Joe Burrow had a brutally honest take on the Bengals' championship hopes after OT loss to the Ravens

The Cincinnati Bengals have one of the NFL’s best offenses, with Joe Burrow near the top of every major passing statistic. But they also can’t stop a nosebleed, letting quarterbacks like the Baltimore Ravens’ Jamar Jackson pull off all kinds of magic whenever they want.

As such, in a 2024 season where they had hoped to be Super Bowl contenders, the Bengals are instead a depressing 1-4. For all intents and purposes, barring an incredible rally over the next 12 games, Cincinatti’s season might already be over.

Burrow seems to agree.

After the Bengals’ heartbreaking 41-38 overtime loss to the Ravens on Sunday, Burrow brutally summed up where his team stands in relation to a Lombardi Trophy right now:

Joe Burrow: “We are not a championship level team right now.”

— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) October 6, 2024

I mean, is Burrow wrong?

What good is the Bengals’ offense being so prolific if the defense never pulls its weight? And no bona fide Super Bowl contender is three games under .500 in the first week of October. It’s still early, but that’s the kind of squad playing for pride in December instead of postseason seeding.