Good article.

https://www.si.com/nfl/bengals/allbengals-insiders-plus/bengals-film-breakdown-why-offense-struggling-how-they-can-improve?utm_source=reddit.com

The Bengals still have the 9th best odds at winning the Super Bowl? I went in hoping to find them near the bottom, however they were still in the top 3rd. Vegas/Sports Books, typically have a good handle on these types of things.

I know this season hasn’t started the way we all hoped. We are essentially in a mid-season playoffs, right now. The first four weeks are behind us and there is a LONG way to go. However if this team can eke out two wins (visually: good, bad, meh) they will get a bye week, and then have 11 weeks to go over .500, 6-5 or better, and be in the mix.

Reasons why not to give up on this team:
1) Burrow has to be getting healthier. It’s been a while since his initial injury.
2) We have faced 3 of the top 8 scoring against defenses, we lost all 3. To put it in perspective, cardinals give up 7.5 more points per game than the lowest of the top 3, titans at 17.5.
3) all four teams we have played are giving up less than 300 ypg, all top 12 and two of the top 3.
4) AFCN is decimated with injuries. In fact the bengals may be in the best shape, burrow not with standing.

Reasons for concern:
1) play calling, it has to get better on both sides.
2) burrows mental struggle. we have seen him overcome this before. I’m hoping that it’s a UCF type hit/taunt/moment to burrow that wakes him up. If you don’t know what I’m talking, watch what he did after the hit/pick 6. As Andy Reid told mahomes, and hopefully Zac tells burrow/the team, when things loook grim, be the grim reaper. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dfYMHqTMQB0
3) team moral, but this is solved with going 2-0.

Long story short, if we come out of the next two weeks 2-0, which is possible, it would have required us to overcome the concerns. If we are sitting at 3-3 before the bye, this team will be what we thought before the season . The only thing most likely out of reach is the 1 seed at this point.

This isn’t a 13 week season anymore, it’s really a 2 week, must win, mid-season playoffs.

If the Bengals lose these next two games do you trade some key guys who will be FA next season or do you play out the rest of the season with them?
DJ Reader- Value 3rd RD comp or higher- Best Fit Dallas
Tyler Boyd- Value 5th RD comp or higher- Best Fit Kansas City
Tee Higgins- Late First/early 2nd or higher + 3rd comp pick or higher- Best Fit Houston

I've had it. I've seen enough these past few seasons. It's time we move on from this guy. It'd be better if we waited until his birthday to bench him.

Especially after watching these last few games, I can't think of anything else but to say something so outlandish that the football gods decide to give Burrow his mojo back to counter the stupidity.

There are good arguments both ways.

Cons: He has no NFL experience. Odds are good he'll make a mistake on a route or other such.

Pros: He did look pretty decent in preseason. Also he is the closest WR we have in characteristics to Tee.

And yes I know they would likely start Irwin.

Until they prove otherwise I think this is another loss.

Cardinals: 35
Bengals: 6

Burrow is obviously injured and not playing at the high level that he has played at in the past.

Low mobility and a limited playbook that reduces throws downfield makes it easier for Defenses.

Historic poor play: "the worst yards per attempt in NFL history for a QB with at least 150 attempts

in his first four games of a season"."


This POLL has 2 Scenarios for upcoming games with the possibility of resting Burrow until after the BYE week.

Option 1: Bengals more likely to Win more games against (at Cardinals, Seahawks, at 49ers & Bills) with

Burrow starting all 4 games.

Option 2: Bengals more likely to Win more games against (at Cardinals & Seahawks) with their Backup QB then

start Burrow after the BYE week (at 49ers & Bills)

*Each option covers 4 games. Choose which option seems most likely to have the Bengals Win more of the 4 games with.

**The Backup can be either Jake Browning or AJ McCarron (your choice)

We have signed WR Kendric Pryor to the practice squad.

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 3, 2023

3rd and 4 and Chase AND Tanner Hudson are WIDE OPEN for 1st down yardage and because the Titans all out blitzed Burrow gets scared and throws it away. Burrow didn’t even look to his right to see Chase and Tanner open. He got tunnel vision on Boyd and the pressure caused an incomplete pass. Tanner Hudson blocked and released and literally no one guarded him. Chase was also in front of his man 5 feet. We only needed 4 yards.

3rd and 4 again, so 4 yards gets a 1st and Titans once again blitz and once again Burrow can’t deliver to an open WR. Tyler Boyd is wide open(with an accurate pass) right at the 1st down pylon and Burrow sails it out of bounds.




This dude isn’t so injured he can’t turn his head and look to the right. He’s not so injured he can’t move left or right in the pocket. He’s just not. Dude got the money and totally forgot how to be a NFL QB.

Dude forgot how to play football overnight.


And god forbid he check out of some of these trash ass Zac Taylor plays. On 1 3rd down we had 4 routes going out and all but 1 went like 10 yards down the field on a 3rd and 3. So one guy who the ball is supposed to go to sits down right at the 1st down and i have to assume the other routes were decoys because no way Zac actually thought they were gonna get open. So any good defender that understands route concepts already knows that own of these routes is sitting right at the 1st down. If you happen to get really good at watching film and guessing which guy is gonna sit at the 1st, you could theoretically destroys Zac’s whole playbook.

Why not have 3/4 routes stop at the first to put pressure across the defensive equally. When only one guy does it you are basically hoping that that one defender just guesses wrong or doesn’t watch tape. I also saw that a bunch of Zac’s plays do have concepts where certain routes are there to distract defenders from the real routes we wanna hit but that doesn’t really work if you are say doing a go with Trenton Irwin to open up an out for Chase. Why in the hell would you give any attention to the go route? Your 5th string CB can go step for step with Irwin on a go so why not just sit on whatever Chase does? We need to put Chase and Tee on the same side ALOT more.




Final play is a 2nd and 5. Right at snap the RB is wide open for 1st down yardage on a block and release and Irwin is wide open and Burrow is looking dead at the guy. He refuses to throw to either and sack.


This isn’t a case of Burrow making immaculate reads and just being in accurate. Dude is playing like pure shit. He’s missing WIDE OPEN reads and he’s in accurate too. This isn’t all on a calf. It appears as if Burrow tries to change how he plays QB and he thought it was good but it’s not. It’s ***** horrible.

Mike Hilton PFF grade over since he's been on the Bengals.
2021-72.3
2022-73.4
2023-39.2
The guy has been damn good for us during his tenure here but this season his play has fallen off a cliff according to PFF.

Also according to pro football reference advanced stats he has missed 3 tackles so far. Last season he only missed 6 for the whole season.