After the loss of star quarterback Joe Burrow, Cincinnatians hoped the team would rally in his absence and keep the team above water. Needless to say, there will not be a lot of optimism after last Sunday’s beatdown from the Minnesota Vikings.
Game Recap
The game started as normal as a Bengals game can be: a bad defensive drive to start the game, ending in a Vikings touchdown within two minutes. Backup quarterback Jake Browning led a quick three-and-out and punted back to the Vikings. The defense held, giving Browning and the offense another chance to even the score. The offense looked to be getting into a rhythm, but disaster struck. A bad decision from Browning, combined with the blazing speed of corner Isaiah Rodgers, led to the first (yes, there were more!) defensive touchdown for the Vikings. Despite the awful start, there were still fifty-one minutes left in the game. The two teams traded a couple of punts and field goals before disaster number two struck. With less than three minutes to go in the first half, Cincinnati had the ball and would start the second half on offense, too. Back-to-back touchdowns could tie it up, right? Wrong.
A nice screen play to tight end Noah Fant was blown up again by Rodgers, who would again take it to the house. With the score now at a twenty-four-point deficit, the Bengals just needed something. They would not find it on the next drive, with another fumbled forced by Rodgers (but at least it wasn’t returned to the house, right?), which would result in another touchdown for the Vikings before half. Then, with 28 seconds left in the half, Cincinnati fumbled again. The defense would hold, and kicker Will Reichard would hit an impressive sixty-two-yard field goal to end the half 34-3.
The second half would be more of the same. Punts and turnovers for the Bengals, touchdowns for the Vikings. Cincy would be able to punch one into the endzone in the fourth quarter, but by then the game had already been solidified as the largest margin of loss the Bengals have ever had in franchise history.
Worst Loss Ever?
While there were certainly some doubts, I don’t think a single Bengals fan could have predicted this outcome. The Bengals were dealing with a struggling offense even with Burrow healthy, and the defense was looking about as poor as we expected. But on the other side of the coin, the Vikings had their own glaring issues. In week one, they edged out an ugly win versus the mediocre Chicago Bears and lost on primetime to the Atlanta Falcons by sixteen points. On top of this, their quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, would also be sidelined for the contest. Case in point: the Bengals should not have lost by thirty-eight points.
Moving Forward
At this point, there’s nowhere to go but up. Head coach Zac Taylor has to keep his team in line. After such a tough loss, everyone will need a reminder that this was a fluke loss, and nothing more. The perfect task is ahead of them: a matchup with the shaky Denver Broncos. For the sake of The Queen City, please wake up.
