Maybe there was something more to the "having fun" remarks made by Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow this week than many fans wanted to believe.
Burrow and the offense looked lifeless in Sunday's 24-0 home loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Pass protection struggled to hold up. Joe Brrr wasn't his typical sharp, hyper-efficient self. Receivers not named Ja'Marr Chase couldn't separate well at all.
Just a complete and utter debacle at Paycor Stadium — and no, I'm not referring to the excessively snowy seats before kickoff. That was more of a microcosmic harbinger of what was to come.
The Bengals feel cursed. It's as if the football gods are punishing them for squandering three full seasons of Burrow's prime with zero playoff action.
So what gives? What feels certain above all else is that this iteration of the Bengals is Joe-ver.
Zac Taylor appears to have lost Joe Burrow & the locker room after embarrassing loss to Ravens
If now isn't the time for the Bengals to go all-in on a bigger-name coach than Zac Taylor, when is?
Not that Taylor deserves all the blame for Cincinnati's Week 15 ineptitude. There's simply a sense that his message is falling flat in the locker room. Hiring a new defensive coordinator in Al Golden has actually caused the defense to regress from the relative debacle of the past couple seasons. He doesn't strike me as someone who elevates nor challenges Burrow, either.
Although he's owning up to his share of the blame for being shut out with an elite QB in Burrow at his disposal, Taylor can only say words like this so many times before they're, in essence, meaningless.
"As a play caller, that starts with me. When you walk away with no points, there is a huge amount of accountability that I have to take for that."
— Chatterbox Sports (@CBoxSports) December 14, 2025
-Zac Taylor#Bengals pic.twitter.com/Q1Ay0T4apd
Deserving as Duke Tobin is of losing his job in charge of the Bengals' personnel department, owner Mike Brown and the Blackburns seem steadfast in their loyalty to him. If that's not going to change, then the organization needs a leader at coach who can enhance the entire football operation.
Zac Taylor keeps proving he ain't that guy. You can't scheme up an offensive system that gets Burrow injured so often, and miss the playoffs three straight years of Joe Shiesty's prime and keep your job.
Read More: Joe Burrow's frustrations echo what Bengals fans have screamed about for years
Fair or not, the vibe around these Bengals does indeed feel awful to the point of being irreparable.
The front office and ownership appear to tolerate a certain level of losing as long as the business bottom line looks OK. What would make the team even more profitable is actually trying to win at any cost.
You know, like Joe Burrow does. No wonder he's not having much fun.