The Cincinnati Bengals are having a brutal season. Picked by many analysts and pundits to win the AFC North and challenge the Kansas City Chiefs for the AFC crown, the Bengals instead find themselves sitting at 4-8 following a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
A remarkable part of the Bengals’ struggles this year is that star quarterback Joe Burrow has performed at an MVP level. It just hasn’t seemed to matter.
In fact, in a stat revealed by CBS on Twitter, Burrow is the first quarterback to have over 30 passing touchdowns and five or fewer interceptions and still have a losing record through 12 games.
Seasons a QB has had 30+ pass TD & 5 or fewer INTs through first 12 games
W-L
2024: Joe Burrow 4-8
2020: Aaron Rodgers 9-3
2020: Patrick Mahomes 11-1
2018: Drew… pic.twitter.com/sPmts6Z7gp— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 2, 2024
Fans reacted to the brutal news on social media.
“Wins aren’t a QB stat. We have known this. I thought Stafford’s inability to win in DET and immediately winning a SB when traded to a good team would have ended the Wins/Losses talk for good, but somehow it didn’t. We are seeing it again with Burrow this year. We saw it with Herbert for years. An excellent QB cannot overcome a disaster on the other side of the ball,” one fan said on Twitter.
“The one thing you cannot teach is how to be a winner…” another fan added
“Maybe bengals need to fire their defensive coordinator… or start drafting for defense,” one fan added.
“I don’t know why they haven’t poured money into their defense,” someone else said.
“Poor guy. He’s having an amazing year but the Defense needs to help,” one fan added.
It’ll be interesting to see how Cincinnati addresses its shortcomings in the upcoming offseason.