The Cincinnati Bengals haven't had the best luck this season, with another underwhelming season in which franchise quarterback Joe Burrow missed time with a long-term injury and the defense being among the worst in the league.
Earlier in the week, Burrow discussed with the media how important it was for him to have fun while playing football, which he later clarifed it to be more so about his mindset on the game and the team itself, In his first game back on Thanksgiving, he didn't appear to skip a beat after missing nearly two months, throwing 261 yards for two touchdowns against division rival, the Baltimore Ravens, on the road, winning the game in convincing fashion 32-14.
Sunday, however, in his first home game back against the same team, his performance was the complete opposite: no touchdown passes, two interceptions, one of them a pick-six, and the Bengals ultimately got shut out, 24-0.
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With the loss, the Bengals fall to 4-10, which guarantees a third consecutive season of them missing the postseason, and Burrow did not have any issue taking the fall for his performance.
"When your quarterback plays like that, your team's not gonna have a chance to win," Burrow exclaimed at the beginning of his post-game press conference while also stating that he has to be better.
There is no doubt about what Burrow is capable of when healthy, and with a team that is already trending downhill, it can be tough to deal with a bad outing, but I do not think that affects the trust the Bengals have in Burrow going forward.
However, their last three games could tell us plenty about their future heading into the offseason, although the playoffs are not a reality. They will travel next week to Hard Rock Stadium for a matchup with the Miami Dolphins.