CINCINNATI (AP) — Despite the second-half heroics of quarterback Joe Burrow, the Cincinnati Bengals blew another close game they had a chance to win.
It's a familiar storyline for the Bengals (4-7) in this most frustrating of seasons. Sunday night's 34-27 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers was their sixth defeat by a one-score margin.
This time, Cincinnati rallied from a 21-point deficit in the second half, only to allow an 84-yard touchdown drive by the Chargers in the final minute.
The Bengals have yet to beat a team with a winning record this season, and their playoff hopes are on life support.
Despite Burrow's weekly assertions that the Bengals could win enough games to make the playoffs, they would need a lot of help. Cincinnati is 4 1/2 games behind AFC North leader Pittsburgh (8-2), which it still has to play twice. Nine AFC teams have better records than the Bengals as they head into their bye week.
Burrow was not quite as optimistic when asked after the Chargers loss if Cincinnati can still make a playoff run.
“I hope so,” Burrow said. “I guess we’ll find out. We are where we’re at. I’m not happy with where we’re at, I don’t think anybody is.
“We’re not good enough,” he said. “Our margin of error is slim.”
Coach Zac Taylor said no major changes were planned during the off week.
“We believe in what we’re doing,” Taylor said. “And so again, we’re not going to be those people that just panic because the record is 4-7 and we start making all of these significant changes. That’s not what the answer is.”
What's working
Despite the frustrating finishes, Burrow is having one of the best seasons of his career. Against the Chargers, he completed 28 of 50 passes for 356 yards and three touchdowns, much of it while on the run from the pass rush. He leads the NFL in passing yards (3,028) and touchdowns (27). ... Chase, who had seven catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns, leads the NFL in catches (73), receiving yards (1,056) and TDs (12).
What needs help
The Bengals aren’t consistently good enough to finish games. The defense allowed the Chargers to build a 27-6 lead in the third quarter. Burrow, despite shaky pass protection, threw two TD passes to Ja'Marr Chase and one to Tee Higgins to tie the game at 27 in the fourth quarter. Then came the Chargers' game-winning drive.
Stock up
After missing a total of five games with injuries, Higgins came roaring back. He had nine catches for 148 yards and a touchdown.
Stock down
Kicker Evan McPherson, who picked up the nickname “Money Mac” for his reliability, has struggled all season. On Sunday night, he missed field goal tries of 48 and 51 yards on back-to-back drives in the fourth quarter. Either kick would have given Cincinnati the lead. He’s made six of 12 attempts of 40-plus yards this year.
Injuries
CB DJ Turner II suffered a shoulder injury when he went down hard while defending a pass in the second half ... OT Orlando Brown Jr. missed a third game with knee and leg injuries ... DT Sheldon Rankins missed the game with an illness.
Key number
784 — Passing yards by Burrow in the last two games, both losses.
Next steps
The Bengals need to figure out the formula for finishing during their off week before they face the AFC North-leading Steelers (8-2) on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Mitch Stacy, The Associated Press
