Kelsey Conway, Cincinnati Enquirer Mon, November 2, 2026 at 12:04 AM UTC · 3 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Cincinnati Bengals are 5-2 and still haven't played a complete game on offense.
That can be good and puzzling at the same time.
Cincinnati brought back all 11 of its starters from last season, have the same head coach and offensive system as it's had since coach Zac Taylor arrived in Cincinnati, and have avoided a major injury to a starter on offense so far.
It should be clicking on all cylinders by now, right?
"I'll say this: we have not put a full game of offense together, but that just goes to show you how scary our team is," offensive tackle Amarius Mims said. "We're literally going out there playing two solid quarters and still finding a way to win, like that's unheard of. I feel like most teams lose those games, but that just goes to show you, like we're doing something right ... in the moments where it matters the most."
Mims is right. For the last two years, the Bengals found ways to lose games like the Week 8 win over the Titans . One-score games weren't a friend to the Bengals in years past, mostly because of the issues on defense.
"We've lost too many to not enjoy the ones when you do," quarterback Joe Burrow said.
Cincinnati's win over Tennessee was a weird one. Burrow threw three interceptions and yet found a way to throw five touchdown passes and add a rushing touchdown in overtime. The Bengals finished with four turnovers. Wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins combined for 21 catches, 296 yards and three touchdowns.
"Glad we got it done," Burrow said. "A lot of good and a lot of bad, but we were able to pull it out."
Burrow has thrown 13 touchdown passes over the last three games.
Chase was emotional during the game. Burrow cited Chase's desire for excellence snap in and out as why his wide receiver was upset during the second half. Cincinnati's trio of Burrow, Chase and Higgins have seen what championship teams look like. It's why the expectations are so high because of the window the Bengals are in with all three under contract through the next two seasons.
The Bengals are hoping to be hitting their stride on offense this month. Burrow said when he looks back on the 2021-22 seasons when Cincinnati went on its championship runs, it was playing its best by December.
There's no denying 5-2 is a great place to be with an international game and two prime-time games on deck. The Bengals are about to hit a challenging stretch of their schedule because of game times/locations: Nov. 8 in Madrid against Atlanta (NFL Network), followed by Sunday night, Nov. 15 against Pittsburgh (NBC), Monday night, Nov. 23, against Washington (ESPN) and Nov. 29 against New Orleans. The good news, only one of those teams has a winning record (Steelers are 6-2).
But the Bengals need to find a way to start games faster on offense to ensure they're not always playing from behind. Spotting teams double-digit first-half leads is a dangerous way to play week in and out.
"I'm just excited for the fact of ... we haven't played a complete game," Mims said. "I know I haven't played my best. I know everybody else hasn't played their best. But imagine whenever we do click, we're winning now. Imagine how many more points we can win by once everybody starts clicking and the offense starts like really going."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Good. Not good enough? How to dissect Bengals' offense so far this season
Source: Sports
