Football <\/p>\n
Burrow\u2019s deserves praise for his performance this season, despite Cincinnati\u2019s record.<\/p>\n
\nFootball is a team game played by individuals, which means that on occasion an individual can singlehandedly undo the work of an entire team. The kicker who misses a crucial game-winning field goal, the quarterback who throws a crushing pick-6, the defensive lineman who commits a back-breaking penalty \u2026 when one player\u2019s failure is the pivot point on which a game is lost, it\u2019s maddening, but at the same time every player realizes that he could be that player one day, too.<\/p>\n
The exact opposite scenario is playing out in Cincinnati right now, a strange dynamic where the team is undoing the excellence of the individual. Joe Burrow is playing some of the best football of his career \u2026 and the Bengals defense is taking a sledgehammer to all that hard work.<\/p>\n
Look, \u201cJoe Burrow of the 4-8 Bengals deserves MVP consideration\u201d is the kind of clickbaity headline that makes everyone hate the media, but it\u2019s not quite as ridiculous as it sounds. The numbers are pretty staggering, starting with the fact that Burrow leads the NFL in passing yards per game (278.1) and touchdowns (30) and ranks fourth in passer rating, behind only Lamar Jackson, Jared Goff and Tua Tagovailoa.<\/p>\n
The Bengals as a team rank fifth overall in points scored (27.9), tied with Tampa Bay and behind only Detroit, Buffalo, Baltimore and Washington. And thanks to Burrow, Ja\u2019Marr Chase\u2019s 1,142 receiving yards and 13 receiving touchdowns both lead the NFL.<\/p>\n
The problem, quite simply, is that Burrow is playing on a team with an atrocious, nearly league-worst defense.<\/p>\n
Only Carolina has given up more points per game than Cincinnati\u2019s 28.3. The Detroit Lions<\/a> score an average of 15 more points a game than their opponents. The Bengals score about half a point less.<\/p>\n
Put another way, Burrow\u2019s offense has to score more than four touchdowns a game just to outrun his own defense. That\u2019s a phenomenal burden on your shoulders every single game, and Burrow conceded after Sunday\u2019s loss to Pittsburgh that it\u2019s weighing on him.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Zac Taylor, Lou Anarumo shoulder blame amid Bengals\u2019 skid – Ben Baby, ESPN<\/a><\/h3>\n
The Bengals\u2019 coaches are taking accountability for this year\u2019s struggles.<\/p>\n
\nCINCINNATI \u2014 Coach Zac Taylor and defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo didn\u2019t shy away from shouldering their share of the blame for the Cincinnati Bengals<\/a>\u2019 three-game losing streak and a season that has slipped away from them.<\/p>\n
After a disappointing loss to the Steelers<\/a> on Sunday, one that Taylor said the team believed it could have won, he took responsibility for how the team has fared amid a four-win season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not going to sit here and put this on the players. As the head coach, you sit there and you\u2019re 4-8,\u201d Taylor said Monday. \u201cYou\u2019re a 4-8 head coach. And that starts with you. To get the most out of everybody, that\u2019s my job.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anarumo also opened his session with reporters with a similar message after a 44-38 defeat to Cincinnati\u2019s AFC North rival.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously all of this starts and ends with me,\u201d Anarumo said. \u201cHow we play is certainly my responsibility. I think the players have done a fantastic job of preparing, practicing with energy, giving us their best. I\u2019m proud of the way we\u2019ve gone about that.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to do a better job \u2014 I need to do a better job of making sure it shows up on Sundays.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Bengals Announce Unique Uniform Combination for Monday Night\u2019s Game At Dallas – Jay Morrison, Sports Illustrated<\/a><\/h3>\n
Cincinnati will wear unusual threads on Monday Night Football.<\/p>\n
\nCINCINNATI<\/strong> \u2013 The Cincinnati Bengals<\/a> have unveiled their uniform combination for Monday Night Football against the Dallas Cowboys<\/a>, and it\u2019s a unique one.<\/p>\n
The Bengals will wear their black jerseys on the road for just the 12th time since at least 2010, pairing them with white pants, orange stripes and orange socks.<\/p>\n
The jersey choice is not entirely theirs.<\/p>\n
As the home team, the Cowboys get to decide whether to wear dark or white jerseys, and they almost always wear white at home, as they have done in five of their six games at AT&T Stadium this season.<\/p>\n
Two of the previous 11 times the Bengals have worn black jerseys on the road were during games in Dallas in 2016 and 2022.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not uncommon for home teams to elect to wear white in September when the weather is expected to be hot, which is why eight of the previous times the Bengals wore black on the road were in the first month of the season.<\/p>\n
The other three were still fairly early.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n