By losing to the Los Angeles Chargers and San Francisco 49ers in consecutive weeks, the Cincinnati Bengals went from being the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoff picture to the No. 9 seed currently.
Every player on the Bengals’ roster knows it’s go-time. Cincinnati is still very much in the mix but the Bengals have to flip the script. Another slow start for this team could end up costing them the postseason.
The pressure is on second-year quarterback Joe Burrow to get his team to a place they haven’t been since 2015 and he knows it.
'We have to be careful':How the Cincinnati Bengals are navigating COVID-19 spike in NFL
“Going forward every game is a must-win if we want to get to the playoffs,” Burrow said. “You know, we got to control what we can control and if we go out and win all the games that we're capable of winning, we control our destiny.”
Will the Cincinnati Bengals make the playoffs?
He’s right. If the Bengals win their last four games, including two AFC North games against the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns, they’ll get in. Their upcoming game against the Denver Broncos is also a game the Bengals must win. The Broncos are 7-6 and are right behind the Bengals in the hunt for the playoffs.
Given the way Cincinnati started the season, not making the playoffs would largely be viewed as a disappointment as Burrow said as much on Wednesday.
A closer look:How can the Cincinnati Bengals overcome injuries at cornerback?
“We feel like we're a good enough team to make the playoffs but it doesn't matter if we don't win this week, so we're going to focus game to game,” Burrow explained. “We've got four left. We're gonna go out this week and take care of business, have a great week of practice and be ready to go. They're a really good defense, really good team, well coached, play hard. And we're going to have our work cut out for us this week.”
Broncos head coach on Burrow: 'He’s a really good passer, he’s accurate'
Burrow might be playing the best football of his professional career right now. He leads the NFL in deep pass touchdowns with nine, according to Next Gen Stats. To put into perspective how much he’s improved in this area, he was credited with one deep pass touchdown in his rookie season. Burrow was also Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded quarterback in Week 14 earning a 90.6 grade for his performance against the 49ers.
He's cut down on his turnovers – the Achilles heel of his season – and has proven he’s capable of bringing his team back from down three scores in back-to-back games. The 25-year-old is playing beyond his years.
Paul Daugherty:Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals will be better because of current struggles
Just ask Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio who is impressed with what he’s seeing from Burrow on tape ahead of the Week 15 matchup.
“He’s a really good passer, he’s accurate,” Fangio said. “He’s got a strong arm. He’s got a really good feel for their offense.”
Bengals' Jessie Bates: 'The margin for error is really small at this point'
Burrow and the Bengals can help themselves tremendously by getting off to a faster start on offense. Cincinnati is averaging 12.3 points per game in the first half and their next test will be one of the toughest defensive units they'll face all season.
The Broncos rank second in the league in scoring defense only giving up 17.5 points per game. In order for Cincinnati to get a win on the road, they'll have to be ready to play from the first quarter and not turn the ball over. As safety Jessie Bates said, this is no longer the time to play from behind anymore.
Cincinnati Bengals:Zac Taylor outlines what the Bengals must do to get back on track and make a playoff run
"The margin for error is really small at this point," Bates said. "You can't play from behind when it gets to this time of the year."
Source link
