The Bengals brought home a big win, but Burrow isn’t satisfied 

The Cincinnati Bengals were leading the Las Vegas Raiders 31-10 in the 3rd quarter. The Bengals had scored on each of their first five possessions, and Joe Burrow had already tossed 4 touchdown passes. 

Following their first punt of the afternoon, Burrow stormed off the field. 

Approaching the offensive line with his arms extended, Burrow delivered an angry message to his teammates. In a fit of rage, he proceeded to slam his helmet to the ground. Burrow and the offense had played a nearly flawless game of football to that point, yet Burrow was still enraged.  

The Bengals franchise cornerstone was delivering a message: in order to save this season, Burrow is going to hold his teammates accountable. “I’m not going to ignore the bad,” Burrow said. “I’m going to be hard on myself. I’m going to be hard on us.”   

“I can’t get no satisfaction” 

“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by The Rolling Stones 

Burrow finished with 5 touchdown passes against the Raiders, but he was not satisfied in the least. 

“Striving for perfection every day and every game. Until that happens, what’s there to be happy about?” he said. 

It was the second time this season that Burrow has thrown for 5 touchdowns. He is the first quarterback in Bengals history to have multiple five-touchdown games in a season and only the 21st player to accomplish it since the 1970 merger. And the season ain’t over yet.   

“He’s one of one,” tight end Mike Gesicki said. “He’s incredible. His demeanor. The way he carries himself…we go as he goes.”  

Burrow accomplished his 5-TD feat down a couple key pass catchers—Tee Higgins who was unavailable and Jermaine Burton who was a healthy scratch before the game—and without connecting with Ja’Marr Chase, who leads the NFL with 7 touchdown receptions. 

Burrow continued his trend of explosive plays when he connected with Mike Gesicki for a 47-yard touchdown in the 4th quarter. He now has 5 TD passes of 40+ yards and 7 TD passes of 25+ yards, both of which lead the league. 

Burrow is playing at an MVP level this season, but it doesn’t matter. 

The anger he demonstrated on the field with his teammates carried over into the post-game locker room following the convincing 41-24 Raiders win. Teammates were all smiles celebrating the win and individual accomplishments deserving of game balls.   

Burrow quickly silenced the celebration. “We’re traveling on Wednesday,” he said. “Today is Sunday. Get your f***in bodies right. Get your minds right. It’s a big one on Thursday.” 

Burrow can’t get no satisfaction. 

“Oh-oh-oh, I’m on fire” 

“I’m on Fire” by Bruce Springsteen 

Trey Hendrickson continues his monster season. Against the Raiders, Hendrickson was on fire by registering 4 quarterback sacks, becoming just the third player in Bengals history to ever record 4 sacks in a single game. The 4 sacks also brought Hendrickson’s season total to 11, which leads the entire NFL.   

Just as Burrow put the Bengals offense on his back, Hendrickson seemed to do the same for the Bengals defensive unit against the Raiders. Trey essentially closed out the game by sacking Raiders quarterback, Desmond Ridder, late in the game and forcing a fumble that the Bengals recovered.   

“Four sacks, seven quarterback hits, that’s tough to match,” said Zac Taylor. “Those moments where we needed that big stop on defense, and a lot of guys came up big for us. But Trey came up the biggest.”  

“Johnny-come-lately, the new kid in town. Everybody loves you, so don’t let them down.” 

“New Kid in Town” by Eagles 

Thus far, this year’s #1 draft pick, Amarius Mims, has not let the Bengals organization down. 

Mims, an offensive tackle, was considered a risky draft pick by some experts because of his injury history and limited game experience while at the University of Georgia. Given Mims’ monster size, incredible measurables and great athleticism, the Bengals gambled on Mims’ potential. 

When Mims got injured in preseason and missed the opening few games, those concerns re-emerged. Mims returned in week 3. 

Free agent tackle, Trent Brown, was lost to injury soon thereafter and Mims has been installed as the starting right tackle ever since. On the 99 true pass block snaps that Mims has played, he has yet to even allow a single hit on Joe Burrow. Over his first 6 NFL starts—against some of the finest pass rushers in the league—Mims has accomplished his primary mission of keeping Joe Burrow protected and upright. 

Mims’ emergence has resulted in a cleaner pocket, contributing to Burrow’s exemplary season. The new kid in town is looking like he may be the Bengals’ cornerstone offensive tackle of the future. 

“So, never mind the darkness, we still can find a way. ‘Cause nothin’ lasts forever, even cold November rain.” 

“November Rain” by Guns N’ Roses 

After an embarrassing 37-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles the previous week, it appeared that darkness was setting in on the Bengals season. 

The win against the Raiders momentarily brought some light into the darkness and demonstrated that the Bengals can still find a way to reach the postseason if they play to their potential. It’ll be Joe Burrow holding the flame and leading the Bengals out of the darkness and back into the light. Burrow is going to maintain a high standard with his teammates and a sense of urgency to guide them back. 

“There isn’t any time to sit and dwell on the good we had today,” Burrow said. “Knowing what we are going to have to do to get back into this one, one win isn’t going to make or break our season.”   

Sam Hubbard agreed. “Joe said it best. If we want to do anything with this season, we’ve got to win this game [Thursday].”   

The Thursday night game on the road against the Baltimore Ravens now becomes titanic. 

Beating the Ravens returns the Bengals to .500 on the season and gives them a huge divisional win against one of the league’s premier teams. The Ravens game is the first of 3 consecutive games against teams with a winning record. The Bengals have yet to beat a team this season that possesses a winning record.   

The month of November essentially becomes make-or-break for the Bengals 2024 season. As history has proven, November and December are the months in which the Bengals have played their best football over the Joe Burrow era. 

As a team, the Bengals have a combined 18 regular season wins in November, December and January since 2021, the third-most in the NFL during that span. To stay alive for the postseason, that trend needs to continue. The Bengals are going to need to deliver a November reign. 

Who Dey?!

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