Bengals vs Cowboys: Stats from Week 2 loss that are unacceptable

Another week, another disappointing loss for the Cincinnati Bengals, who now sit at 0-2 after the most anticipated offseason in franchise history. This is not the start that fans envisioned for the reigning AFC champions but the sad reality is that a Super Bowl hangover might be clouding over both the team and the fan base.

Not only has the team failed to win a game since the AFC Championship game earlier this year but they've looked flat out bad in their first two games of the 2022 regular season. In Week 1, the team struggled with turnovers, which they cut back on in Week 2 but the sacks were still an issue. Joe Burrow hit the dirt six times this week and has been taken to the ground 13 times through just two games. Yeesh.

There's been a lot wrong with the Bengals through their first two games of the season but let's take some time to examine the stats that are just downright unacceptable for a team that had Super Bowl aspirations entering the season.

Stats courtesy of ESPN

Burrow sacked 6 times

Here's an easy one -- Joe Burrow was once again sacked at least six times. Last week he was sacked seven times so hey there's some improvement there! I'm kidding, of course. Six sacks is not a good stat and while Burrow was responsible for some of those sacks, the dude has zero time to make plays happen. It's hard to fire a deep shot down the field if protection immediately breaks down. Burrow is on pace to be sacked over 100 times this season.

The new-look offensive line didn't take reps together in the preseason and it shows. Ted Karras has been the only true impressive standout through two weeks. Hopefully, the unit starts to gel a little more because right now, this is a major issue and needs to get hashed out.