Burrrrr0-2: Is it Getting too Cold in Cincinnati?
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In back-to-back years, the Cincinnati Bengals are off to an 0-2 start to begin the 2023-2024 NFL season, suffering losses to not one, but two in-division rivals Cleveland Browns, 24-3 and the Baltimore Ravens, 27-24. Their offense has been inconsistent, and their defense has been dreadful, allowing 25.5 points per game and 382.5 total yards per game, while only putting up an average of 13.5 points per game and a league-worst 212 yards a game according to Football Database.
Joe Burrow, the NFL’s 275-million-dollar man, has gotten off to a less than desirable start. Against the Browns, Burrow threw for an abysmal 82 yards for the game. EIGHTY-TWO YARDS! Cincinnati’s top two receivers, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, combined for a whopping 5 catches and 39 yards, all of which belonged to Chase. Burrow and Higgins bounced back the following week against a Ravens team missing several starting defensive players, Burrow throwing for 222 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, 89 of those yards and both touchdowns going to Higgins, but Chase struggled again, only catching five balls for 31 yards. However, when you watch the Bengals, their offense does not seem to look the same way it did the year prior. Is it because of Joe Burrow’s calf, which he injured in training camp? Is their run defense just that porous? According to Pro Football Focus, the Bengals are giving up a ridiculous average of 192.5 rushing yards per-game; or are the Bengals just off to a similar start as last season, where they began 0-2 and flipped the script all the way to the AFC Conference Championship game? Right now, their run defense cannot generate stops, and their offense, given the star power they boast in the run game, on the outside, and under center. The Bengals cannot afford to start the season 0-3. According to CBS News, only six teams who have started the season 0-3 have made the playoffs since 1979.
The Bengals face the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night, who are averaging 26.5 points per game and 406 total yards a game. Do the Bengals have to win on Monday night, or can the Bengals survive an 0-3 start to the season?