JUSTNOW:Three things that the Bengals must do

With a 9-8 record at the end of the 2023 season, the Cincinnati Bengals missed the playoffs for the first time in three years. Despite battling through ups and downs, injuries, and inconsistency, the Bengals under Jake Browning were unable to make it into the playoffs.

Now that Joe Burrow is back, the Bengals will try to return to the postseason, where they feel they belong, with significant off-season signings and squad and coaching staff upgrades.

Joe Burrow has to be healthy for the Bengals.
The Cincinnati Bengals’ success has depended heavily on their ability to safeguard Joe Burrow ever since he was chosen as the first overall choice out of LSU. Burrow has been able to lengthen plays, assess the opposition defense, and play at his highest level as a result.of his skills when the offensive line can sustain itself and buy him some time.

Nevertheless, the Bengals’ inconsistency in this area has grown to be a serious problem and has kept them from winning the Super Bowl. This was made very plain in Super Bowl 56, when analysts correctly called the glaring mismatch between the Bengals’ offensive line and the Rams’ defensive line.

Orlando Brown Jr. assumed the left tackle position after that, and the Bengals added more players to their roster. That being said, it’s alarming that the Bengals’ quarterbacks were sacked 50 times in 2023 as opposed to 44 in 2022. The Bengals must do better at guarding their quarterback.

Burrow must also assist. Since his time at LSU, he has made an effort tolengthen plays rather than fling the ball away, which has led to a high percentage of sacks for him.

A sack may cause a team that is playing behind the chains to lose out on scoring opportunities, which, particularly in the postseason, may mean the difference between winning and losing. Sadly, even though the Bengals overcame adversity to win back-to-back AFC titles prior to the previous campaign, they have repeatedly defeated themselves.

Joe Burrow has been sacked 148 times in his 52 career appearances. In contrast, in just his first 55 career games, Andrew Luck—who is currently out of the league due to an early retirement—was sacked 115 times. The Bengals cannot allow their franchise quarterback to be hit as frequently as he has been if they hope to make the playoffs and keep him healthy all season.