Overreaction Wednesday: Ranking every AFC North team by their obvious flaws
By Kristen Wong
AFC North No. 2: Cincinnati Bengals -- A sloppy and inefficient offensive script
There's no shortage of memes out there comparing the Bengals before they paid Joe Burrow to the Bengals after they paid Joe Burrow. Obviously, the money has nothing to do with Burrow's performance (his calf does), yet the troubling question still lingers: Why do the Bengals look so bad?
Cincinnati mustered three touchdowns through three weeks. Worse teams with far less talent have done better than that. Burrow finally re-ignited his spark with Ja'Marr Chase in Week 3's victory against the Rams, and for many Bengals fans, it was simply a relief to see Burrow on the field following rumors that he may miss some time due to his calf issue.
Until Burrow fully recovers, the offense will have to adapt to Burrow's limited mobility, and we're just not sure that Zac Taylor and Brian Callahan are up to the task.
The 2022 MVP candidate has completed just 10 percent of 15-plus yard passes compared to 51.3 percent last year. The Bengals' deep passing game has been so nonexistent that Cincy gave Chase more snaps in the slot against the Rams to at least get him involved.
Without those explosive deep passing plays, and with Burrow significantly hindered in his off-script creativity, the Bengals' season could get a lot worse before it gets better. We can trust that Burrow will rediscover his natural rhythm with his wideouts this season, and the likes of Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd may eventually challenge the Dolphins for the best pass-catching group in the league.
What we're not quite sold on is Taylor and Callahan's ability to scheme efficient plays for Burrow as he continues to heal from injury. They've adapted to midseason wrinkles before, but for some reason, this year feels different.