Some people are very verbose. Others appreciate brevity. Cincinnati Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow falls into the latter category. After all, Burrow needed just one word to explain what the Bengals need to change after a disappointing 1-4 start to the 2024 NFL season.
“Everything.”
Can the Bengals actually change everything on the fly, Joe?
“We can," Burrow said. "Whether we do or not is to be determined. Just a matter of doing it.”
Joe Burrow on what needs to change to become a championship level team: “Everything.”
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) October 9, 2024
Can they do that?
“We can. Whether we do or not is to be determined. Just a matter of doing it.” pic.twitter.com/0L4vxv1xbq
Joe Burrow's frustration is evident
Saying that the Bengals need to change everything might be a bit dramatic. Their passing game, for instance, has been excellent recently. But, a point was made nonetheless. Burrow isn't happy with the way the season has gone so far, despite his stellar, dare we say MVP-caliber play, and he shouldn't be.
The Bengals have scored 25 or more points in four straight games, but they've won just one of those games. That tells you that the defense has been allowing too many points.
Burrow was slightly more verbose when bluntly assessing the state of the Bengals after their Week 5 overtime loss to Baltimore.
"We're not a championship-level team right now," Burrow said. "We're not, I like to think that we'll come back and improve throughout the season to get to that point, but right now, we are not, and we have to get better."
After Burrow went down with a season-ending wrist injury last year and the team was still able to finish with a winning record, the clear thought within the organization was that as long as Burrow was healthy, the team would be good enough to contend in 2024. That appears to have been a miscalculation. And again, Cincinnati's struggles have come despite Burrow putting up excellent individual statistics.
QB1.
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 9, 2024
Heavy emphasis on the 1. @NextGenStats | @awscloud pic.twitter.com/FVmkATYYOO
Burrow was completely correct in saying that the Bengals need to make changes. They definitely do, especially on the defensive end. It's simply been too easy for opposing offenses to drive down the field and put up points on Cincinnati.
Unfortunately for the Bengals, they don't have a bye until Week 12, so they're going to have to figure out how to make major adjustments while simultaneously navigating their weekly schedule. Can they do it? We're about to find out.