Joe Burrow: Bengals 'not a championship-caliber team right now'

CINCINNATI – Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow sat at his locker with his arms folded and legs crossed for several minutes, assessing the fallout from Sunday's 38-41 overtime loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

The Bengals led most of the day and appeared poised to open AFC North play with a win – their second straight. But Cincinnati saw that lead slip away several times before the Ravens finally sealed the deal with Justin Tucker's 24-yard field goal.

As Burrow reflected on the result, one thing became clear: After suffering their fourth loss in five games to start the season, Burrow said it was frustrating that a team that started the year with title aspirations couldn't come close to keeping up.

“We’re not a championship-caliber team right now,” Burrow said. “We are not. I like to think that as the season progresses we will come back and improve to get to this point, but at the moment that is not the case and we need to get better.”

It seemed like there was little more the offense could do after another productive outing. Cincinnati scored 30 points for the third straight game. Burrow threw five touchdowns on 30 of 39 passes, the most of his career, but also threw a costly interception in the fourth quarter. Wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase had 10 catches for 193 yards and two touchdowns.

But it wasn't enough. The defense allowed more than 38 points for the second straight game. After Cincinnati led 38-28 with 8:54 left in regulation, the Ravens scored 13 unanswered points.

For Chase, this added to the disappointment after Sunday's loss.

“I think that’s what mostly makes us angry,” Chase said at his locker after the game. “I just scored 30 points and lost on the spot.”

“That’s what we want to do offensively – get 30 points and take over the game. On the last drive we got the ball into our hands and took over. That’s what we want and we haven’t done it.”

Chase and fellow wide receiver Tee Higgins lamented the lack of aggressiveness during a crazy overtime period. Baltimore won the throw early in overtime and drove down the field for a potential game-winning touchdown. However, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson fumbled a snap with the shotgun, and Cincinnati linebacker Germaine Pratt recovered the ball and took it to the Baltimore 38-yard line.

Cincinnati ran the ball on three consecutive plays, setting up a field goal attempt for kicker Evan McPherson. Since being drafted in 2021, McPherson has made nine game-winning or game-winning field goals in the final two minutes of regulation or overtime, according to ESPN Research. But a poor serve from rookie punter Ryan Rehkow contributed to the 53-yarder missing the ball wide left.

When asked about the conservative approach on this drive, Bengals coach Zac Taylor said he didn't want to risk a sack or penalty in this situation. He said that series of plays required a pass, but that Burrow did a good job initiating a running play that was more favorable given the defensive look.

“When you're in field goal range and you believe in your kicker, it's really that easy,” Taylor said.

But instead of racking up back-to-back wins, the Bengals are now trying to overcome the odds to reach the postseason. According to ESPN Research, only 5.6% of teams that began the year with a 1-4 record in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) have reached the postseason. The 2020 Washington Commanders were the youngest team to achieve this feat.

Burrow said there are no illusions about where the Bengals are after their fourth loss of the year by a total of just 15 points.

“I know exactly where we are at 1-4,” Burrow said. “We don’t want to try to win it at the end of the game. Definitely not disbelieving. I know exactly what’s happening.”

Despite Burrow's postgame comments that the team wasn't at championship level, Taylor said he still believed it. Cincinnati reached the Super Bowl in the 2021 season, losing to the Los Angeles Rams, and reached the AFC Championship Game the following year before losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in a rematch.

Taylor said there is still a lot of faith that the team can bounce back despite what happened Sunday against Baltimore.

“People can write us off if they really want to,” Taylor said. “I’m not stupid enough to do that.”