DAYTON, Ohio — 1. I remember what it felt like when the Bengals stunningly dropped to 0-2 last year, at least it felt stunning. But this… 1-3? This is just sad.
2. Prior to this season, the Bengals had only ONE game in the Joe Burrow era where they did not score a touchdown. They have two such games THIS SEASON.
3. Since Ja’Marr Chase was drafted, the Bengals had only lost two games by more than THREE points. They have two such games THIS SEASON.
4. One of the highlights of the offseason was retaining Brian Callahan, Lou Anarumo and Darin Simmons. Are those retentions hurting this team now?
5. I ask that primarily because of the defense. Yes, the defense. While it’s been one of the most consistently reliable defenses in the NFL over the last two seasons, I’m now wondering if teams have figured out how to attack it. Look at how easily teams are running the ball, finding open spaces, running misdirection, etc.
6. Maybe a better question is: are the losses of Jessie Bates III and Vonn Bell bigger than we hoped? With those two players, Lou Anarumo could afford to have more versatility with his defense, especially in the secondary. Without those two, it make it easier for opponents to run on this front seven.
7. This offense is so easy to defend.
8. Forget about anything Ja’Marr Chase isn’t doing. Where in the world is Tyler Boyd? Where is he on third-and-short? Where is he in the red zone?
9. Oh wait a second… the red zone you ask? Interesting that you ask that, because the Bengals have five drives that have reached the red zone in the first four games this season.
10. Joe Mixon has run the ball well at times this season. If that’s the case, why aren’t the Bengals catering the game plan heavily to him? His running abilities helped the Bengals offense develop in the first four games of 2021, when Burrow was hurt. That might help again this season, just saying.
11. Perhaps the Bengals knew something we didn’t by not extending Tee Higgins. So far this season he has a game with no catches, several drops in a game on national television and now has a rib injury sustained in the game on Sunday. Not an ideal start.
12. Maybe now we’re seeing it, but the coaching staff, perhaps, is relying too much on Joe Burrow for their success. So much so that they’re putting all their eggs into the basket that features a less than 100% Joe Burrow. That’s not the definition of a good coaching staff.
13. Maybe we underestimated how much Joe Burrow’s calf injury would impact the season. Maybe we also underestimated the difficulty of the first four games.
14. Final thought: were the last two seasons, as great, momentous and palpable as they were, lightning in a bottle for this franchise? Is this version of the Bengals, 1-3, who they really are?
Let me be Frank and Cut to the Chase 