“Bengals' Joe Burrow sets 'feasible' goal of 10 wins after overwhelming loss”

CINCINNATI – Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow has already done the math: The Bengals need 10 wins to get into the playoffs.

“We were able to win seven of nine games,” Burrow said after Sunday’s 37-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. “That is doable. It’s doable, so we’ll go from there.”

That task became a little more difficult after Cincinnati's fifth loss of the season.

Since 2021, when the NFL expanded the regular season to 17 games, there have been 33 teams that have won 10 or more games, and all have made it to the postseason. Had the Bengals (3-5) won on Sunday, Cincinnati would have gotten back to .500 with nine games to go.

“Teams just find ways to win games, we don’t,” cornerback Mike Hilton said. “I don’t know what it takes or what we have to do. But we have to find a way, otherwise the season will be over very quickly.”

The Eagles (5-2) turned a game that had been tied 10-10 at halftime into a bust. Philadelphia took control in the second half, scoring points on all five drives, including touchdowns on both possessions in the third quarter.

The Bengals, on the other hand, failed to make it past the 50-yard line on any of their last four drives.

“I don't think anyone has been good enough to win the games we needed to,” said Burrow, who completed 26 of 37 passes for 234 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Bengals coach Zac Taylor lamented two turnovers in the second half: an interception by Burrow on a ball intended for Ja'Marr Chase in double coverage and a fumble by tight end Mike Gesicki, who had seven catches for 73 on Sunday Yards was the team's leading receiver.

However, the most critical play of the game occurred on the second-to-last play of the third quarter. When the Bengals faced a fourth-and-1 at their own 39-yard line, Taylor called for a swing pass to Chase, which was stopped for a 2-yard loss.

The team's head coach and offensive lineman said that given the deficit, he felt the need to be aggressive and score on this possession. He also took the blame for the chosen piece not coming to fruition.

“The play didn’t work, and that’s 100 percent my fault,” Taylor said.

Cincinnati has lost all four home games this season, and Taylor said it's up to the players and coaches to take responsibility for the lack of wins this season.

The 20-point loss to the Eagles was the team's most lopsided loss of the season; Cincinnati's four previous losses have been by six points or fewer. The last time the Bengals were beaten so badly with Burrow on the field was a 27-3 loss to the Tennessee Titans in Week 4 last season.