Joe Burrow explains reason behind Bengals' 0-2 start for 3 consecutive years

The Cincinnati Bengals are off to a bad start – again. The team lost the first two games of the season, and while there's still a long way to go, they're already two games behind the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North fight.

They're used to bad starts, and even though they're known for getting hot late in the season, this is still a team that's playing in the toughest division in the league. One would think that a sense of urgency is already sounding in Cincinnati, but their players made it clear that this isn't an issue.

Speaking on "The Rich Eisen Show", Joe Burrow downplayed the issue of starting with two losses and asked Bengals fans to be calm, promising that the team will improve in the upcoming weeks:

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"I think there's different factors every year. 0-2 for the third straight year, we're not panicking by any means. There's a lot of football to be played, but lots of room to improve at the same time, just like any game every year. So we're just looking to to improve every day. Go out on Monday and have our best game yet, hopefully get a win, and then move on," Burrow said.

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With two straight games coming against the Washington Commanders and Carolina Panthers, the opportunity is there to get the record straight once again. If the Bengals are 2-2 by the time they play the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5, the pressure will likely ease.

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What factors are contributing to the Bengals' slow start to the season?

This is the third straight year that Cincinnati is kicking off a season with no triumphs in the first two weeks. Perhaps it's no surprise that this is happening after another offseason marred with troubles and distractions, this one being Ja'Marr Chase's absence from training camp.

In 2023 it was Burrow's calf injury that kept him out for a long time. Now, with Chase out, Tee Higgins has had his own contract problems and hasn't played due to injury. At some point, the Bengals need to have a normal offseason to start the year strongly instead of being inconsistent.

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