A struggling defense and roster deficiencies cast doubt on Cincinnati’s ability to capitalize on Joe Burrow’s prime.
The Cincinnati Bengals closed the 2025 season at 6-11, finishing third in the AFC North and missing the playoffs for a third consecutive year. For a franchise built around Joe Burrow, the continued lack of postseason relevance has intensified scrutiny.
Burrow’s season was significantly altered by a Grade 3 turf toe injury suffered in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, which required surgery and forced him to miss nine games. He returned late in the season but was unable to lift the Bengals back into postseason contention.
In the eight games Burrow played, he threw for 1,809 passing yards, 17 touchdowns and five interceptions. While productive on a per-game basis, those numbers stand in sharp contrast to his historic 2024 season, when Burrow led the NFL with 4,918 passing yards and 43 touchdowns.
But the broader concern is not limited to injury luck. While Burrow has now seen multiple seasons impacted by health issues, the team around him has failed to consistently compensate. For a quarterback widely regarded as one of the league’s top talents, the lack of team success during his prime years has fueled legitimate questions about whether the Bengals are maximizing their most valuable asset.
Joe Burrow’s Elite Production vs. Cincinnati’s Structural Issues
Even accounting for Burrow’s limited availability, the Bengals’ team-level deficiencies remain difficult to ignore. In 2025, Cincinnati’s defense allowed 6,475 total yards, including 4,175 passing yards and 2,500 rushing yards. Those figures illustrate persistent struggles at every level of the unit and routinely put added pressure on the offense to keep pace in high-scoring games.
Burrow’s absence early in the season exposed a lack of margin for error across the roster. Cincinnati failed to generate enough defensive stops or complementary football to remain competitive without him. When Burrow returned, the team remained mathematically alive but could not string together enough wins to stay in the race, rendering his late-season production ultimately insufficient.
The contrast between Burrow’s individual output and the Bengals’ results is especially stark when viewed alongside his best seasons. In 2021, Burrow led Cincinnati to a Super Bowl appearance. In 2024, he delivered one of the most prolific passing seasons in league history. Yet, the surrounding infrastructure, particularly on defense, has not consistently matched that level of quarterback play.
The ongoing debate is not about Burrow’s ability. His performance this season reaffirms his efficiency when healthy, and his historic 2024 campaign remains a benchmark few quarterbacks ever reach. The question is whether Cincinnati can build a roster capable of sustaining contention during his prime.
As Burrow prepares for his seventh season, the Bengals’ championship window narrows. Without tangible improvements, especially on defense, the Bengals risk wasting perhaps their biggest opportunity to secure their first title in franchise history.