressive comeback against the Chargers, the Bengals came up short, adding yet another disheartening loss to a season of growing disappointment. And while the team and fan base had faith that their star quarterback would eventually lead them to the postseason, it has become apparent that even Burrow needs more help than he is currently getting.
Burrow, Bengals Lose Again In Heartbreaking Fashion
He’s been one of the top pass-throwers this season. Through the first 11 weeks, there is no quarterback in the league that has more completions, yards, and touchdowns thrown than Joe Burrow. Leading the NFL in those statistical categories typically puts a player in the MVP conversation, but there are currently 6 players who have shorter odds than him of winning the award, thanks in large part to the struggles of his team.
Joe Burrow this season:
– 3,028 passing yards
– 27 TDs
– 4 INTsThe #Bengals are 4-7…
He should be the MVP favorite but instead he’ll likely miss the playoffs. pic.twitter.com/t5L3iO6RMG
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 18, 2024
The defense for the Bengals isn’t the worst in the league, but they’re certainly not helping the cause. They rank 22nd in yards allowed, better than the division-rival Ravens, but the nearly 27 points that they give up on average is the 5th-worst in the NFL.
The team’s two most recent games have been the toughest results to swallow. During their Week 10 game against Baltimore, Burrow threw for an impressive 428 yards and 4 touchdowns to 0 interceptions, and star receiver Ja’Marr Chase caught 11 of his passes for 264 yards and 3 scores. That would typically be plenty of output for a team to be victorious, but the Bengals wound up giving up 35 points to the Ravens while scoring 34 themselves.
The following week brought even more disappointment. Burrow and company faced a 27-6 third-quarter deficit against the Chargers, but came storming back to tie the game with 12 minutes left in the final frame. But after two missed field goals by kicker Evan McPherson in the final 8 minutes and a late touchdown given up by the defense, Burrow and the Bengals found themselves on the losing end once again.
Cincy’s Playoff Odds Down To 14%
Joe Burrow is the first QB in NFL history to throw for 300+ yards with 3+ TD passes and 0 INT in back-to-back games but lose both in regulation. pic.twitter.com/JSdCabMmvf
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) November 18, 2024
Their odds of qualifying for the playoffs took a serious dip after their defeat. Coming into Week 11, the Bengals were clinging to a 26% chance of getting to the postseason (according to NFL.com), a number that would have rose to about 35% had they won. But that figure has dropped all the way down to 14%, making essentially every game from here on out a must win for Cincinnati.
The team will enjoy their upcoming bye week, which would have been made far sweeter had they not limped into their week off. Things won’t get any easier when they return to action, as their first game back will be against the division-leading Steelers on December 1st. They have two games remaining against Pittsburgh, as they’ll finish out the regular season by playing against Mike Tomlin’s team as well.
