A stoic Joe Burrow faces the media after the heartbreaker versus the Ravens (Dr. John Huang photo).
By Dr. John Huang
(BALTIMORE, Md.) – There sat Joe Burrow, motionless in the cramped visitors’ locker room at M&T Bank Stadium, staring down the harsh reality of another soul-crushing loss. The Bengals had dropped to 4-6, edged out 35-34 by the Baltimore Ravens in a way that only Cincinnati could—heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, Bengal-like.
This should have been his victory moment. But Burrow sat there, replaying every snap, pass, and blitz in his mind—a mental film review stuck on repeat. Fresh off a career-defining game—34 completions on 56 attempts, 428 yards, and two epic touchdown passes to his old LSU buddy, Ja’Marr Chase—the Bengals’ quarterback had brought his A-game, only to watch it unravel.
The Bengals had started with swagger. Burrow’s 67-yard bomb to Chase put Cincinnati up 21-7, a lead that felt almost safe. But then, in typical Bengals fashion, the gears started slipping. A Chase Brown fumble handed the Ravens a golden ticket. Lamar Jackson, smelling blood, started slicing through the Cincinnati defense, which went from steel wall to Swiss cheese in record time. In the blink of an eye, the Ravens surged to a 28-21 lead, and Bengals fans braced for the familiar.
Burrow, though, wasn’t done with the fireworks just yet. Another missile to Chase—a 70-yarder this time—brought the game level again, 28-all. But of course, Lamar being Lamar, had one more trick up his sleeve, taking the Ravens 70 yards to set up the final knife twist.
With 1:49 left, Burrow’s Bengals staged one last dramatic march down the field. He hit Chase on a five-yard touchdown with just 38 ticks left on the clock, pulling Cincinnati within one point. And then, in classic fashion, the two-point conversion sailed harmless over Tanner Hudson’s head, sealing the 35-34 heartbreak and snuffing out what remained of the Bengals’ playoff hopes.
Burrow emerged from the locker room to face the media, stoic and gutted. “We didn’t get the result,” he said with the flat resignation of a man who’s running out of words. “That’s what matters.”
A season that once felt like a Super Bowl sprint had turned into a grueling marathon. Bengals fans, having weathered preseason hype and in-season heartbreak, were left with only the bitter taste of “What could have been?”
Like many, I fell for the preseason promises. “Super Bowl contenders,” said the scribes in the know! After an opening loss to the lowly Patriots, I chalked it up to rust. Another two losses had me nervous, but a few wins sprinkled in, and hope rekindled. By the time the Bengals beat Las Vegas, I was all in again—having road-tripped to New York, Cleveland, and now Baltimore, seated excitedly on press row with microphone and impending accolades in hand.
But instead, this.
Burrow’s season has been the stuff of fantasy football dreams, his numbers reaching sky-high. But wins? Scarce. Losses? Agonizing. Nearly every game’s been a one-score affair, tantalizingly close but consistently just out of reach.
“If you’re looking at how (Ja’Marr and I) are playing, and you look at how Trey Hendrickson is playing, yeah, it’s a tough pill to swallow,” Burrow admitted. “But we’ve had our opportunities. Obviously, it’s tough when you feel like you’re playing well enough to win, and you’re not. But there’s always more to do.”
More to do? Sure, in theory. But the next “to-do” items include two games still against the conference-leading Steelers and the immediate West Coast swing to face the Chargers. I’ll be there in Sofi Stadium, still hanging on, but the dreams of glory have faded. Right now, it’s all about swallowing embarrassment and fighting the urge to put my fist through a wall.
Watching Burrow at the podium, rocking back and forth, I wanted him to say something, anything, that would give me hope. Instead, I got a script of positivity and resilience.
“Stay consistent with your process, your mindset, your practice. Take care of your body, eat right, sleep,” Joe explained.
It’s good advice, but let’s be honest—it’s the last thing a weary fan who drove eight hours through a rainstorm wants to hear. Sometimes, you just want to scream, “How about just win the darn game?” At some point, I’d trade every bit of advice for just one more W.
Coach Zac Taylor summed it up best in a way that probably resonated with every Bengals fan on the planet. “It’s sickening,” he muttered.
Tell me about it. After this season, we fans are the ones left feeling sick.
Dr. John Huang is a retired orthodontist, military veteran, and award-winning author. He covers the Bengals for Sports View America. Follow him on social media @KYHuangs and check out his debut novel, “Name, Image, and Murder,” and all his books at Amazon.
