The Cincinnati Bengals‘ opening offensive drive put points on the board. But everything that happened thereafter went south.
So after a hapless performance in their 28-3 loss to the Denver Broncos, ESPN analyst Troy Aikman offered some strong words about the Bengals‘ effort, which he called “embarrassing.
The Bengals managed just 159 yards of total offense and had 11 accepted penalties for 65 yards in their second straight loss. Of those fouls called against Cincinnati, there were three false starts, two delay of game penalties and an illegal formation call — four of which stunted an otherwise-promising second-quarter drive that ultimately led to Denver taking a 21-3 lead into halftime.
Aikman: ‘Nothing You Walk Out Of This Stadium Feeling Good About’
Aikman was set up to criticize the Bengals by SportsCenter anchor Scott Van Pelt while breaking down the performance, and the longtime former Dallas Cowboys quarterback did just that.
“This was an embarrassing effort,” Aikman said. “There was nothing that you walk out of this stadium feeling good about.”
Even though he and the Bengals did not commit a turnover, Jake Browning completed just 56 percent of his passes and was sacked three times by the dominant Denver defense. He found superstar wideout Ja’Marr Chase on just five passes for 23 yards, and Tee Higgins led the Bengals with just 33 receiving yards.
Yet, Aikman was more critical of Browning’s management of the Bengals operation, which he equated to youth level Monday.
“How about let’s just start with not being penalized so much, pre-snap, which is what they teach you back in Pop Warner football — how to get lined up and how to get the snap off without taking a penalty,” Aikman said. ”
Perhaps the most noteworthy video clip from Cincinnati’s loss came when coach Zac Taylor was captured jawing at Chase during the third quarter — an interaction Taylor downplayed in his postgame interview.
Yet, Aikman also pointed out what Bengals fans know: that their offense has not been good this season either with or without Burrow.
“It’s interesting for an organization that has been so good offensively for so many years, in three of the four games, they’ve had 170 yards or less of total offense,” Aikman said. “Their lowest total was Week 1 with a healthy Joe Burrow, so there’s not a lot to get excited about right now.”
The Bengals’ Upcoming Schedule Is A Gauntlet
Any hope of Browning keeping the Bengals afloat amid Burrow’s absence is waning, and with their season on the brink of falling into the abyss, they have a hellacious three-game slate awaiting.
The Bengals will host the high-octane Detroit Lions, who have won three straight games and lead the NFL in points per game (34.3). In Week 6, Cincinnati will trek to Lambeau Field for a road date with the Green Bay Packers, who also are scoring points galore — they rank ninth in points per game (26.0).
They’ll close that stretch with a short week before hosting the rival Pittsburgh Steelers, who are 3-1 and leading the AFC North.
The only potential positive of the Bengals‘ upcoming slate is the fact four of their next five are at Paycor Stadium. Cincinnati is 1-0 and scored 31 points in its only home game to date.
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