Expectations were not high for the Cincinnati Bengals coming into the 2020-21 season. After all, the Bengals were the worst team in all the NFL just a year ago. While drafting Joe Burrow to be their franchise quarterback was a monumental occasion, it was but the first step in Cincinnati’s climb back to contention. Even though not much was expected, the Bengals were still far from inspiring on the field this season.
Cincinnati Bengals Continue Losing Ways to Begin Season
Week 1 featured a battle between two first round quarterbacks as Joe Burrow would lead the Cincinnati Bengals against the visiting Los Angeles Chargers. Unlike Burrow, Chargers rookie Qb Justin Herbert did not open the season as the starter. Cincinnati instead went up against veteran Tyrod Taylor. The Bengals trailed by three with under two minutes to go, but Burrow did his part in leading them down the field and into position for a game-tying field goal. This would have been great if Randy Bullock remembered how to kick. The debate as to whether he really injured himself ont he kick will rages on to this day.
Cincinnati ultimately took the loss and next had to play their in-state rivals on Thursday Night Football. The Bengals’ offense came to play, but the defense couldn’t stop Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Burrow threw 61 passes, completing 37 of them for 316 yards and three touchdowns. That would not be enough as the Cleveland Browns would get the win 35-30.
Bengals Get Off the Schnide Before Suffering More Losses
The Cincinnati Bengals next went toe to toe with the Philadelphia Eagles in a game that would end as a tie. While the tie wasn’t a loss, it also wasn’t a win. The Bengals would finally end their losing ways by beating the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 4. Unfortunately, the winning aura was short-lived.
The Bengals would go to Baltimore to take on the Ravens, but they might as well have just stayed in Cincinnati. The Bengals didn’t get on the scoreboard until there were just 32 seconds left in the game. The next week saw them at least play competitive football again, but they would still lose to the Indianapolis Colts, 31-27. The Bengals would host the Browns in Week 8 in a game that would go back and forth the entire way. Cleveland would ultimately find the end zone with 11 seconds to go for the game-winning score. giving the Bengals another loss.
Bengals Stun Titans, Enter Bye on Winning Note
The Tennessee Titans would make the trek north to Paul Brown Stadium the following week to play the Bengals. Cincinnati scored first and never looked back to stun the Titans and put their record at 2-5-1 heading into their bye.
Joe Burrow’s Rookie Season Cut Short
You would think that the bye would help the Bengals right? Not at all. The Pittsburgh Steelers were all over the Bengals in their return to play, a game that eneded as a 36-10 rout. That poor play would continue against the Washington Football Team. The Football Team would only allow the Bengals to score nine points on their way to a 20-9 triumph.
The loss wasn’t the only bad news the Cincinnati Bengals were forced to stomach that day though. After the game, it was announced that Joe Burrow had torn his ACL. His rookie season was officially over as Burrow would join star running back Joe Mixon among the most notable Bengals injuries. and the starting QB job would be handed over to Brandon Allen.
Cincinnati Bengals Continue Season Without Franchise Quarterback
Brandon Allen and the Bengals offense could not get anything going in the following weeks. He threw for only 136 yards in a loss to the New York Giants and just 153 in another loss to the Miami Dolphins. The Bengals also came up short in a battle of teams with backup quarterbacks. The revenge game was in full effect for Andy Dalton as he led the Dallas Cowboys to a 30-7 win.
Bengals Show Some Fight Down the Stretch
As bad as the Dallas loss was, something must’ve changed for the better in the Cincinnati Bengals locker room that day. The Bengals would host the Steelers in a rematch on Monday Night Football. After watching Pittsburgh wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster dance on the midfield logo before the game, the Bengals took things into their own hands. After Smith-Schuster made a catch he got drilled by Vonn Bell to cause a fumble that would be recovered by the Bengals.
That play was a microcosm of the whole game for both teams. The Bengals were flying all over the field defensively delivering bone-crushing hits. Meanwhile, everything that could possibly go wrong for the Steelers did. The Bengals ended their five-game losing skid with a massive 27-17 upset win.
The following week, Cincinnati traveled to take on the Houston Texans. In a high-scoring and surprisingly entertaining affair, running back Samaje Perine foudn the end zone with the game-winning touchdown. The Bengals eanred a 37-31 win, but inadvertently made their draft pick worse in the process.
The late-season resurgence failed to carry over into Week 17. The Bengals got walloped by a playoff-bound Ravens team. The loss ended the Cincinnati Bengals season with a record of 4-11-1.
Looking Ahead
Next season could be huge in determinining whether or not Zac Taylor remains as the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals going forward. The Bengals own the fifth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Priority number one figures to be shoring up their offensive line to ensure better protection for Burrow.
