Cincinnati Bengals Know Season Turnaround Must Start With Win Over Las Vegas Raiders

The Bengals are 3-5 on the season.

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Erick All Jr. (83) runs for a first down after a catch as Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson (8) goes to tackle him in the second quarter of the NFL game at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. / Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Cincinnati’s record is very far from what expectations were for the Bengals at the start of the season. 

“This is a must-win,” star quarterback Joe Burrow said on Wednesday. “We are 3-5. If you go 3-6, you basically have to win out to get in.”

Many had this team pegged as a potential Super Bowl contender, but the slow starts continue to plague this team. They’re used to the annual journey of climbing out of a two-game deficit to start the year, but climbing out of a three-game hole has proven to be more difficult thus far. 

The team is 0-4 at home and frustration has been building with each loss. 

“What frustrated me the most is how close we are to winning and then we just lose,” Erick All Jr said. “Losing by 20 or 1, it stinks and I hate it. You just need to dial in and focus on little things that you need to fix in the game and get it done.”

Burrow has been direct about the current record, refusing to bury his head in the sand and give hopeful, fluffy answers. 

“You can say this shouldn’t be where we are but this is where we are at,” Burrow said. “You have to adapt to the situation that presents itself and this is the situation we find ourselves in."

The Bengals have a significant group of talent, and Burrow is having his most productive year since entering the league in 2020. He currently rounds out the top three quarterbacks with 15 touchdowns thrown on the season. 

After the 0-3 start to the season, Burrow voiced his willingness to lead with his words a little bit more this year. 

“We got a lot of young guys that we’re counting on that haven’t really been here before, (to) have them hear my voice might be beneficial,” Burrow said before the Bengals' Week 4 win over the Panthers.

He prefers to lead by example, but his voice has a massive impact. Especially with rookies. 

“Anytime I have a question or just have a question about like different nuances and how he likes a different motion or timing on routes things like that, I just go up and ask him," All said.

Jermaine Burton saw his biggest work load in Week 8. The first thing he did once the second quarter ended was wait for Burrow near the 50-yard line. The two ran into the locker room together holding a conversation. Burrow gave a lot of praise to his young receiver on Wednesday. 

“Yeah, take the next step. He played great last week,” Burrow said. “That was awesome to see, his demeanor has been great. He wants to get better, he wants to improve. It’s exciting to see him be a part of, he will take the next step.”

While the offense only scored 17 points against Philadelphia last week, Cincinnati’s defense gave up 37 points. The Bengals have allowed 116 points over their last three home games.

Mike Hilton didn’t mince words when BengalsTalk.com asked if there were players in the locker room that called out their teammates for not doing their job.

“Me. Me, I’m going to call you out straight up like, and I tell them the same,” Hilton said. “If I’m not performing up to my standard, call me out. That just has to be the nature of this team. It’s not a negative call out; it's a ‘I want you to get better so we can win more. It’s just guys holding each other accountable.”

Accountability must be high if the Bengals are going to climb out of their 3-5 hole.

“We are still searching for our first win at home," Hilton said. "It’s an AFC opponent so we get a win that will definitely be big for us. Situation-wise, where we are, record-wise we need this one to give us a chance.”

Cincinnati’s 10-game win streak in 2022 started in Week 9 that year. The streak took them to the AFC Championship Game.

The 2022 season also saw Cincinnati’s defense force 24 turnovers. At the halfway mark of the 2024 season, this unit has only seen their opponents lose the ball eight times. Mike Hilton said their deficiencies in that category have been the most frustrating part of the team’s lack of success.

“Really just us not being able to take the ball away,” Hilton said. “We have a lot of playmakers who can really take the ball away in different ways and we haven’t done that and it’s kind of kept us in a bad situation defensively. We just have to find ways to get off the field.”

The Bengals have forced just four punts in their last three home games. Their ability to win in one-on-one situations has been highlighted by the team as a reason for their three victories over the Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, and Cleveland Browns. 

“We haven’t played complimentary football and we aren’t going to be able to blame one side or the other," Hilton said. "Everybody has to do their job and win the one-on-one matchups and we haven’t done that. When we have we came out with three victories so we just have to find ways to play complimentary football and just keep stacking.”

With nine games remaining on the schedule, the team has a decision to make. They can either float like a buoy in a sea of mediocrity, or they can live up to their former identity and create the biggest comeback most of the players have ever been a part of. 

The motivation is still there. 

The streak must start on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders.

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