Cincinnati Bengals fans know ball. Not a universal fact, but plenty Who Dey Heads out there recognize the general strengths and weaknesses of the team and can objectively analyze the state of the union without getting too in the weeds.
If anyone knows the temperature of the locker room or what's really going on to contribute to the Bengals' ongoing 3-game losing streak, it'd be Ja'Marr Chase. The superstar receiver has been more vocal of late, and that didn't stop in the wake of Week 5's 37-24 loss to the Detroit Lions.
While the Cincinnati faithful long for Joe Burrow's return, it's on Chase and whomever the quarterback is going forward to make do. And according to Uno, it starts at the top with the play sheet.
Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase implies predictability of offense has led to 3-game skid
Many (myself included) have called for Zac Taylor to give up play-calling duties, to the point where he was asked about it in his last press conference. Taylor indicated he wouldn't resort to that yet, and to be fair, he's had years of relative success in that role — whether you want to make that all about Burrow's brilliance or not.
I did find what Chase said about how predictable the Bengals have gotten on offense very interesting in this little-circulated clip on social media, via WLWT Cincinnati sports anchor/reporter Jaron May:
Ja'Marr Chase says the offensive struggles come from predictable gameplans.
— Jaron May (@jaron_may) October 6, 2025
Credits the unit's fight to stay in the game, but says there's still room to improve.@WLWT pic.twitter.com/oUtQYsXKAd
Here's the first line and the last line from the Chase sound, which is symbolic of the roller coaster Taylor's game plans and Browning's hot-and-mostly-cold play have put Bengals fans on for weeks.
"I think it's just a tough task when everybody knows what the [heck] we're doing. [...] We know what we're capable of at the end of the day. We gotta get there. That's what it's all about."
Every single Cincinnati supporter I chat with in person or online has suggested in some roundabout or head-on way that the playbook is stale. My own analysis has incessantly criticized the lack of run game diversity and horizontal stress on defenses. Pre-snap motion is all but absent. So much of Taylor's scheme is static.
Now it's a fine line, right? The cliché of "players, not plays" exists for a reason. The Bengals can afford to simplify because they have elite weapons like Chase and Tee Higgins to get the ball to. Chase had six receptions, 110 yards and two TDs on Sunday. The problem? It was all meaningless because the game was well out of hand.
With all that deserved criticism, though, we've seen Cincinnati flourish under Taylor's guidance. He got a ton out of Browning in 2023 when Burrow suffered a different season-ending injury. Almost got the Bengals to the playoffs.
So weird. So much continuity with this unit. All the talent in the world, at least on the perimeter. And yet...for whatever reason in 2025, nobody can put it all together thus far. That's why the Bengals, despite a seemingly not-disastrous 2-3 record, feel on the precipice of another lost season.