Why Joe Burrow's 'throw it more' mindset could be a problem for Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals have now lost two games in a row with the ball in their star quarterback's hands.

Joe Burrow , Bengals head coach Zac Taylor and Cincinnati's offense haven't been able to deliver at the moments they've needed it most, and because of that, Cincinnati has lost any head start it had in the division when it began the season 2-0.

It's still early, and no one should be panicking .

Photos: Bengals vs. Jaguars on Sunday October 4

But the fact that an offense with an elite quarterback, two of the NFL's best wide receivers and an offensive-minded head coach haven't won either game when they had their chances, poses a cause for concern. That includes the Oct. 4 loss to Jacksonville 22-17 at Paycor Stadium.

"You've got to execute in those moments," Burrow said. "Each play is its own story. You've got to try your best to execute as well as you can in the context of that story."

The Bengals returned all 11 starters on offense this season, the same offensive coordinator and head coach. Because of that, there was going to be no room for excuses on offense.

Through four games, the Bengals rank 14th in points (24.3), 31st in rushing offense (74.3 yards per game) and fourth in passing yards per game (277.5).

One of the areas the Bengals hoped to be better in this season was the run game. Cincinnati rushed for 23 yards against the Jaguars .

"We weren't good in the run game today; 23 yards was a reflection of how our run game was today," running back Chase Brown said.

To put the Bengals' run game woes in perspective, in the Bengals' most recent two losses, they've combined for 106 yards on the ground. Jacksonville rushed for 111 yards in their win over the Bengals in Week 4.

Burrow attempted 54 passes against Jacksonville, and the Bengals were still held to just 17 points. It begs the question: Are the Bengals becoming too dependent on Burrow throwing the ball and do they need a more balanced attack?

Not according to Burrow. But statistics suggest otherwise. The Bengals are 1-5 when Burrow attempts 50 or more passes.

Burrow said he thinks the Bengals should be throwing the ball even more. Here's why.

"Because I know we're great at it. Because I know that's what I do best and we're pass-protecting really well right now," he said. "Obviously, we'd like to get more out of the run game, but I know we'll make it work."The Bengals return their explosive running back in Brown who's begging for a monster year as he's in the final year of his rookie contract and wants to earn a second contract.

They return all of the same offensive linemen and the same run-game coordinators. So, why can't the Bengals run the ball more effectively?

No one will say. And Taylor refuses to call run plays for the sake of it. He believes the best chance for his team to win is with the ball in Burrow's hands more times than not.

And that's why when those instances occur, Burrow and Taylor must make the most of them or their way will be called into question.

The hope within the Bengals' locker room is that improvement is coming soon in the run game. Brown said they are "close" to hitting some big runs.

Cincinnati started off particularly slowly in this area last season. The Bengals didn't rush for more than 100 yards in their first six games of the 2025 season.

Taylor and his staff made a valiant effort to change things as the season went in hopes they could find more in the run game and had some success in doing so.

The Bengals rushed for 100 yards in their last four games of the 2025 season and nine of their last 11. They showed it can be done with these players.

There's reason to believe it can be done this season. But time is ticking, and as Burrow said, they need to find more "ways to score more points."