As if traveling to play the Ravens yet again wasn’t bad enough, the Bengals couldn’t even catch their flight, apparently. According to Charlie Clifford of WLWT, Cincinnati’s flight to Baltimore was delayed for five and a half hours. For unknown reasons, they had to switch from a chartered flight to a smaller commercial flight.
For the third year in a row, the Bengals have had to travel to play the Ravens on a short week. For this Thanksgiving game, they at least have the return of Joe Burrow to be thankful for. But they didn’t even land until 12:30 in the morning, according to Clifford—far behind schedule.
Now, the Bengals don’t have to kick off until 8:20 tonight, but I think everyone can agree that schedule disruptions are a chore to adjust to. No team is immune to such travel issues, including the Steelers, though that’s usually on the way back.
The Bengals have flailed in Joe Burrow’s absence, mostly because of the defense. In fact, for a stretch, Cincinnati’s offense has done remarkably well—while still losing. The only game they won was against the Steelers, naturally.
The Ravens, meanwhile, are on the opposite end of the spectrum. Riding a five-game winning streak, they have climbed all the way out of a 1-5 hole. Right now, they hold the tiebreaker over the Steelers for the AFC North lead, the Bengals now tied with the Browns for third place. Though they do own the tiebreaker over Cleveland, which, whoop-de-doo.
The Bengals lost Joe Burrow in Week 2, a game that they won, beginning the season 2-0. Since then, in his absence, they have gone 1-8. One can easily make the argument that they have been the worst team in the NFL. Even when the offense showed signs of life, the defense was just so god awful that they rarely had a chance in any game.
And given that, it’s not even clear just how much Joe Burrow will help them. After all, he played all season last year and the Bengals still couldn’t make the playoffs. And, it turns out, they can’t even charter a flight for a major primetime game.
Though, to be fair, as of this writing, there is no information as to why the Bengals were forced to change flights. What ultimately matters is that everyone landed safely. Flight travel is no joke, and having plan issues can be a harrowing ordeal.
Now, Burrow and the Bengals could do the Steelers a big favor tonight by beating the Ravens. Tied with Baltimore at 6-5, a loss by their rivals would give them a bit a breathing room. And the Steelers have the Bills on deck, which won’t be an easy game at all. Let’s hope Burrow gets his beauty sleep and reintroduces himself in a big way.
Recommended for you