Cincinnati’s Not Ready For Primetime Players
Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
A television institution running 50 seasons strong, Saturday Night Live has given birth to some of the biggest stars in entertainment history. Eddie Murphy, Will Ferrell, Chevy Chase, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Billy Crystal, Adam Sandler… The list goes on.
But being on the air for so long, the show has also had its share of not-so-famous cast members who, for one reason or another, never quite reached household name status. They were never destined to be the center of attention, but for every Phil Hartman or Maya Rudolph, there needed to be a Taran Killam, Nora Dunn, or Paul Brittain to support them. To put it in terms familiar to WWE fans, in the words of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, they needed to “know (their) role and shut (their) mouth.”
In the case of the Cincinnati Bengals and their 2024 season, their glaring lack of role players was on full display during their 35-34 defeat to the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday Night Football. You couldn’t accuse Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, or Cam Taylor-Britt of not being ready for prime time. Their non-household name counterparts, though? They weren’t worthy.
That, Bengals faithful, is the reason their 2024 season is now (almost) officially lost. While the team’s stars have been shining bright after a slow start, the rest of the team has utterly failed to catch up and keep pace.
On a day when Chase became one of two players to have multiple games with 250-plus receiving yards, Jermaine Burton continued his quest to have the worst week ever for anyone wearing orange and black stripes outside of a prison. Then again, Baltimore had him more locked up than Akon on Thursday night, as Burton failed to get separation from Baltimore’s defenders play after play.
Burton was far from alone in his struggles, however, as Andrei Iosivas’ play continues to show that Tee Higgins is the most valuable, injury-prone wideout in today’s NFL. With Higgins likely gone after 2024, it’s concerning that neither Burton nor Iosivas have shown they can be a reliable number three receiver, let alone number two. (Charlie Jones and Trenton Irwin? Yeah, thanks for coming.)
The Bengals’ ground attack was equally anemic. Coming off a 100-yard performance against the Las Vegas Raiders the previous week, Chase Brown was poised for a breakout game against Baltimore. That dream, however, was replaced by the reality of 42 yards on 13 carries (a 3.2 average) and a lost fumble. New addition Khalil Herbert didn’t even see the field Thursday, which, given the 56 attempts Burrow had in Zac Taylor’s perpetually pass-happy offense, isn’t surprising. Abandoning the running game yet again, Taylor’s play-calling has become the equivalent of a McDonald’s ice cream machine: When it works, it works wonders, but when it’s broken, it’s infuriating (although there’s hope one of those problems may now be fixed.)
On defense, Trey Hendrickson had an excellent performance… The week prior. He, nor any other Bengals defender, reached Lamar Jackson once for a sack. In the secondary, Cam Taylor-Britt led the team with two passes defense and almost snagged another team-leading interception. The rest of the unit? They got burned by Ravens receiver Tylan Wallace on an 84-yard score and repeatedly failed to tackle Jackson. While the defense was able to contain Henry to just 68 yards on 13 carries average, Jackson’s 4.7 yards per clip came courtesy of a plethora of missed tackles and opportunities.
Jackson, however, was not alone in ending (for all intents and purposes) the Bengals’ season. While Henry and Justice Hill were contained, the aforementioned Wallace stepped up big time. With Isaiah Likely out, Mark Andrews put himself back into top-tier tight end status with his six catches for 68 yards and a touchdown. On defense, Nnamdi Madubuike had a field day with his Hendrickson-like three sacks. Kyle Hamilton went down with an injury, but Nate Wiggins was a pest all night, and Odafe Oweh was a constant source of pressure as well.
The Ravens had depth all over the field, and Cincinnati had none. Despite starting the season with five tight ends, the Bengals seemingly cannot find one to lead them. Defensively, DJ Turner showed a flash on a play or two but not much more; Geno Stone got rolled like one on more than one occasion. Joseph Ossai and Germaine Pratt brought back memories of opponents getting crossed over by Allen Iverson in his prime; the rest of the defense showed that B.J. Hill is the Higgins of the defense, in both the positive and negative sense.
Yes, there were several things that Taylor and defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo need to answer for. The continued abandonment of the running game and the defense’s soft pass defense continue to be massive issues. But for a majority of the Bengals cast actually on the field, they would be wise to find a way to get themselves ready to be prime time players.
Burrow and Chase cannot continue to be the Keenan Thompson of the Bengals, nor should fans expect them to stay in Cincinnati’s cast for the length Thompson has stayed with SNL if they can’t get some help from their supporting players. I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but when it comes to the rest of the 2024 season, many fans might be wise to take a Lisa from Temecula approach.
Up Next