Why Bengals’ Joe Burrow would be MVP candidate if not for 1-4 record

The Bengals’ reward for a heartbreaking overtime loss last week is a primetime game on the road against the Giants. In other words, get ready for the newscycle to continue churning through Sunday night with regard to Cincinnati’s questionable late-game management.

After recovering an overtime fumble by a ticked-off Lamar Jackson, Cincinnati took possession at Baltimore’s 38-yard line. The Bengals then ran three plays: Chase Brown left guard for no gain, Chase Brown right guard for 3 yards and Chase Brown right guard for no gain.

Head coach Zac Taylor said on Monday, a day after pointing out that quarterback Joe Burrow actually audibled into a run on one of those snaps, that he expects kicker Evan McPherson to make 53-yard field goals. But while the kicker said a high snap and botched hold weren’t to blame for McPherson missing from that distance, Cincinnati seemed to lack the aggressiveness the Vikings have showed this year.

“I’m very reflective on things that I can improve on,” Taylor said. “At the end of the day, the decision for me is we are in comfortable-enough field-goal range for Evan and I don’t want to do anything to disrupt that.”

That’s the micro view of where the Bengals stand after their latest loss. Burrow provided the macro view following the Baltimore game, saying the Bengals are not a championship-level team.

“We’re 1-4,” Burrow said. “That’s not where we want to be. Something has to change. I’m not sure what that is on our end, but we’ll do some critical thinking, watch the tape, and see what we can do better. There’s plenty to improve on. That’s no secret. We’ll treat it just like any other week, come back and get better.”

Burrow can’t get much better. He leads the NFL with 12 touchdown passes and, with a minimum of 90 attempts, also paces the league with a 113.6 passer rating. If not for the Bengals’ 1-4 record, Burrow would be in early season MVP conversations. And his connection with Ja’Marr Chase has never been better.

Last week, Burrow threw 41- and 70-yard touchdown passes to Chase, the players’ 13^th and 14^th touchdown connections of at least 40 yards. Among players under 28 years old, that’s the second-most touchdown passes of 40-or-more yards in NFL history. Per the league, only John Hadl and Hall of Famer Lance Alworth (20) combined for more such touchdowns at such a young age.

Chase could be on the same field with another phenomenal former LSU receiver, Malik Nabers, when Cincinnati visits the Giants (2-3) on Sunday Night Football (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC). Nabers, who missed last week’s win at Seattle with a concussion, has a historic to-do list if he returns to the field.