All the positive momentum the Cincinnati Bengals seemingly built up following their win on Monday Night Football has evaporated after getting shellacked 27-3 by the Tennessee Titans.

Beatdowns like that have no bright spots to speak of. Everything that could've gone wrong likely went wrong. You can point fingers in the direction of the defense for allowing plenty of explosive plays, or the offensive line for getting bullied by the Titans' blitz packages.

All of that is valid, but the skepticism revolves around Joe Burrow and the coaching staff, as it rightfully should.

To say Burrow is playing poorly is an understatement. He's led the Bengals to just three touchdown drives in four weeks. He has continually missed throws down the field that were rudimentary to him in past years. His footwork in the pocket is a mess, and is cascading into issues that have transpired before our very eyes.

Sunday's disaster was the cherry on top. The passing game led by Burrow is now inefficient at a historic scale. Per ESPN Stats & Info, he's the first quarterback in history to average fewer than five yards per attempt despite throwing at least 150 passes in the first four games. 

Joe Burrow is the 1st QB in NFL history to attempt at least 150 passes in his team's first 4 games of a season, and average fewer than 5 yards per attempt on those passes. pic.twitter.com/yPKCPUCfWU

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 2, 2023

It'd be one thing if Burrow was constantly making mistakes; throwing errant passes into tight coverage or being unaware in the pocket. He's thrown two interceptions and is responsible for just about as many turnover-worthy plays. Taking eight sacks in four games isn't completely ideal, but it's a lower figure than he's accustomed to playing quarterback for the Bengals.

Burrow is simply inaccurate and immobile, the latter being why Gilbert Manzano of Sports Illustrated is buying the Bengals being as troubled as their 1-3 record indicates.

"Cincinnati averaged 4.1 yards per play and 5.5 yards per passing attempt during Sunday’s ugly 27–3 loss to the Titans. For as long as Burrow plays on one bad leg, the Bengals will likely struggle against teams with ferocious defensive fronts. The Titans sacked Burrow three times and hit him nine times. Perhaps the Bengals can get past the Cardinals next week. But after that, they face the Seahawks, 49ers and Bills." – SI's Gilbert Manzano

The timing of the Bengals' struggles is the real kicker here. Following their much-needed bye week, they will face two of the league's best teams in the San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills, the ascending Houston Texans, and then two divisional games against the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers. The season can completely fall apart during this gauntlet.

Time is what Burrow needs most, and he simply doesn't have it. This is where the coaches come into the equation.

Burrow is usually Superman when he takes the field. Everyone can see he is as far from that as he's ever been in the past five years. Instead of his precision and procession maximizing what Zac Taylor and Co. cook up for him on a week-to-week basis, his physical shortcomings have rendered Taylor's usual plans of attack useless. 

Adjustments have been made to accompany Burrow's injury, but not to the scale they've needed to be. Yards and points shouldn't be this hard to come by for elongated stretches of any NFL game when this much talent is on the field.

Personally, the low-hanging fruit of always blaming coaching in scenarios matching this is usually unbecoming. Struggles of this magnitude typically have a multitude of contributing factors. The reason why it's tough to push back now is because these struggles and complaints aren't anything new. Cincinnati has had to overcome offensive issues in each of the past two years at the start of the season, be it from an injury to Burrow, or general identity issues with play-calling.

The benefit of the doubt is all but evaporated, and from the sounds of the locker room, there are more questions than answers.

Taylor made his bed when he decided to play Burrow through the pain, a choice Burrow obviously lobbied for. If he can't put together plans of attack with a limited quarterback, then the answer is to not play that quarterback. Going back on it now would signal they were wrong, though it might lead to clarity if nothing else.

It's extremely hard to win in the NFL when your quarterback and play-caller are matching in their levels of incompetence. It's why the Bengals have gone from Super Bowl favorites to landing on fraud watch.

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