The Bengals Zac Taylor and There Might Not Be an Easy Fix

It finally occurred with less than five minutes remaining in Cincinnati’s third game’s third quarter. With a four-point advantage over the Los Angeles Rams and struggling to move the ball, the Bengals set up in a pistol configuration. Joe Burrow took the snap, pretended to chuck to his left, and then—well, that last part is a little exaggerated—rolled out to his right. Walking carefully out of the pocket, he floated a pass to Jamarr Chase, who made a 43-yard catch-and-run play.

The Bengals became the final club to check that box after they achieved their first deep completion of the season. In their Week 3 loss to New England, even the Jets under Zach Wilson finished one earlier. Although Burrow’s calf ailment has kept the star quarterback limited since the first few days of training camp, the Bengals are stuck with that kind of company, which is not what we expected. The defending AFC North champions were +150 favorites to win the division heading into the season. They are currently the third favorite, behind Baltimore and Cleveland, at 1-2 and +380. Although the club may have found new life with their 19-16 victory over L.A. this week, it’s understandable why bookmakers don’t trust them: According to TriMedia, the Bengals offensive is ranked 31st in success rate and 28th in projected points added per play. This season, the offense has managed just 46 points. It also boasts the second-worst explosive play rate in the NFL, which is surprising coming from a team that has Tee Higgins, Burrow, and Chase on the roster.

Cincinnati has experienced this previously, with the team trailing in the standings, the quarterback doing poorly, and the offense as a whole being appalling. When the offensive finally got its act together and almost led the team to the Super Bowl, these identical tales were written at the beginning of the 2022 season. Similar circumstances occurred in 2021, when the Bengals’ offense got off to a bad start and they finished the first half of the season with a dismal record. Yes, that team advanced to the Super Bowl. History indicates that it’s premature to become alarmed. that Burrow and company will resolve their issues in due course.

However, the feel of this season is different. Although the run game has been ineffective and the deep passing game is absent, some of the problems are still there, but Burrow’s calf.