INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Frustrations are beginning to boil over as the Cincinnati Bengals (4-7) enter their bye week searching for answers after another excruciating one-score defeat.
The Bengals rallied back from a 27-6 second-half deficit but were defeated by the Los Angeles Chargers 34-27 in a Sunday night thriller. It was the Bengals’ sixth loss by one score this season.
‘Ask Zac (Taylor). Ask the coaches. Don’t ask me. That’s not my job,” Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase said postgame when asked about the team’s inability to finish close game. “I play football on the field. I don’t call plays for us, you know? So I can’t really do nothing.’
Chase finished with seven receptions, 75 yards and two touchdowns. Tee Higgins produced nine catches, 148 and a touchdown. Yet it wasn’t enough, as the Bengals could not cap off a fierce second-half rally.
The loss is turning into the story of the Bengals’ season. Of Cincinnati’s seven losses, six have been by seven points or less.
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“I can’t. I wish I could,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor answered when asked if he could explain the team’s close losses this season. … ‘You know, what I just keep telling the team is, ‘at some point, this has got to help us. At some point we got to find some momentum and we got to get on a run. We’ve got to find ourselves in a good position where we reflect back.’ We don’t ever want to use a loss for good, but it’s got to help us in some way. We’ve played some really good football teams and we just got to find a way to finish it. I keep saying that and obviously, we’re a play away every time I say it, but I still got the confidence that we can get this thing done.”
The Week 12 bye provides the Bengals an opportunity to regroup. However, their playoff chances are floating away in the Ohio River. The Bengals are five games back of the Pittsburgh Steelers and three games behind the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North. A wild-card berth is becoming increasingly unlikely with every loss. According to the New York Times, the Bengals have just a 22% chance to make the playoffs.
“We know where we’re at. I’m not happy with where we’re at,” Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said. “I don’t think anybody is, but all you can do is come back (Monday) and try to get better.”
Burrow leads the NFL in passing yards and passing touchdowns. Chase tops the league in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Unfortunately for the Bengals, their numbers haven’t translated into wins.
When Burrow was asked if this is the most frustrating NFL season he’s had to date. The Bengals fifth-year quarterback had a straightforward answer: “Yes”.