Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) heads for the locker room after the NFL Week 5 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. The Bengals fell to 1-4 on the season with a 41-38 loss to the Ravens. Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Bengals Make Dubious NFL History Amidst Joe Burrow's Elite Start To Season

Originally posted on Cincinnati Bengals on SI
By Russell Heltman | Last updated Oct 7, 2024 4:57 PM ET

The Bengals have stumbled out of the starting gates this season and wasted an amazing run from Joe Burrow in the process.

According to Tony Holzman-Escareno, Burrow has the highest completion pct (72.3) and passer rating (113.6) by a QB to start on a team to begin a season 1-4 or worse since 1950. He just lost arguably the best game he's ever played after tossing a career-high five touchdowns in the 41-38 defeat to Baltimore.

It's been an abject failure all around Burrow, especially on defense (and special teams against the Ravens). Burrow has completed 75% of his passes (81-of-108) for 948 yards, 10 touchdownsand two interceptions in the past three games. He's also second in ESPN's QBR metric this season behind Buffalo's Josh Allen (73.7 QBR).

Cincinnati is running out of time to turn things around as they try to join a rare group of teams to make the playoffs after a 1-4 start.