It eventually happened with less than five minutes left in Cincinnati’s third game’s third quarter. The Bengals, behind the Los Angeles Rams by four points and unable to move the ball, set up in a pistol formation. Joe Burrow took the snap, faked a chuck to his left, and then rolled out to his right. That final bit is a tad over the top. Gingerly coming out of the pocket, he floated a throw to Jamar Chase, who completed a 43-yard catch-and-run play.
The Bengals were the last team to check that box after recording their first deep completion of the season. After losing to New England in Week 3, even Zach Wilson’s Jets managed to finish one earlier. The best quarterback in the NFL has been limited by a calf injury since the first few days of training camp, so the Bengals shouldn’t be expecting that sort of opposition. 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. The club may have given itself new life with their 19–16 victory over Los Angeles this week, but it makes sense why bookmakers don’t think highly of them: According to TriMedia, the Bengals offensive is ranked 31st in success rate and 28th in projected points added per play. This season, the offensive has managed just 46 points. Remarkably, for a team that features Tee Higgins, Burrow, and Chase in the starting lineup, the team also boasts the NFL’s second-worst explosive play rate.
Cincinnati has experienced this before; the quarterback is performing appallingly, the club is losing ground in the standings, and the offensive line is generally appalling. Before the 2022 season began, when the offense at last straightened out and almost led the team to the Super Bowl, these same tales were published. Similar things happened in 2021, when the Bengals’ offense struggled early on and finished the first half of the season with a dismal record. Yes, that squad did advance to the final. History indicates that Burrow and company will eventually find a solution to their issues, so there’s no need to panic just yet.
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