After a pathetic home opener, the Cincinnati Bengals will now attempt to regroup heading into week 2. The biggest question remains: What went wrong?
Expectations VS. Reality
After his massive contract, Burrow had an injury-riddled season in 2023 and was on IR for the remainder of the season. Heading into 2024, expectations were high. Though the team lost WR Tyler Boyd, the team still had Chase and Higgins, as well as a revamped offensive line. The unit was expected to excel. On top of this, veteran power back Zach Moss was brought in from Indianapolis, and second-year Chase Brown was expected to be a strong RB tandem. The defense, which wasn’t expected to be anything special, had the “good enough” expectation.
Despite these anticipations, the team struggled all game. Turnovers were a big issue, with a fumble on the 2-yard line by Tanner Hudson and a muffed punt on a crucial drive by Charlie Jones created issues throughout the whole game. The defense, despite being seen as the weaker unit, was the only part of the team working. QB Joe Burrow had a lowly 164 yards and a donut in the touchdown stat. The run game struggled, with just 70 total yards compared to 170 yards for the Patriots. Defensively, allowing 16 points isn’t a bad thing by any means, but with the Patriots being one of the lowest-touted offenses in the league, they could’ve done better.
What Went Wrong?
Defensively, the only true issue was tackling. On multiple occasions, Cincinnati looked to make a great play, before they would somehow miss the tackle and it would turn into a big gain for the playmaker. On offense, there were problems everywhere. The run game was efficient (4.9 YPC for Moss), but there was no consistency. The team seemed lost without a game plan. For some drives they would attempt to establish a run game, but to no avail. There were flashes, including a drive focused on letting Burrow rip it, which ended in a rushing touchdown for Moss, but there was no consistency.
It all comes down to coaching. Zac Taylor was simply out-coached by first-year Head Coach Jerod Mayo. If this team wants to succeed, Taylor needs to give up play-calling duties. A particularly awful showing was in the 4th quarter, when on 4th and 10 Burrow checked it down for a small gain of 5. The play was in no way going to get them a first, so the idea would be to set up a closer 4th down attempt. The Bengals proceeded to trust their defense and attempt to get the ball back with no timeouts and maybe 1:30 on the clock. If there was never an attempt to go for it on 4th down, why check it down in the first place? It’s a waste of a play and a waste of a drive. Whether or not that was Taylor’s fault, something needs to change. The offense didn’t touch the ball for the rest of the game.
Looking Forward
With one of the biggest games on the horizon, it’s time for improvement. If Cincinnati plays like that again, there is no chance they beat the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs. The defense needs to fix the tackling issue, and the unit will look scary. Zac Taylor needs to stick to a game plan because he can’t keep having one foot in each camp. And most importantly, Joe Burrow needs to play better. As the highest-paid player in NFL history, he simply needs to play better.
