It happened again. The Bengals have now lost six games. Five of the six games were in nightmare fashion. By nightmare fashion, the opportunity was there for the taking. All the Bengals had to do to win was one small thing or another. Instead, defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory.
The latest episode was a loss at Baltimore. Nearly a carbon copy of what happened a month before Cincinnati when had a chance to win at the end. Last month a muffed field goal was the downfall. This past week a failed two point conversion did the Bengals in.
Here’s where things stand. The Bengals are currently 4-6. They have seven games left to play in the 2024 season. They are currently four games behind the Steelers and three games behind the Ravens. They have now been swept by the Ravens and are 1-2 in the division. Left on the schedule are the Steelers (2 games), LA Chargers, Broncos, Browns, Titans and the Cowboys. Likely the team will have to win the remaining games to make the playoffs. Is that possible? Yes. The Bengals are capable of winning seven straight games. None of the seven teams are playing unbeatable football.
What hurts so bad about the 2024 season is this. The Bengals have some players playing at an elite level to carry the team to a championship. Joe Burrow is playing as well as any quarterback in the league. He is among the league leaders in nearly every quarterback stat. Ja’Marr Chase is at the same level among wide receivers, as he is playing at an elite level and among the leaders in the league. At present, Chase has 66 catches for 981 yards this season.
Trey Hendrickson leads the league in sacks with 11. He is on a pace to possibly break the Bengal all time season record for stats. Despite three players on pace for record setting seasons, the Bengals’ sub-mediocre season could ultimately be a waste of something special.
The Bengal defense has been one of the worst in the league. This past week quarterback Lamar Jackson led the Raven offense to multiple touchdown drives in a row in a 35-34 victory. The defense was so bad head coach Zac Taylor decided to try and win the game on a 2 point conversion as opposed to having faith in his defense and simply tie the game, playing to stop Jackson. The best chance at the playoffs is offensive shootouts for the Bengals. Anything less than the offense scoring 30 plus points in a game will likely result in more Bengal losses.