The 2023 season has not gotten off to the kind of start the Cincinnati Bengals were expecting. After making the AFC Championship Game for two straight seasons, the Bengals are going to have their work cut out for them to make it three straight.
Cincinnati is off to a 1-3 start in large part because their offensive production has disappeared. Despite having elite skill position players and making upgrades to the offensive line this offseason, the Bengals currently rank second to last in the NFL in points and last in yardage gained.
A big reason for that steep decline in production has been the performance of quarterback Joe Burrow. The calf injury that he suffered at the start of training camp looks to still be impacting his play as he hasn’t looked comfortable on the field through four games.
While panic is beginning to set in amongst some of their fans and people in the football world, the Bengals remain a confident group. Burrow acknowledged that it has been a few tough weeks out of the gate, but the team still believes they can get the job done.
“It’s been a tough couple of weeks, it’s been a tough couple weeks, that’s for sure,” Joe Burrow said, via Mike Petraglia of the Jungle Roar Pod. “But we’re going to get through it. We’re going to get through it. We’ve got tough, resilient guys there. We got mentally tough guys that have been through a lot. So we know how to handle these situations. It’s tough right now, but we’re going to get through it.”
The Bengals are on the road for a second straight week, paying a visit to the Arizona Cardinals. Arizona has been more competitive than many people thought it would be, as they were projected to be one of the worst teams in the NFL coming into the season.
It will be interesting to see how Cincinnati handles that, as they need a victory in the worst way. This would be a great time to start turning their season around, as heading into their Week 7 bye with a losing record cannot happen.
Out of their bye, the Bengals will be facing the San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills, which could be make-or-break time for the 2023 campaign. If they want any chance of remaining in the playoff hunt, Sunday against the Cardinals is a must-win game.
