Ben Bibby, ESPN Writer Oct 6, 2024, 7:04pm ET
CloseBen Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Before joining ESPN, he worked at various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while appearing on SportsCenter, NFL shows on ESPN, and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He is an assistant professor of journalism at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow sat in his locker for several minutes, arms folded, one leg crossed over the other, assessing the aftermath of Sunday’s 41-38 overtime loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
For most of the day, the Bengals took the lead and looked like they were poised to open play in the AFC North with their second straight win. But on multiple occasions, Cincinnati saw the lead slip away before the Ravens finally sealed the deal with Justin Tucker’s 24-yard field goal.
As Burrow pondered the result, one thing was clear: After a fourth loss in five games to start the season, Burrow said it was frustrating that a team that started the year with title aspirations was nowhere close.
“We’re not a championship-caliber team right now,” Burrow said. “We’re not. I like to think we’ll come back and improve throughout the season to get to that point, but right now we’re not and we’ve got to get better.”
It seemed like there wasn’t much the offense could do after another productive outing. Cincinnati scored 30 points for the third straight game. Burrow threw for a career-high five touchdowns on 30-of-39 passing for five touchdowns, though he also made a costly interception in the fourth quarter. Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase had 10 catches for 193 yards and two touchdowns.
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But that wasn’t enough. The defense allowed more than 38 points for the second straight game. After Cincinnati took a 38-28 lead with 8:54 remaining in regulation, the Ravens scored 13 unanswered points.
For Chase, that compounded the disappointment he felt after Sunday’s loss.
“I think that’s what makes us angry most of the time,” Chase said at his locker after the game. “I just put up 30 points and lose there.
“That’s what we want to do as an offense — score 30 points and take control of the game. Put the ball in our hands on the final drive and take control. That’s what we want, and we didn’t do that.”
Chase and fellow wide receiver Tee Higgins lamented the lack of aggression during the bizarre overtime period. Baltimore won the toss to start the extra period and was driving down the field for a potential game-winning touchdown. However, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson fumbled a snap while in the gun, and Cincinnati quarterback Germaine Pratt recovered the ball and took it to Baltimore’s 38-yard line.
Cincinnati ran the ball on three straight plays to set up a field goal attempt for kicker Evan McPherson. Since he was drafted in 2021, McPherson has made nine game-tying or go-ahead field goals in the final two minutes of regulation or overtime, according to ESPN research. But poor control by rookie Ryan Ryhko played a role in the 53-yarder that was missed wide.
When asked about the conservative approach on this trip, Bengals coach Zac Taylor said he didn’t want to risk getting sacked or holding a penalty in that situation. He said there was a pass called for on that series of plays but Burrow did a good job of checking the running play which was more appropriate given the defensive look.
“When you’re in goal range and you believe you can kick, it’s really that simple,” Taylor said.
But instead of going on a winning streak, the Bengals are now trying to overcome the odds to reach the postseason. According to ESPN research, only 5.6% of teams that started the year with a 1-4 record in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) made it to the postseason. The 2020 Washington Commanders were the latest team to accomplish this feat.
Burrow said there were no illusions about where the Bengals find themselves after their fourth loss of the year by just 15 points.
“I know exactly how 1-4 we are,” Burrow said. “We’re not playing at the end of the game to go and win it. Certainly not in disbelief. I know exactly what’s going on.”
Despite what Burrow said after the game about the team not being a championship-caliber team, Taylor said he still believes that. Cincinnati went to the Super Bowl in the 2021 season, losing to the Los Angeles Rams, and reached the AFC Championship Game the following year before losing in a rematch to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Taylor said there is still a lot of belief that the team can recover despite what happened Sunday against Baltimore.
“People can write us off if they really want to,” Taylor said. “I’m not stupid enough to do that.”
