WORLD BADEST NEWS: The manager of the Cincinnati Bengals shed tears as four of his best players made a final decision to terminate their huge contract.

WORLD BADEST NEWS: The manager of the Cincinnati Bengals shed tears as four of his best players made a final decision to terminate their huge contract.

WORLD BAD NEWS: Four of the Cincinnati Bengals‘ greatest players decided to end their lucrative contracts, causing the manager to cry.

When Joe Burrow received a contract extension with the Cincinnati Bengals worth $275 million over five years, no one hesitated to sign him. Among the best quarterbacks in football was Burrow. It was a clear call.

To be clear, no one is going to take back his position as one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks or deny Burrow that deal. It’s actually somewhat puzzling how the Bengals’ offensive woes stem from their confidence in Burrow.

This season, the Bengals have had four unsuccessful offensive outings. They lost to the Tennessee Titans 27-3 in a lackluster game on Sunday, looking awful once more. The Bengals were unable to contain the awful pass defense of the Titans. Cincinnati’s offense has been dysfunctional throughout the season, and it isn’t improving.

The Bengals face difficulties. Even though they are only 1-3, they don’t appear to be the kind of team that can mount a comeback.

It all begins with concerns about how to correct the transgression. Cincinnati’s collapse is not the result of a single incident, as is the case with most NFL issues. There are several things causing the clutter.

The main issue is that the Bengals’ offense has been built on a foundation of no explosive plays. Burrow doesn’t throw very far.

According to Next Gen Stats, Burrow’s average air yards on completed throws are a pitiful 3.3, the second poorest in the league, only surpassed by rookie Bryce Young of the Carolina Panthers. Burrow is well short of five yards, and only six regular NFL starts are shorter than that.

Pro Football Focus reports that just 6.6% of Burrow’s passes have traveled 20 yards or more downfield. This season, the only players with lower percentages of deep throws are Young and Sam Howell, both first-year starters. 10.5% of Burrow’s throws during the previous two seasons were deep.

That is no longer a part of the Bengals’ offense. Burrow now has the third-lowest average depth of target among starters in the league, at 6.6 yards. On Sunday, it was all the way down to 4.5 yards. We all know that’s not Burrow’s style of play.

The poor play of the offensive line is a major contributing factor to that. The Bengals attempted a number of short passes early in the game on Sunday, but they were ineffective. Burrow was rushed seven times in his first ten attempts. Although three sacks may not seem like much, the Titans were occupying the Bengals’ backfield, and Burrow was able to prevent multiple other sacks by releasing the ball quickly. The Titans front was simply too strong for the Bengals to contain when it came to rushing the passer.

And then there was the damage to Burrow’s calf during training camp. Titans defensive end Arden Key pushed left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., who hasn’t had a great season so far, back into Burrow on a fourth-quarter sack. Burrow could have easily escaped to his right if he had been well. However, Burrow isn’t moving smoothly, so Key reached over to get a sack. Burrow’s inability to move well enough to beat a free rusher to buy himself and the receivers a little extra time is a result of the Bengals’ poor blocking. A number of the Bengals’ plays were one-step drops intended to get the ball out quickly, so it’s reasonable to question whether Burrow’s injury is influencing Cincinnati’s play-calling.

The Titans did a good job of covering the few downfield throws the Bengals were able to make. Two 17-yard gains were the longest receptions for Cincinnati on Sunday; both came on short passes with some yards after the catch.

Given Burrow’s limitations and the line’s issues, the coaches are likely calling too many short passes. The offensive line cannot block, hence the ball must be released quickly regardless of the play call. When Burrow has to, he can’t resist the rush. This indicates that the offensive does not use any deep passes. This makes it simpler to stop the Bengals. When Ja’Marr Chase states that he is “always f***ing open,” he is not incorrect, but it is irrelevant when plays aren’t given enough time to develop. One issue is causing a chain reaction of problems.

The Bengals are in a terrible place right now. When Burrow returns to health, they cannot bench him and hope to be in the running for the postseason. At 1-3, they’ve really dug themselves a hole. The offense of having an epiphany is their only hope. However, after four weeks of waiting, it still hasn’t happened.

Before the season began, Cincinnati was among the biggest favorites to win the Super Bowl. Four games into the NFL season, nothing is settled, but it seems more likely that the Bengals will miss the playoffs than make a run at the Super Bowl. Some of the issues are simple to understand, and the offense is broken. Fixing everything will be far more difficult.