Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals suffered their eighth loss of the season in Week 13. They lost 44-38 to the Pittsburgh Steelers and wasted another good performance from their offense.
The Bengals’ defense has been the team’s weak link this year, and with this loss, their chances of making the playoffs are likely over.
Fans React to Bengals’ Loss After Another Good Game From Joe Burrow
Many fans on social media were quite upset with how the Bengals have wasted arguably the best year of Burrow’s career. They expressed their frustration, with some even floating that it wouldn’t be surprising if the star quarterback requested a trade in the near future.
Here’s how they reacted:
Strip the defence bare this offseason. Half these guys don’t deserve to be rostered
— Matt 🇨🇦 (@RedWingVictory) December 1, 2024
“Burrow needs to ask for a trade,” said one fan.
“Burrow deserves better,” said another fan.
If the day ever comes when Joe Burrow asks the Bengals to trade him, I’ll be leaving with him. And I know I won’t be the only one.
— Dylan (@dmoody46) December 1, 2024
“Joe needs a front office that spends,” said another fan.
Another fan wrote, “Burrow could have pulled an Eli Manning and refused to be drafted to the Bengals, but he gave our franchise a chance, and this is how the Bengals organization repays him.”
Joe Burrow has now thrown for 300+ yards, 5 times this season.
The Bengals are 0-5 in those games.
— Caleb Noe (@CalebNoeTV) December 1, 2024
Burrow has been phenomenal this season. In 12 games, he has thrown for 3,337 yards, 30 touchdowns, and five interceptions. The LSU product has completed 67.7% of his throws, with a passer rating of 107.4, and is averaging 7.5 yards per pass attempt.
Out of the Bengals’ eight losses this year, four have come when the offense has scored 30+ points, and six have come despite scoring 25+ points. This has been a disastrous year for their defense, and the franchise needs to make some tough decisions to fix the situation.
Burrow signed a five-year, $275 million contract extension in 2023 and has been worth every penny. Now it’s up to the franchise to put better players around him — or they may inevitably lose him via trade or in the free agency.
Things Could Get Even Worse for the Bengals in 2025
Cincinnati could potentially lose both Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson after this year. If that happens, the team will be much worse than it was this year. It is quite a concerning situation for them, and the fact that the franchise has still not paid Ja’Marr Chase will make things worse.
The Bengals had their chance to win the Super Bowl in 2022 against the Los Angeles Rams, and it might take some years for the team to get a similar opportunity again. They need more talent on both sides of the ball to compete in the AFC.
Moreover, Cincinnati is part of arguably the toughest division in the NFL year after year, which makes it even harder for them to have a chance of making the playoffs without having a good defense.
Russell Wilson had a field day against them in Week 13, throwing for 414 yards and three touchdowns. Bengals’ defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo has done a great job over the years and has made life tough for players like Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, but it seems like he has lost his magic.
Unless the team can significantly upgrade its roster, it might be time for them to hire a new DC and consider the future of head coach Zac Taylor. The main knock on the Bengals is that their owners are not as willing as other owners to spend money, which would be a major hindrance to Burrow’s aspirations of winning the Super Bowl.
It will be tough for Cincinnati to quickly build another roster capable of winning the Super Bowl. But if they don’t act with urgency, the Bengals could lose their main attraction.
Joe Burrow’s QB+ Grade in Week 13
The Pro Football Network QB+ metric looks at several statistics, including net yards per attempt (nYPA), third-down conversion rate, passing under pressure, and passing from a clean pocket. Additionally, we have quantified performances in clutch situations using statistics from different key scenarios within a game.
By no means is QB+ the perfect metric, and we will continue to develop it throughout the season and beyond. However, when we analyzed it against the past five years, the results were extremely indicative of what we saw on the field while providing enough nuance away from traditional statistics for measuring quarterback play.
In Week 13, despite the Cincinnati Bengals scoring 30 points offensively, this was one of Burrow’s worst performances of the season. He struggled massively when pressured, including two fumbles, one of which resulted directly in a defensive touchdown. When he was given time in a clean pocket, Burrow made good plays and finished with a 50% third-down conversion rate.
Ultimately, if this is one of Burrow’s worst performances of the season, it says a lot about how impressive he has been at times this year. It is a shame that his errors proved to be the difference in the end, and the Bengals season may very well be over in terms of the playoffs.
Bengals Playoff Chances After Week 13
The PFN Playoff Predictor gives the Bengals only a 4.3% chance to make the playoffs after their Week 13 loss to the Steelers.
They have a 0.0% chance for the first seed, a 0.0% chance for the second seed, a 0.0% chance for the third seed, a 0.0% chance for the fourth seed, a 0.1% chance for the fifth seed, a 0.8% chance for the sixth seed, and a 3.0% chance for the seventh seed.