Heading into the season, the Cincinnati Bengals were seen as not only one of the best teams in the AFC, but a trendy Super Bowl pick as well. Safe to say during the first four weeks of the season, the Bengals haven’t lived up to their billing. Cincinnati is 1-3, and the offense is struggling for answers after a disheartening 27-3 loss to the Tennessee Titans.
After the loss on Sunday, Bengals superstar WR Ja’Marr Chase spoke about the lack of offensive production, especially surrounding QB Joe Burrow’s calf. Burrow suffered a calf strain during the preseason that is very clearly hampering his ability to play, and it’s snowballing the offense and Chase’s production.
When asked about the injury and the offense, Chase mentioned that he knows how Burrow is struggling with the injury, but also made sure to make one thing clear, when asked about the difficulty to create separation now compared to previous seasons:
A minute of Ja’Marr Chase post-game media session in Tennessee.
Q: Do you feel like you have less time to get open or create space?
A: “No. I’m open. I’m always f***ing open. Excuse my profanity.” pic.twitter.com/mD2HhdVk2T
— Joe Danneman (@FOX19Joe) October 1, 2023
Now this isn’t a normal “throw me the ball I’m always open” thing that causes controversy among budding offenses. It seems more like Chase is reiterating that even though the offense is struggling, he’s always open, meaning they can turn it around at any time. In the Tennessee game, Chase led the team in targets with nine and had seven catches for 73 yards, but the lack of explosion in the passing game is stark compared to previous Bengals offenses.
Whatever the problem is, the Bengals have to figure it out soon. Being 1-3, and 0-2 in the division is a poor way to start the season, and it drastically hampers their playoff chances early. It’ll be interesting to see what changes.
