Sunday's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers was arguably the final nail in the coffin for the Cincinnati Bengals. Although not mathematically eliminated just yet, it feels like the end of the road for this team.
Quarterback Joe Burrow went out and continued his stellar season with yet another strong performance, throwing for 309 yards and three touchdowns. But, in the end, it didn't matter. Cincinnati also scored 38 points in this one.
Again, that also didn't matter. The Bengals may have scored 38, but the Steelers dropped 44 in their victory. It was the fourth time this season in which the Bengals scored 33 or more points and lost; a stat many Bengals fans have seen by now, surely.
Heck, Burrow is amidst a season that would have him in line for a league MVP if only Cincinnati could stop anyone on defense.
Like the previous sentiments, an MVP-caliber season simply doesn't matter at this point. The Bengals' season is all but lost, and Burrow knows it.
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Following the Bengals' loss to Pittsburgh, Burrow was extremely candid in his thoughts on the team going into the final handful of games.
“I think we’ll learn a lot about who we have in the locker room. The guys we can count on going forward, and the guys we can’t. The next six weeks will say a lot about who we can count on and who we can’t.”
Burrow isn't exactly saying something specific, here, but we can read between the lines. There are some individuals who may not stick around after this year, whether or not their contract is up. The Bengals have underperformed, and Burrow has got to be sick of it.
Joe Burrow has earned the right to speak up on behalf of potential offseason moves
If anybody deserves to speak up (and even more so than he already has, for that matter) it's Burrow. What he's done this season is flying so far under the radar because of the simple fact that this Bengals defense is downright atrocious.
There is no other way to put it. Burrow's season is pacing for the best of his career, and yet, the Bengals are going to miss the postseason ... and they might miss it by a wide margin.
This is the franchise quarterback essentially saying that there are people within those walls who don't deserve to be back in the building after this season. Whether that's coaches or players, or a bit of both, we're picking up what Burrow is putting down.
The type of talent this offense possesses, especially, is being put to waste because of an ineffective and subpar defense.
If Burrow continues to speak up (and he should), this front office better start listening a little closer. Hardly anyone has as close of a pulse on the heartbeat of this team than no. 9.