Joe Burrow starred once again the Cincinnati Bengals and once again they game up short as they suffered a one-point defeat to the Baltimore Ravens on October 7, leaving the quarterback with a stern message to his players.
Completing 34 from 56 passes for 428 yards and four touchdowns, this was arguably the best performance the 27-year-old has ever produced and in the end it counted for nothing as his side slipped to 4-6 (.400) for the season.
In many a sense, this was already a win-to-save-the-season game for the team and as they came up short, they’re now three games behind the Ravens and 2.5 behind the Pittsburgh Steelers as their playoff hopes dwindle.
“This one’s been frustrating,” Burrow told media of the loss, which was sealed when the QB failed to make a two-point conversion as they went for the win instead of the bonus extra point instead.
With 38 seconds left on the clock, that allowed Lamar Jackson and his side to simply wait around for the buzzer to leave with the important victory as they continue their march to the playoffs, where they will look to go at least one better than 2023.
Ja’Marr Chase explodes in win
For the Bengals, it looks to be a case of small margins defining their season. In the two games against the Ravens, they lost both by a combined deficit of four points. Should that have been reversed, they would hold a 6-4 record and would be sitting second in the AFC North.
But whilst he walked off the field with two defeats to his name, one man who has enjoyed playing the Ravens this year is Ja’Marr Chase, the wide receiver as he made 264 yards from 11 receptions and three touchdowns on Thursday Night Football.
Add that to his 193 yards from 10 receptions and two touchdowns on October 6 and he has exploded for 457 yards and five touchdowns from a total of 21 receptions against Zach Orr‘s defense set-up for Baltimore.