Another close loss might signal needed changes
Dear Mr. (Mike) Brown,
Enclosed, you will find my mixtape of curated songs that expresses the disappointment and frustration I feel as a fan about the 2024 Cincinnati Bengals season.
“Do you really want to hurt me? Do you really want to make me cry?”
“Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” by Culture Club
As a lifelong Bengals fan, I’ve endured many painful seasons. The 2024 season, however, may be the most painful of them all.
The hurt stems from the unrealized promise of a Super Bowl window that appears to have closed. Three years ago, the Bengals were minutes from a world championship with one of the best young quarterbacks in the leagues, a dangerous duo of playmakers and plenty of available cap space to enhance the roster.
Now, it appears the core foundation of Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins has reached its finale with no championship hardware to claim and with a roster that has more holes than resources to spend to fill them.
This season also really hurts because of the wasted excellence of three of the greatest individual seasons in franchise history. Joe Burrow is having the finest season of his illustrious career, leading the league in passing yards and touchdowns. Ja’Marr Chase is currently on pace to win the triple crown of receiving statistics, leading the league in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns. Trey Hendrickson paces the NFL in quarterback sacks at 11.5.
These types of superlative seasons would normally have Burrow in the NFL MVP conversation with Chase and Hendrickson in consideration for the NFL Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year respectively. Instead, the Bengals find themselves with a record of 4-7 and desperately hoping for a miracle to reach the postseason.
The disparity between exceptional individual performance and team record in Burrow’s case in particular is historically absurd. Through the first 11 games, Burrow has 3,028 yards, 27 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. The only players to achieve 3,000+ passing yards, 27+ touchdowns and 5 or fewer interceptions through their teams first 11 games are Tom Brady in 2007 (the Patriots went 16-0 that season) and 2015 (Patriots went 12-4), Aaron Rodgers in 2011 (Packers went 15-1) and 2020 (Packers finished 13-3), Patrick Mahomes in 2020 (Chiefs finished 14-2) and Drew Brees in 2018 (Saints went 13-3).
Superlative individual performances by a quarterback have historically always led to exceptional records. Burrow’s 2024 season is the lone anomaly. Joe Burrow looked demoralized again at the game’s conclusion saying afterwards that the 2024 season is the most frustrating season of his lifetime. When asked why, Burrow replied, “I think it’s pretty self-explanatory.”
The reasons for the hurt and frustration are pretty self-explanatory to Joe Burrow, Mr. Brown. The reasons for the frustration of our fan base should be self-explanatory to you, as well. But let me expand.
“Please don’t tell me everything is wonderful now.”
“Wonderful” by Everclear
Coach Zac Taylor said he still has “utmost belief” in this team. “Wholesale changes would be panic,” Taylor said, “That’s not what the answer is. We’ve played good football; we’re a good football team.”
Good football teams don’t go 1-6 in one score games like the Bengals have done this year. Good football teams don’t find ways to consistently lose games on critical plays in the closing minutes like the Bengals have achieved this season. The list is long: Tanner Hudson’s early celebration going into the endzone that resulted in a fumble against the Patriots, failing to stop the Chiefs on 4th-and-16, the botched field goal hold against Baltimore in overtime that would have won the game, and the failed 2-point conversion against Baltimore resulting in a 35-34 loss. Now, add to the list Evan McPherson’s two missed field goals from 48 and 51 yards out in the game’s final minutes.
4-7 is a time for panic. Wholesale changes need to happen. If not in the remaining games this season, then definitely in the offseason.
“Closing time, every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”
“Closing Time” by Semisonic
The Bengals Super Bowl window has closed. It’s time for a new beginning, Mr. Brown. Here is a proposal for how to begin this offseason.
- Hire a general manager and expand the scouting department. The Bengals continue to operate at a clear disadvantage to the rest of the modern NFL when it comes to player personnel. They continue to operate with the smallest scouting department in the league and are only one of two teams without a true general manager (the other team being the Dallas Cowboys with team owner Jerry Jones operating as GM). The current model has not produced results. Outside of Ja’Marr Chase, the last four drafts since 2021 have failed to produce a consistently good player. Furthermore, letting established franchise players walk like Jessie Bates and D.J. Reader while opting for free agent acquisitions at a lower price tag has eroded parts of the roster—most noticeably on the defensive side of the ball. The Bengals 4-7 record despite league leading performances by Burrow, Chase and Hendrickson is a direct reflection of the personnel department and their inability to put together a complimentary supporting roster over the last few years to help this team win football games. Changes need to be made in the front office, Mr. Brown.
- Hire a new head coach. Head coaches can make an impact. The Bengals need look no further than last Sunday’s opponent. Last year, the LA Chargers went 5-12. The Chargers consistently lost one-score games in 2023—dropping 8 contests by 7 points or less. With virtually the same roster as last season, the Chargers are 7-3 this year. The main difference is Jim Harbaugh as their head coach and his ability to transform the culture and attitude of the organization. The Bengals are consistently failing to make the key plays needed to finish and win football games. When asked specifically about the Bengals struggling to finish games, Ja’Marr Chase said it clearly, “Ask Zac. Ask the coaches. Don’t ask me, that’s not my job. I play football on the field. I don’t call plays for us.” If you want to improve this moribund defense, how about Bill Belichick or Mike Vrabel who are both willing and available? If you want to stay with an offensive head coach, how about going after Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson who has assisted in making the Lions offense a juggernaut? Zac Taylor should be commended for some of his accomplishments in prior seasons but continuing to come up short again and again is a reflection of the head coach.
- Invest in the trenches along the offensive and defensive Lines. Cincinnati’s offensive line still is not good enough to provide consistent protection for Joe Burrow. Miscalculations in the draft and free agency—particularly on the interior of the offensive line—have failed to improve their line over time. Since 2021, Burrow is the highest graded passer in the NFL at 93.4. The rest of the top 4 are Josh Allen (90.9), Patrick Mahomes (90.4) and Justin Herbert (90.1). The same 4 players in sacks taken since 2021: Allen (108 sacks), Mahomes (120), Herbert (124) and Burrow (171). Burrow has taken 50 more sacks in the same timeframe as his next closest peer in passer rating over the last 4 seasons and yet he still leads the league! Imagine what Burrow with greater protection could yield. Of the 77 qualified guards through 11 weeks, Bengals left guard Cordell Volson ranks dead last (#77 out of 77) in QB pressures allowed at 33. The next worst is Bengals right guard Alex Cappa at 27. The guard spot needs to improve. The Bengals have only invested 6 draft picks out of 34 total picks since 2020 when they drafted Burrow. There needs to be significant change here in the offseason and potentially a new offensive line coach to develop this position group.
The Bengals are quite literally a team that’s bad at everything on the defensive side of the ball. The team allows too many points (28th in points allowed), allows too many yards (23rd in passing yards allowed and 21st in rushing yards allowed), allows its opponents to control the clock (24th in plays allowed per drive and 29th in first downs allowed), and can’t defend the run or the pass consistently. In the two years the Bengals reached the AFC Championship, the Bengals were 33-2 when scoring 23+ points.
This season, they are 2-5 when scoring 23+ points. This is a direct reflection on how much the defense has regressed since those playoff seasons and how bad in particular the group has been this season. The Bengals need to start somewhere and focus on solidifying the defensive line to apply greater pressure on the quarterback and limit the run should be a focal point.
Great teams build their rosters from the inside out. Look at the Detroit Lions as a recent example. The Bengals should follow this blueprint.
“Don’t tell me it’s not worth fightin’ for. I can’t help it there’s nothin’ I want more. You know it’s true. Everything I do, I do it for you.”
“(Everything I Do) I Do it For You” by Bryan Adams
Mr. Brown, you need to do this for Joe Burrow. He’s the best player the Bengals franchise has probably ever had. He’s the quarterback you’ve invested $275 million in to deliver this city a championship. He’s in the prime of his career and playing at an MVP level. You have him for 5 more seasons and it’s going to take a couple more years at least to plug some of the enormous holes and build the supporting roster back up around him. The window on Burrow’s career is going to close soon and you need to make aggressive moves now. Insanity is continuing to do the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. You once had a great quarterback, Carson Palmer, who engineered his way out of Cincinnati because you refused to change your ways. Don’t follow this same path as Joe Burrow.
Mr. Brown, you’ve evolved and made changes in recent years—from the naming rights on the stadium to the investment in a new practice facility to the Bengals’ Ring of Honor. It’s time to continue to make the necessary changes to deliver a championship to Cincinnati and to this devoted and loyal fan base that’s persisted for 57 years.
Mr. Brown, the Who-Dey Nation is worth fightin’ for. Do it for them.
Jon Bunch is an avid life-long Bengals fanatic. Raised in the 740. West Pointer, Army and Iraq War veteran. Passionate evangelist of the Who-Dey spirit. @WhoDeyBunch
