Don’t let the garbage time points fool you.
This team is not good. And it’s largely because they don’t have a guy who can put them on their shoulders on offense.
So what did we actually learn from the 2-3 Cincinnati Bengals’ predictable loss to the 4-1 Detroit Lions?
Jake Browning ain’t it
The backup-turned-starter had about as ugly of a first three quarters as imaginable.
Of course, he and the offense came alive when the game was out of hand, putting up three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to make the final score a little less ugly.
Browning was shockingly inaccurate, and he consistently makes high-risk throws, many of which ended up in the hands of defensive backs.
Now, you might be saying, “We already knew he ain’t it!” Yes, many of us did. But just a few days ago, Zac Taylor made it very clear he firmly believes in Browning.
But now, even Taylor can’t hide the fact that Browning is not taking this team anywhere (though he did put the blame on himself and praise Browning after the game).
The franchise is losing the fanbase
There were boos. Season ticket holders sold tickets to Lions fans. And, of course, there was a bit of shock when the greatly-outmatched Bengals made things interesting against an actual good team.
If you missed the 1990s, this is what it felt like being a Bengals fans back then.
And, as a result, tickets were cheap and easy to come by.
Well, we might be at that place again soon.
The only difference is that this time the Bengals have arguably the greatest player in franchise history on the roster (Joe Burrow). They also have a potential all-time great in Ja’Marr Chase, and one of the team’s greatest pass rushers ever (Trey Hendrickson).
It’s actually comical the Bengals could be this bad with the talent they started the season with.
Andrei Iosivas is coming alive
Other than Chase, who had an other-worldly game, the biggest plays on offense came from Andrei Iosivas, who had his breakout performance of 2025.
The third-year receiver more than doubled his season total with 82 yards and five receptions on seven targets. It seems he and Browning have decent chemistry, so we could see Iosivas playing a bigger role in the coming weeks as well.
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